Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 377

Aurora’s P.O.V

I groaned as a sharp, stabbing pain throbbed through my shoulder and shot down to my ribs. My head felt heavy, like it had been filled with cement, and even breath sent a dull ache through my entire body. I blinked slowly, the light from the open windows a bit too harsh, and as my vision cleared, and a sudden realization hit me.

The night was over…

Whatever nightmare that I had been stuck in…it was over…or…was it?

Frantically, I looked around the room, hoping to find any semblance of a familiar face. And it didn’t take long.

That’s when I found Caleb sitting at the edge of the bed. His brows were drawn together tightly, his jaw clenched like he was fighting off the urge to scream—or cry. His fingers were white-knuckled around the edge of the blanket.

"Caleb?" My voice was scratchy, like I hadn’t used it in days. I tried to push myself up, but the second I moved, a bolt of pain shot down my back, and I gasped, flinching. "What… What happened to me?"

His head snapped up the moment I spoke, eyes wide with relief—but also fear. "You’re awake." He reached out immediately, one hand hovering over mine before he finally grabbed it. "God, Aurora, I was so damn scared. You—you fell. Down the stairs. Last night."

I blinked again, trying to piece it together, but everything in my brain felt like scattered puzzle pieces, refusing to lock into place. "What do you mean I fell?"

"You were drunk," he said softly, like the words themselves hurt him. "Everyone was passed out in the game room after the party, but you went after Ashton and Maggie when they left. You said something about needing to talk to them. I didn’t even notice you were gone…none of us did. When they found you… you were lying there, at the bottom of the stairs. You weren’t moving. There was blood, and I thought—" His voice broke, and he looked away, pressing the heel of his hand to his eyes.

"I thought I was going to lose you."

Blood? My hand instinctively moved toward the side of my head, where a faint ache buzzed under the surface of my skin, and I winced again. The pain was real. My entire body felt like it had been hit by a truck. But… I hadn’t just fallen, had I?

Something in my chest twisted—like a door creaking open—and suddenly, the memories crashed in like a wave, stealing the breath from my lungs. The party. The music. The alcohol. I remember seeing Ashton and Maggie sneak out, and something inside me just…kept telling me that there was something going on that none of us were aware of.

So I’d followed them. I remember the hallway, dark and too quiet. And then—

The shadow.

My entire body tensed.

A cold shiver crept up my spine, and I clutched the bedsheet tighter. The shadow…that same skeletal form made of darkness and bones…it had been hovering right over Ashton and Maggie. I had tried to get to them…to warn them of what was happening.

And Avery—she had been standing in the woods. Her eyes—God, her eyes—they glowed. Bright, sickly green. Just like Lucas. I hadn't been able to process it at first, because I had thought I was imagining it.

No. I wasn’t imagining it. They lit up like they weren’t even hers. And then… then she kicked me.

She kicked me. Multiple times.

It was as if she wanted me to get hurt so badly…that she had lost all senses.

"I didn’t fall," I whispered, my voice trembling.

Caleb blinked. "What?"

"I didn’t fall down the stairs, Caleb." I met his gaze, and he immediately noticed the change in my tone. "There was something—someone. I saw her… her eyes. They glowed. Like Lucas’s used to when he was trying to control us…I saw it." I could hear the edge of panic building in my own words. "She wasn’t right. And there was this shadow, following them. I felt it. I swear, I’m not crazy."

Caleb stared at me like I’d grown a second head, like he didn’t know if he should believe me or start calling a doctor. "Aurora…calm down," he said slowly, cautiously, like every syllable might set me off. "You were drunk when you went out last night. Maybe you thought you saw something but—"

"No!" I snapped, louder than I meant to, and the pain in my ribs flared again, silencing me for a moment. My breath came out in short, pained gasps. "I know what I saw."

He looked torn. I saw it in the way his hand hovered mid-air, unsure if he should pull me into a hug or hold me back. "Ok…Okay…Let’s take it one step at a time. Do you remember what you saw? Do you remember who it was that had green eyes? And how…you fell from the stairs."