Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 401

Aurora’s P.O.V

The wind rustled through the tall pines as I stood at the edge of the clearing, arms folded tightly across my chest, trying to keep my breathing steady. The morning sun filtered through the leaves, casting golden patterns on the forest floor, but the warmth it brought couldn’t reach the chill that had settled in my bones. Maggie was a few feet away, pretending to be focused on adjusting her stance, one hand brushing the hem of her hoodie like she was casually swiping away dirt.

Ashton was sitting on a nearby log, twirling a twig between his fingers like he always did when he didn’t know how to fill the silence. None of us said it aloud, but I knew they were all acting—pretending today was like any other. Like last night hadn’t happened. Like I didn’t see the way they flinched when I looked at them for too long.

I tried to do the same. I tried to act like I didn’t feel my heart sink every time Maggie smiled too quickly or Ashton avoided my eyes. I tried to be the Aurora who used to laugh at their jokes, who would have stretched out on the grass next to Ashton without a second thought or who would have ribbed Maggie for her dramatic stretching. But something had shifted—no, cracked. And the silence between us now was louder than any spell Alice could have ever taught us.

Speaking of her, Alice was late.

Not like her. Usually she was here before any of us, already drawing marks in the soil or walking the perimeter in those quiet, measured strides of hers. Today, the only sign of her was the flicker of movement beyond the trees a few moments ago. I caught it in my peripheral—just the briefest shimmer of her cloak—and then nothing. Just more silence. Even the birds were subdued.

And then there was Avery.

She sat at the far end of the clearing, legs folded beneath her, an unreadable expression on her face. Her hands rested neatly in her lap like she had come to a theater and was waiting for the performance to begin. There was something… off about how calm she looked. Detached.

I stared at her for too long, longer than I should have, because suddenly her gaze flicked up and met mine. And I swear my stomach twisted into something raw and sharp.

Because I remembered.

I remembered the way she’d kicked me. How her foot had slammed into my side with such force that I’d lost my breath. How her eyes had glowed that haunting, unnatural green, like something ancient had crawled up and taken residence inside her. I remembered the snarl that left her lips, low and venomous, and the hate—the pure, seething hate—in her expression. That wasn’t Avery, at least not the Avery I had thought I knew. But then again, maybe I never really knew her. Maybe none of us really knew anyone anymore.

Still… looking at her now, sitting there like a little girl who had just stumbled into the wrong forest play, I felt a lump crawl into my throat. It wasn't a pity exactly. It was something messier. Something that mixed in equal parts guilt and confusion and a thread of shame that I couldn’t quite shake. Because no matter how much I wanted to justify what happened—no matter how badly I wanted to say, "She hurt me, I’m allowed to be angry,"—I still felt this uncomfortable heaviness when I saw that bandage. It looked clean, professionally done, but it didn’t cover the bruise just under her eye, where her skin was still a dull purple.

I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “How’s your head?”

Avery tilted her head slightly, her lips twitching into something that was almost a smile but didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Still attached. Can’t say the same for my dignity.”

Maggie gave a dry chuckle, but I didn’t join in. I kept my gaze locked with Avery’s, searching for something—remorse, bitterness, anything that might tell me what the hell was going through her mind that night. But her face remained placid, her expression unreadable.

And that’s when Alice finally arrived.

She stepped into the clearing like a shadow slipping between dimensions—quiet, sudden, as if she’d been watching us from the veil the entire time. Her eyes swept across the group, pausing a fraction of a second too long on me. I noticed the slight tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers twitched as she adjusted her gloves. She knew something was off.

“Let’s begin,” she said simply, her voice cool and controlled. “We’re working on something new today.”

As we moved into position, I kept my face blank, but inside, I was unraveling.

“We’ve spent the last few weeks studying defensive magic,” she continued, pacing slowly before the class. Her robes rustled faintly with each step, and the light streaming in through the trees lit up the copper strands in her otherwise dark hair.

“Shields. Barriers. Absorption spells. All of it meant to protect. But today...” She paused dramatically, letting her words settle.

“Today, we step into offensive territory.”

I swallowed hard, my gaze fixed ahead, but I could feel the excitement coming off of Ashton and Maggie.

Offensive magic. Of course. It was inevitable, part of the curriculum. Still, my chest tightened.

Was this the plan that Alice was talking about? Was this how she was going to obtain Maggie and Avery’s blood? Something about suddenly switching to offensive magic didn’t fit right with me.

The moment Alice’s eyes met mine, something in my stomach dropped. It wasn’t just that I’d been caught zoning out. It was the look in her eyes—quiet, searching, like she was trying to say something without saying anything at all. I straightened, my spine suddenly too rigid.

“You alright?” she asked under her breath as she passed by me, just low enough that the others wouldn’t hear.

I hesitated. My voice caught in my throat, and I barely managed a nod. “I’m fine,” I lied.

Her brow lifted ever so slightly, and for a second, I thought she might press. But she didn’t. Instead, she stepped to the front again and addressed the others.

“Good. Because this isn’t the kind of magic you want to learn half-heartedly.”

I saw Ashton and Maggie exchange a look, looking more confident than ever.

“Controlled. Focused. Intentional,” Alice said, her voice was calm, but firm. “If you let your emotions get the better of you, this spell will blow up in your hands. Literally. So don’t. If there’s something on your mind, clear it. Right now.”

Her eyes slid toward me again, just for a heartbeat.

I swallowed again, harder this time. Because whatever Alice was about to do…I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good.