Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 360

Aurora’s P.O.V

Or maybe it was guilt. Yeah, that ugly thing—guilt. It was chewing through my insides ever since the moment everything spiraled out of control.

Caleb must’ve seen the shift in my face, the way my lips pressed together and my jaw tightened, because he leaned in gently and said, “You don’t need to feel worse than you already do, Aurora. No one’s blaming you for any of this. If you do feel really bad about it—and I know you do—maybe just… apologize to Ashton. We could go out after. Somewhere nice. You, me, Ashton, Maggie… Maybe even an amusement park, remember the one near the lake? You loved the swings there.”

I let out a small breath, almost a laugh, but there was no humor in it. I shook my head slowly, curling my fingers around the armrest. “You think I can bribe their forgiveness with cotton candy and rollercoaster?” I asked, my voice trembling with restraint. “That’s not how this works, Caleb. I don’t want to pretend everything’s okay just because we’re all out having funnel cake. I messed up. Ashton’s hurt. I need to try something else. Something real.”

He didn’t argue, and for a few seconds, we sat there in silence.

“But that’s not even what’s scaring me the most,” I said, looking up at him now. “It’s the attack. That rogue attack—it wasn’t just random, Caleb. You know that, right?” My voice grew firmer. “It felt… guided. Like someone was pulling the strings, someone powerful. The kind of power that feels just like them. Like Lucas. Like Harmona.”

Caleb stiffened at the mention of those names. I saw the memory cross his face like a storm cloud. “But they’re dead,” he said quietly. “We were there, Aurora. We saw them fall. We saw the ashes.”

“I know,” I said. “And yet… it’s like their ghost is still here. Or someone—something—like them. Mia told me earlier that there hadn’t been any attacks in this region for five years. Not a single rogue crossing into this territory. So why now? Why our pack? Why this specific moment?”

He narrowed his eyes, rubbing his jaw in thought. “Mia’s right. It is strange. Too strange. Rogues don’t just rally like that unless they’re desperate or ordered. And if it’s not desperation…” He trailed off, and the look in his eyes told me he’d landed in the same terrifying place my mind had been circling.

“Then someone’s giving them orders,” I finished for him. My heart started racing again. “But who has that kind of power? Who could bring that many wolves together—some of them practically feral—and send them straight for us?”

Caleb’s voice was low, almost a whisper now. “Unless it’s someone who can bring them back.” His words settled heavily between us. “Someone with the same powers as Lucas and Harmona…”

I blinked, stunned. “You mean…you think there are others like them still out there?”

He nodded slowly. “Think about it. What if Lucas and Harmona weren’t the only people who were chasing immortality? What if someone else knows the same technique they did?”

My breath hitched. “Then this wasn’t just a random rogue attack. This is something bigger. Something unnatural. If Lucas and Harmona are really gone, then someone’s picking up where they left off. Someone who knows exactly how to hurt us.”

“And they started with us,” Caleb said, finally looking at me with that soft, protective gaze I didn’t feel like I deserved. “Maybe because all the survivors are here. Maybe there’s another reason…but I can’t shake the feeling that this is related to Lucas and Harmona.”

I swallowed hard. He was right. This wasn’t random. This was orchestrated.

“We need to find out who they are,” I said, standing now, the fire in me slowly building up again. “And more importantly, we need to figure out what they want. Because if they’ve already revived rogue wolves from the dead once, who knows what else they’re capable of.”

Caleb stood with me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Then we start digging. No more distractions. No more guilt-tripping yourself into the ground. If someone’s bringing back monsters, then we become the nightmare they didn’t see coming.”