Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 397

Aurora’s P.O.V

“What are you talking about?” I asked sharply, exchanging a quick glance with Caleb, who took a step closer to me, as if ready to shield me from whatever was coming.

Riley blinked, confused by our reaction. “Wait… you don’t know?” he asked, his voice faltering as if the realization had just struck him. “I thought you did. Aurora, I thought you knew. I—I saw it in your room too.”

I felt every muscle in my body lock into place. “You what?” I asked, barely managing to keep my voice steady. My eyes darted to Caleb, whose expression had gone cold—stone cold. His jaw tightened as if he were trying to hold something back. “What did you see in my room?”

Riley looked between the two of us, clearly starting to panic now that he realized that he might have said something that he wasn’t supposed to say out loud. “I—I thought you saw it too. The thing standing by your window. The eyes, Aurora… the red eyes.”

I took a shaky breath, my stomach twisting painfully. “Red eyes?” I whispered. “What red eyes, Riley?”

He hesitated, and Caleb stepped forward. “Don’t stall,” he said, his voice clipped and urgent. “Tell us exactly what you saw.”

“It was like a ghost,” Riley said, his voice rising. “It had these scary eyes, like—like a demon! But it looked straight at me. I—I thought it was something you knew about or something watching over you, Aurora. That’s why I never said anything. I thought you knew.”

I couldn’t breathe. My mouth had gone dry, and my heart was pounding in my ears. Caleb reached for my arm, grounding me, but I could feel the horror creeping into my bones, spreading like ice under my skin.

“Stop,” I said, trying to contain the panic rising in my throat. “Just stop for a second.” I turned to him fully, my voice sharper than I intended. “What demon, Riley? Stop being vague. Just tell me what it is.”

Riley flinched. His bottom lip trembled and his eyes, wide and frantic, filled with tears. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just… I thought you knew.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I snapped. Not because I was angry at him—God, no—but because I was scared. I stepped toward him, reaching out instinctively. “I’m sorry,” I said quickly, my voice softer now.

“Riley, I didn’t mean to scold you. I’m just—” I shook my head, struggling to breathe properly. “I’m just scared, okay? Please. What demon are you talking about?”

Riley sniffled, his shoulders slumping as he nodded. “I’ll tell you everything,” he said quietly.

“But you’re not going to like it.”

A chill crept up my spine. I already didn’t.

I watched him rub at his eyes with the back of his sleeve, his little body trembling as he tried to be brave. But the tears, they kept falling anyway, soft and silent. “It had bones for hands,” Riley whispered, his voice barely above a breath, like saying it too loud would bring it back. “It was a big shadow... floating. And its hands—” He held his own up, tiny fingers curling as if trying to mimic what he saw. “They were just bones, Aura. Just bones.”

My stomach dropped.

Caleb stiffened beside me, and when I glanced at him, the color had drained from his face. We locked eyes, both of us thinking the same thing but too afraid to say it out loud. I could feel my own pulse thudding at the base of my throat, like my heart was trying to claw its way out.

“When did you see it?” Caleb asked, his voice lower than usual. Not harsh, just cautious. Like he was tiptoeing through something sacred—or cursed.

Riley looked between us with wide, watery eyes. “Just now. It was in my room. I woke up and it was there, just standing there.” His voice cracked on the last word, and his bottom lip trembled.

I was off the bed in a second. “Come here, baby,” I said, scooping him into my arms like I could shield him from whatever darkness he thought he’d seen—or maybe had seen. Caleb was already halfway across the hall by the time I had Riley pressed against my chest, his little arms wrapped tightly around my neck.

“It’s fine,” Caleb called from inside Riley’s room. “There’s nothing here.”

But I didn’t stop. I walked in with Riley clinging to me, my eyes darting around the space, searching every corner, every shadow, every crevice of the room like I could force it to give up a secret. The nightlight still glowed faintly from the socket near the dresser, casting soft yellow light across the carpet and stuffed animals, and the window was shut tight like it always was.

But there was nothing.

Just his toys. His blankets. His drawings taped crookedly to the wall.

No shadows. No bone hands. No floating demons.

No wraiths…

Still, the air felt... wrong. Like something had just been there and left before we arrived. Like the space hadn’t quite settled back to normal. And Riley, even in my arms, was stiff as a board, his little hand fisting the fabric of my shirt, his face buried in my shoulder.

“I swear, it was here,” he whispered, like he thought we didn’t believe him. “I wasn’t dreaming.”

“I believe you,” I said without hesitation, because he needed that right now. And God, I needed to believe it too—even if it scared the hell out of me. I kissed the top of his head and met Caleb’s eyes again. He didn’t say anything, but I saw it—the tightness in his jaw, the concern behind his gaze. He was rattled too.

And if Caleb was rattled, something was wrong.