Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 389

Aurora’s P.O.V

As soon as the door to Alice’s room shut behind us with a quiet click, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The air felt heavier than usual, as though whatever truth Alice was holding inside had clung to us like static electricity, hitching a ride on our backs as we made our way down the dim hallway.

The others fell into step beside me—Caleb, Caroline, Shane—all of us moving as one unit, like soldiers retreating from a battlefield that hasn't exploded yet but was primed and ready. We didn’t speak. Not until we reached the games room and closed the door, locking it behind us. The old oak panels groaned a little, as if in protest, but the privacy was worth the noise.

Caleb was the first to speak. “Alright, so what now?” he asked, his voice low but urgent. “How the hell are we going to get Maggie and Avery to give up their blood?” He looked directly at me, his sharp blue eyes flickering with the heat of too many sleepless nights.

“You said it yourself, Aurora—we’re running out of time.”

I sat down at the edge of the long, worn-out pool table, my fingers curling against the chipped felt. “I don’t know,” I admitted, the honesty biting against my pride. “I’m not sure yet. But we have to figure it out within the next five days. The full moon is closing in fast, and if we miss it…” I didn’t finish the sentence. I didn’t need to. The weight of that ‘if’ was thick enough to suffocate us all.

Caleb began pacing, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. “They won’t just hand it over. Avery still doesn’t trust us, and Maggie—she’s…” he paused, as though trying to find a word softer than volatile. “Unpredictable.”

“She’s traumatized, probably after how Lucas was caught,” I said sharply, narrowing my eyes at him. “She’s not the enemy, Caleb, Avery’s just a scared little girl.”

“I didn’t say she was. But you and I both know what she’s capable of when cornered.”

I didn’t argue. He was right. Still, something in me flared—protective, defensive. Maggie and Avery had been through hell. So had all of us. But I knew that earning her trust wouldn’t be a negotiation. It would be a promise.

Before I could say more, I felt a pair of eyes lingering on me. Shane. He hadn’t said a word since we left Alice’s room. But I could feel his gaze cutting through the fog of plans and panic.

“Hey,” I said, turning toward him. “I never got a chance to thank you. For last night.”

He blinked. “What?”

“If you hadn’t shown up when you did… Lucas’s wraith would’ve torn me apart. I didn’t stand a chance. You saved my life, Shane.”

His expression shifted then—just slightly. A tightness in his jaw, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “I’m not sure I saved your life,” he said quietly. “I just bought you more time.”

“That’s not nothing,” I replied, standing now, stepping toward him. “You risked yourself.”

“I don’t think the wraith would’ve killed you,” he said, almost absently, as though the thought had been spinning in the back of his mind all along. “Not yet. Whatever they’re planning… it still feels tied to something bigger. Like they need you alive. Maybe all of us.”

Silence fell across the room, sharp and sudden.

“That’s what Alice kept hinting at, isn’t it? That it’s not just blood they’re after—it’s something… permanent.”

I looked back at Shane, realization starting to spark like firecrackers in my brain. “They’re staying close. They’re watching us. Because they still need us...” I swallowed hard. “Shane, you might’ve just given us the answer to why they haven’t wiped us off the map yet.”

His gaze met mine again, this time steadier. “Then we need to get all the blood samples and hand it over to Alice before the damn full moon.”

“Not just mine,” I said. “All of ours. Maggie. Avery. Five different species, remember?” I looked around at the faces in the room—some determined, some worn down to the bone. “We have five days. And Alice will need time to forge this dagger, so we have even less time.”

“No pressure or anything.” Caleb scoffed.

I offered him a wry smile. “None at all.”

Caleb sighed, finally sitting down beside me. “Alright, so step one: get Maggie and Avery to give us their blood…willingly.”

“Step two,” Shane added grimly, “figure out how to weaponize what they want before they do.”

“And step three?” Caleb asked, arching a brow.

I leaned forward, my voice dropping just above a whisper. “Make sure we survive long enough to use it.”

And just like that, the war clock ticked on.

“What do you mean by that, Aurora?” Caleb’s voice was heavy with concern, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer, his presence always more protective than he realized. Caroline was quieter, but her gaze burned with curiosity and worry, standing just behind him, arms folded across her chest like a shield.

I could feel the weight of their attention pressing against me, but I didn’t hesitate. I took a slow breath, anchoring myself, and looked Caleb straight in the eyes. “Lucas and Harmona... I don’t think they’re just randomly possessing people,” I said, my voice low, barely above a whisper, as if speaking it aloud would summon them.

“It feels like... they’re trying out bodies. Testing them. But only as a means to an end.”

Caroline tilted her head, her brows furrowed in confusion. “You’re saying this isn’t just about chaos?”

“No,” I replied firmly. “They’re looking for something permanent. A body they can fully inhabit. One that can sustain them long enough to finish the ritual—”

“The ritual,” Caleb muttered under his breath, almost like a curse. “You mean…the one where they were they were planning on sacrificing you guys to gain immortality?”

I nodded. “Once they’re in that final body, and they complete what they started... we’ll all be pulled back into that nightmare again.” My voice cracked near the end. I could see the flicker of memory in Caleb’s expression, the same one that haunted my nights.

Caleb’s jaw clenched. “No. I won’t let that happen. I won’t let history repeat itself. I might have... failed you before, Aurora. I should’ve seen the signs, should’ve listened more carefully. But not this time. This time, I’ll burn the whole world down before I let them touch you again.”

Something in his voice made my chest tighten, and for a moment, I let myself bask in his protectiveness. I smiled softly, but my heart was still knotted with fear.

“I know you won’t let anyone hurt me,” I told him, resting my hand lightly on his arm. “But we have to think practically too. Someone managed to spike our drinks, Caleb. That means they’re smarter than we think. They’re among us, hiding in plain sight, and they’re keeping tabs on all of us. We can’t afford to be naive.”

Just then, the air shifted—like someone had opened a door that had been shut for hours.

And then, we heard it. A voice, casual but calculated. “And what exactly do we need to be cautious about?”

We turned in unison.

Damien stood at the doorway, leaning just slightly against the frame like he’d been there for a while. There was a curious smile playing on his lips, but his eyes… his eyes were unreadable, too calm.

My heart skipped a beat, a sense of relief flooding my veins.