Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 414

Aurora’s P.O.V

I froze instantly, my eyes snapping upward, and my heart nearly stopped.

There it was…one of the wraiths, its hollow eyes and shadowy figure hovering just inches from my head, suspended in air. It’s skeletal fingers clenched and unclenches and a low groan escaped its skeletal mouth.

“Avery…” my voice came out tight, my throat suddenly dry.

She looked at me, still horrified. “What—?”

I didn’t even let her finish. “Don’t… move.”

Avery swallowed audibly, but I could already see it—hovering above us, its smoky, twisted form curling in the dim light. My stomach churned.

But then I noticed something—its head wasn’t tilted toward me at all. No… its hollow, dark gaze was locked entirely on Avery.

“Oh God…” I whispered under my breath.

“What? What’s wrong? Why is it looking at me like that?” Avery’s voice was shaking, her eyes darting between me and the wraith’s distorted form above.

I glanced down, my fingers brushing the jade bracelet on my wrist that Alice had given me. The amulet was still faintly glowing. Good—it was still holding. But the light was weaker than before, which meant that time was running out.

“Avery, listen to me,” I said quickly, my voice low but firm. “You need to hurry. Right now.”

She blinked, clearly rattled. “Hurry? How? But I—”

“It can’t hurt us,” I cut in, forcing my tone to be steady. “Not while the shield is working. But we don’t have much time before it fades. You hear me? You’re safe right now. Just… do what I told you before.”

Her eyes flicked up toward where the wraith was. She couldn’t see it clearly, but I could tell she felt something—her hands were trembling.

“I, I don’t know if I can—”

“Yes, you can.” I stepped closer, making sure she could hear the certainty in my voice. “You’re stronger than you think. Just take the needle, draw your blood, and we’ll be done. I’m right here.”

She swallowed hard, fumbling with the needle. I could see the fear in her every movement.

“Good,” I encouraged softly. “That’s it. You’re doing fine.”

Avery winced slightly as she pointed the needle at the vein and slowly inserted the needle inside. She whimpered as she pulled on the syringe, the dark liquid quickly filling the vial. I didn’t know how much of Avery’s blood was needed, but I urged her to fill the vial.

“Perfect,” I said quickly. “Now—cap the needle. Don’t spill anything.”

She did, her hands still shaky. I could tell she was scared out of her mind, but she had done a great job so far.

“Now throw it—across the barrier.”

“What if it doesn’t—”

“Trust me,” I said sharply, meeting her eyes. “Just do it.”

Avery took a shaky breath and tossed the capped syringe. My chest loosened when I saw it pass cleanly through the invisible barrier and land with a soft clink on the other side.

“See?” I exhaled, picking it up and pocketing it quickly. “It worked. You did it.”

She stared at me, still pale. “Is… is it gone?”

“Not yet,” I murmured, glancing up at the wraith that still lingered, but keeping my voice calm for her sake. “But it can’t touch us now. You’re safe.”

Her shoulders sagged slightly, relief breaking through her fear.

“Thank you,” I told her sincerely. “You’ve done enough. Now, go back to bed. Act like nothing happened. Understand?”

She hesitated looking over my head and then at me. “…Yeah. I understand.”

“Good girl,” I said quietly, watching her walk towards the door so she could close it, even as I kept my eyes on the shadow above.

I watched as Avery’s eyes slowly lifted, her gaze locking onto the shadowy form still hovering just above me. Her lips trembled as she whispered. “Aurora… will you be okay?”

I forced a small smile, even though my chest felt tight. “Yeah,” I murmured, keeping my tone steady, “I’ll be fine, Avery. We both will. I’m going to make sure of it… no matter what.”

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting between me and the wraith like she wanted to say something more, but instead she just nodded quickly. “Okay… just… be careful.”

“I promise,” I said firmly, holding her gaze until she seemed to believe me.

With a shaky breath, she stepped back and reached for the door, shutting it behind her with a soft click. The moment the latch caught, I let out the breath I’d been holding.

My hand went to my pocket where I had safely stowed away the syringe, making sure that the cap was tight enough that nothing spilled. When I was sure that everything was fine, I immediately headed down the apartment stairs, eager to get back to Alice and away from the wraith hovering just overhead.

I swung the gate open, already imagining the relief of finally getting out of here—

—and froze.

“Ashton,” I breathed, my voice catching.

His eyes narrowed instantly. “Aurora… where exactly are you going in such a hurry?”

Before I could answer, Maggie stepped out from behind him, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said slowly, though there was a flicker of suspicion in her eyes.

“Guys…what are you doing here?” I managed to stammer out somehow, despite my heart having leapt up to my throat.

They didn’t answer—just stared at me, blocking the exit completely.

My stomach sank. This… was not the escape I’d planned.