Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 410

Aurora’s P.O.V

I froze, staring at the empty spot where Ashton and Maggie had been just seconds ago, my breath catching in my throat.

“Alice… Did you see that? They just—” I gestured wildly at the air, my voice almost breaking. “—they just vanished. Right there. In front of us.”

Alice’s eyes were wide, scanning the clearing as if she could somehow find them again. “I saw it, Aura. I swear, one blink and they were gone. No sound, no trace. Just—gone.”

I swallowed hard, glancing toward Jade, who stood at the far edge of the clearing like a statue, his eyes sharp and unreadable.

“They must have sensed us,” I whispered quickly to Alice, keeping my voice low, “that’s why they called Jade over. To keep us at bay.”

Alice shook her head slowly, but there was something calculating in her gaze. “Or… maybe this is how they do it. Maybe this is how they go unnoticed all the time. They use Jade as a decoy, so no one, especially the soldiers—thinks anything strange is happening. Everyone would just see him standing there and assume he’s on patrol duty.”

I glanced at her, my chest tightening. “Then should we confront him? Find out what he knows?”

“No,” Alice said firmly, grabbing my arm. “If we confront Jade now, we’ll only tip them off. Ashton and Maggie will know we’re onto them, and then they’ll be even harder to track. We need to head back. Act like nothing happened.”

I hesitated, looking over Alice’s shoulder toward Jade. “So we just… walk away?”

“Yes. For now.” Alice tugged at me gently, and I turned with her, our steps slow and deliberate as we started back toward the packhouse.

But before we could even take five steps, a blur of movement cut across our path. Jade appeared right in front of us, his sudden presence forcing us to stop short.  He towered over us, eyes cold, blocking the way as if he’d been expecting us.

I felt my stomach drop. “Jade,” I breathed, my voice tightening. “W-what are you d-doing here?”

His lips curled into the faintest smile, but it wasn’t a welcoming one. In fact, this was the first time I had seen Jade look this…cruel. But he said nothing, just continued to stare at us with this unnerving calm that made a shiver run down my spine.

“Umm…Jade?” I tried to make my voice sound casual, like nothing was wrong, like this wasn’t completely out of place. “What’s wrong? D-did you have s-something to say?”

He didn’t answer. He just stood there, right in front of us, blocking the path. But that’s when I heard Alice’s sharp intake of breath as she spread a hand in front of me, as if trying to shield me somehow.

I didn’t understand at first…that was until I saw it. His eyes… God, they weren’t normal. That eerie green glow was nothing like the warm amber I’d known for years.

“Uh… Jade?” I took a hesitant step forward, forcing a weak smile, even though Alice froze next to me. “You’re kind of freaking me out. Say something.”

Before I could even process it, Alice’s breath hitched sharply. “Aurora—” She grabbed my arm and yanked me back so fast I stumbled.

“What—”

Jade moved. No warning. Just this sudden, terrifying lunge toward me, like a predator closing in on prey.

“Jade! What the hell are you doing?!” My voice cracked as I tried to dodge him, my heart hammering in my ears.

He didn’t stop. Didn’t even blink. It was like… like he wasn’t even there anymore. Just this shell with glowing green eyes, moving with an animal’s fury.

Green eyes…like the wraiths…

“No!” I breathed, my heart lunching. “He’s…possessed…”

“Aurora, don’t!” Alice barked as I tried to step toward him again.

“I can’t just—” But then his body twisted, bones shifting in ways that made my stomach turn. Fur burst across his skin, his face elongating, and in seconds he was gone—no, not gone—replaced by the massive, snarling wolf I knew too well.

“Oh my god,” I breathed.

“Move!” Alice shouted, shoving me aside just as Jade lunged again, teeth snapping where my arm had been a second ago.

We didn’t use magic, not yet. We just kept dodging, weaving between the trees, the sound of his claws ripping into the dirt following us like a death toll.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. Jade! Jade of all people was now chasing us like a wild animal, ready to rip us apart. How? How could he not even remember who we were? Who I was?

“Jade! Stop! It’s me!” I yelled, but it was useless. His wolf form didn’t hesitate, didn’t slow down. His jaws snapped just as I saw saliva drip from his razor sharp teeth. But there was something different…he wasn’t using his full strength…almost as if he couldn’t.

Suddenly, I slipped on the uneven ground, my body hitting the earth hard before I could find my balance. Pain shot through my palms as I scrambled back, trying to get away from Jade before it was too late…but he was already over me, his shadow falling across my face.

“Jade—” My voice broke, fear chocking the air out of my lungs. His jaws opened, sharp and glinting, and I knew I didn’t have a second left.

“Aurora!” Alice’s voice rang out, sharp and desperate. Her hands flew up, a burst of golden light spilling from her fingers. “Phasmatos Somnus.”

Jade staggered mid-lunge, a groan, almost human—escaping his mouth, before his legs gave out. His massive body hit the ground beside me with a heavy thud, breathing deep and slow, completely out cold.

I sat there, chest heaving, staring at him. “You… you put him to sleep?”

Alice was breathing hard, her eyes still glowing faintly. “It was the only way.”

I swallowed hard, my gaze flicking back to his still form. “Then we have a problem. A really big one.”