Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 361

Aurora’s P.O.V

Almost a week had passed, but the weight in my chest didn’t get any lighter. In fact, it got worse. Graduation was right around the corner—a moment I had waited for with hope and excitement—but instead of joy, I felt like I was carrying a boulder on my back. I kept telling myself it would all work out, that things would fall back into place with time, but that was a lie I’d been feeding myself every morning just to get through the day.

Every time I saw Ashton and Maggie laughing from a distance or passing by without so much as meeting my eyes, the knot in my stomach tightened. They hadn’t been cruel—not at all. Maggie even came up to me the day after the incident and apologized for slapping me. She looked me straight in the eyes, voice trembling, and said, “I was out of line. I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you.” I had forgiven her instantly. But forgiveness didn’t undo damage. Since then, it was like an invisible wall had gone up between us, one that grew a little thicker every day, built out of caution and silence.

What made it worse was Avery. She wasn’t just avoiding me—she was avoiding Riley too. That hurt in a way I hadn’t expected. Riley tried not to show it, pretending like it didn’t bother him, but I could see the way his eyes searched for her in the cafeteria or how his shoulders dropped when she turned down his invitation to go visit Nova at their condo. Yesterday, he even pulled me aside, voice low and uncertain, and asked.

“Did I do something wrong? Did she say anything to you?” I hated that I didn’t have answers for him. I hated how everything felt like it was slipping through my fingers, no matter how tightly I tried to hold on.

So after training today—my limbs sore, heart heavier than ever—I found Ashton outside, sitting on the old bench near the east wing, scrolling through his phone. His hair was damp, probably from his shower, and the fading sunlight gave him a kind of soft glow that made him look less like the guy who used to tease me endlessly and more like a stranger I desperately wanted to reconnect with.

I approached slowly, almost cautiously, like I was afraid he’d vanish if I made a sound. “Hey,” I said, my voice thinner than I liked.

He looked up, and his expression was unreadable—neutral, not angry, not warm either. “Hey.”

I sat down next to him, leaving just enough space so he wouldn’t feel cornered. “I… wanted to talk to you. If that’s okay.”

He gave a small nod, tucking his phone away. “Sure.”

I swallowed, my hands wringing together in my lap. “I’m really sorry, Ashton. About everything. I know we already talked a little after the whole thing with Maggie, and she apologized too, but it feels like… I don’t know. Like I lost something with you guys. Something I really care about. And I don’t want that. I don’t want this… space that’s growing between us.”

He was quiet for a moment, and I felt like I was suffocating on the silence. Finally, he let out a soft breath. “Aurora, it’s not that I hate you or anything. It’s just... things got messy. You know how close we all were. When something like that happens—when someone gets hurt—it kind of shakes the foundation a bit. We’re all just trying to find our footing again.”

“I get that,” I said quickly, needing him to know I understood. “I do. But I miss you. I miss Maggie. I even miss your dumb jokes and how you always stole my fries when I wasn’t looking.”

He smiled faintly at that, the corners of his lips twitching. “They were good fries.”

“They were,” I agreed, letting myself smile a little too. “And I want us to get back to that place. Maybe not overnight. But eventually.”

He looked at me then, really looked at me, and something in his expression softened. “I miss it too.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I’m graduating soon. I’d really like it if Avery, you and Maggie came. I want you all there. No pressure, but… it would mean a lot.”

Ashton studied me, and for a second, I thought he might say no. But then he sighed, a kind of resigned smile settling on his face. “I’ll talk to her. To both of them. I think… she’d like that.”