Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 358

Aurora’s P.O.V

“But,” I started, my voice uncertain, “you’re saying they never lit up. Not once. Even though magic was being used right under her nose?”

Ashton nodded, his eyes drifting to the floor, to some point far away. “Exactly. Harmona and Lucas had branded us all right before they took us, they would’ve know if something unnatural was going on. But the sigils stayed cold. They didn’t even flicker. And I think... I think she knew.”

Maggie leaned forward, her fingers digging into the fabric of her pants. “You think she let this happen?”

“I think,” Ashton said slowly, “that spell book she left us — the one we thought might help us escape — I think that was the real trap. Or worse, a false hope. Something to keep us just hopeful enough to stay obedient. Something to occupy our minds, make us think we had some control.”

“That’s—” I shook my head, my throat suddenly dry. “That’s what Caleb and I had been discussing as well. The possibility that the book you two found was a trap. But what we couldn’t figure out was why would she do that? Especially since they had already planned on sacrificing us to begin with.”

He looked up at me then, and there was something broken in his smile. “Maybe that’s exactly why. She was toying with us, Aurora. She didn’t think that far ahead into the future because she didn’t think they would lose. It was just their way of entertainment until they had all of us under the same roof.”

The silence that followed felt heavier than anything else. Maggie’s face was pale, her lip trembling, and I felt like something inside me had cracked — something I didn’t even know was fragile until now.

“From now on, I’ll never perform those spells, ever again.” Ashton finally confessed. “I’ve spoken to Alice, and she has warned me of the dangers of using those spells. I realize now, just how close I was to losing myself in those spells.”

"He agrees," Alice said, her voice soft but unyielding, as if she was afraid the truth would break something between us but knew it had to be said anyway. Her gaze flickered between Ashton and me, almost apologetically.

"The constant use of those spells… it wasn’t just draining him. It was doing something far worse. It was darkening his aura."

I felt my chest tighten, my stomach churn, but I couldn’t look away. Ashton, standing just a few feet away, looked like a man coming up for air after drowning for far too long. His shoulders slumped, the weariness in his features no longer hidden. And still, I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Shame pinned my tongue to the roof of my mouth.

"It’s… good we found it on time," Alice continued, her words clinging to the heavy silence between us. "If we hadn’t—"

She didn’t finish, but she didn’t have to. The "what if" hung over us like a sword, trembling on an unseen thread.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence where my heart screamed every apology I didn’t dare voice, Ashton turned. His eyes found mine — clear, steady, achingly kind — and my throat burned with the effort it took not to crumble in front of him.

"Aurora," he said my name like a balm, like an anchor pulling me out of my spiraling guilt. "I don’t hold this against you."

I blinked, swallowing the lump that had lodged itself in my throat, but he wasn’t done. His steps were slow but certain as he closed the small distance between us, his expression open in a way that made my chest ache even more.

"If anything," he said, his voice growing stronger, more certain, "I’m thankful. You helped me realize what I was doing to myself before it was too late. You helped me see."

My hands trembled at my sides, and I hated how small I felt in that moment — not because he made me feel small, but because he didn’t. Even now, after all of it, he was looking at me like I was his savior, like I hadn't just made him endure humiliation in front of the whole pack.

"I—" My voice cracked. I pressed a shaking hand to my chest, trying to contain everything that wanted to burst out of me at once. "I never wanted to hurt you. I was just… I didn’t know how to help without pushing, and I—"

Ashton shook his head, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, a smile that broke me all over again.

"You did exactly what I needed," he said simply.

Tears blurred my vision, and I bit down hard on my lip to stop the sob that threatened to escape. I wanted to be strong for him. I wanted to be worthy of that trust, that forgiveness shining so openly in his eyes.

Alice quietly stepped away, giving us space, but I barely noticed. My world had narrowed to the boy in front of me — the boy I thought I had failed — telling me, against all odds, that I hadn’t.

In that moment, under the weight of everything we had survived and everything we still had to face, I promised myself that I would never let him down again. Not when he had chosen — once again — to believe in me.