Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 413

Aurora’s P.O.V

I looked around the place, trying my best to come up with something that would help me in this situation. I could tell that Avery was getting just as worried as time ticked by. If I didn’t hurry, Ashton and Maggie could return at any moment, and then we’ll all be in trouble.

But what if the wraiths found us first? What if they possessed Avery and made her do things she didn’t want to before I could find a solution and get Avery’s blood?

No! I couldn’t think this way. I had to get Avery’s blood no matter what. This was the only chance I was going to get while Ashton and Maggie were both away, otherwise, they usually guard her far too closely for me to even talk to her properly, let alone draw her blood.

Suddenly, I froze for a moment, my mind running over everything that had happened. All the pieces I thought I had fit together suddenly shifted, and it hit me like a blow to the chest. I turned to Avery quickly.

“Avery… I think I might have been wrong,” I said, my voice low but urgent.

She frowned, stepping closer to the glowing shield between us. “Wrong about what?”

“Maggie,” I whispered, feeling the weight of the realization sink in. “I thought she was in on it… with Ashton. But now… now I’m not so sure. What if she’s just another victim like you? What if…everything she has been doing is because she is trapped?”

Avery’s brows knitted together, her lips parting as if she wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. “She’s… trapped? Just like me? Is that why she is afraid?”

“Yes,” I said quickly. “And if that’s the case, I’ve been going after the wrong person.” I took a deep breath, pushing my hair out of my face. “Avery, I know a way to stop Ashton. But for that… I need your help. I need your blood. Just a little bit.”

Without hesitation, Avery reached for something sharp from her side table. “Then I’ll cut my hand right now. Take whatever you need—”

“No!” I interrupted sharply, holding my hand up. “Don’t do that. It’s too risky. If Ashton finds out… if he smells it or sees the wound… you could be in serious trouble.”

She let the object drop back down, her eyes still locked on mine. “Alright. Then how? Tell me how you want to do this. Because I don’t know what to do to help, Aura.”

I stepped closer to the barrier, wishing I could just reach through and take her hand. “That’s the problem. We’re separated by this shield. Which means…” I trailed off, glancing at the faint shimmer of the energy between us.

“Which means Ashton already guessed you’d come to me,” she finished for me, her voice laced with frustration. “He planned this.”

“Yes,” I said quietly, biting my lip. “He planned this. Which means I have to think like him. Find the hole in his plan.”

We stood there in silence for a beat, both of us thinking, our eyes darting from the shield to each other. Then something clicked in my head, like a lock turning. My hand went to my jeans pocket.

Avery noticed immediately. “What is it?”

I pulled it out slowly—a small syringe, the one I’d taken from Alice’s office earlier without anyone noticing. “This,” I said with a faint, grim smile. “This might just be our way around him.”

Her eyes widened. “Aurora… what exactly are you planning to do with that?”

I stared at the syringe in my hand for a second before I flung it past the doorway, half-expecting it to bounce back at me like how it had thrown me back just a couple minutes ago.

Instead, it sailed clean through the air, passed the doorframe, and clattered on the floor inside the apartment.

My eyes widened. “Wait… did you see that?” I turned to Avery, my voice sharp with surprise.

“The shield—it’s not for objects. It’s only blocking living things.”

Avery’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “How is that even possible?”

“Let’s focus on the important task first, alright?” I said quickly, my mind already racing. I took a step toward her, nearing the barrier cautiously. “Avery, I need you to use the needle to draw some of your blood.”

She blinked at me like she hadn’t heard right. “What?”

“Draw your blood,” I repeated, rolling up my sleeve and turning my arm so the vein was visible. “Here, this is the spot. Just take a syringe and follow what I show you.”

Her hand hovered near the table, and she picked up the syringe slowly, like it might bite her. Her voice was trembling.

“Aurora… I don’t think I can—”

“You can,” I cut in, looking her straight in the eyes. “I know it’s scary. I know it feels wrong. But if you trust me—if you just do this—then we might have a chance. If you don’t, this… all of this… it will never stop.”

She swallowed hard, her eyes glassy with tears. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.” I nodded once, firm. “Trust me, Avery. Just do as I say and I promise you’ll be fine.”

Her fingers tightened around the syringe, and she took a deep breath before stepping closer. “Okay… okay, I’m doing it.”

“Good,” I said softly, holding my arm out as I showed her what to do.

She uncapped the needle, her hands shaking slightly, and positioned it just above the vein. I could see her concentrating, her lips pressed together, and for a moment, I thought she’d go through with it without another word.

Then her eyes flicked upward past my face, over my head—and her expression shattered into pure horror.

Her breath hitched, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. “Aurora—behind you!”