Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 371

Aurora’s P.O.V

I woke up with a start, my breath ragged, my heart pounding as I bolted upright. The world spun for a moment, the edges of my vision blurry, but something felt off—something had shifted.

Was that…all just a nightmare? Had I fallen asleep and dreamt of that…being again? However…nothing seemed as simple anymore.

The room was silent except for the soft, rhythmic breathing of those around me, the faint rustling of clothes as people shifted. I quickly glanced over at Caleb and Caroline, expecting to see them awake, ready for action like always. But no. They were still sound asleep, their faces relaxed, unaware of whatever was happening.

Confusion twisted inside of me. Why weren’t they awake? I thought wolves had better endurance to alcohol…Why was I the only one who had stirred? The dim light from the moon filtered through the cracked curtains, casting shadows that seemed to move and breathe, but something didn’t sit right.

My muscles screamed in protest as I tried to stand, my legs shaking under the effort, but I ignored it. The urgency was too much. I had to know what was going on.

I wobbled toward the door, my hand pressed against the cool surface of the wall, trying to steady myself. It was as if my legs didn’t want to cooperate, as if my body was still groggy, refusing to wake up fully. But I couldn't stop. Not when I saw it—the shadow. A shape, slender and skeletal, slipping around the corner just out of view. My heart skipped a beat. What was that?

"Caleb? Caroline?" I called out silently, my mind reaching out, seeking the familiar warmth of their presence through the mental link we shared. But nothing. The link was dead, as if a wall had been erected between us, just like the time Lucas had taken me. Panic clawed at my throat, but I shoved it down. I couldn’t afford to lose my head now.

I had no idea why, but my feet carried me forward, following that ghostly form as it moved swiftly through the hallways, its thin body a shadow against the walls. I tried to call to Caleb again, but there was still no response, nothing but silence and an increasing sense of dread. Each step I took felt heavier, as if the air itself was growing thicker, pressing down on me. My breath quickened, my pulse racing as I tried to steady myself.

The hallways, which normally had guards patrolling every corner, were eerily empty. Not a single guard in sight. Not even a flicker of movement. It felt wrong. Too wrong. I swallowed hard, trying to keep my focus, but my body was screaming at me to turn around. To go back to the safety of the room. But my feet kept moving, and my mind, despite its terror, urged me on. I had to find out what that thing was, and why I was the only one awake.

I passed through another hallway, feeling the chill of the stone beneath my feet. The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating. It was almost as though the walls themselves were holding their breath, waiting for something. I shivered as a cold wave of dread washed over me, settling deep in my gut. The skeletal figure ahead of me moved with unnatural speed, slipping around corners before I could even blink. It was always just out of reach, taunting me, pushing me further into this maze of emptiness.

The air tasted bitter in my mouth. I could feel something watching, something far more dangerous than I had ever anticipated. The farther I went, the heavier the atmosphere became, pressing in on me like a physical weight. The corridors seemed to stretch on forever, twisting, bending, making me question if I was even still on the same level of the building.

I slowed, my steps faltering as the fear bubbled up inside me. It was too quiet. The deeper I went, the more I could sense it—the presence. The pull toward the unknown, the skeletal form that had led me here. A faint whisper of something dark and terrible, as though the very air was thick with ancient, forgotten power.

I couldn’t stop now. Not when I was so close. Not when I could feel the pull, the something that beckoned me forward.

But why? The question echoed in my mind as I pushed forward, my feet dragging, my breath shallow. I was no longer sure what I was chasing, but I couldn’t turn back.

Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the shadowy form vanished into thin air, and I stood at the edge of an unfamiliar hallway, my heart racing in my chest.

A door at the end of the hall creaked open, and the smell of something burning wafted toward me, acrid and thick. Something was waiting for me. Something dark. The dread clawed higher, and I knew—I knew— I shouldn’t be here. But there was no turning back. Not now.

I had to go through.