Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 419

Aurora’s P.O.V

When I walked into the room, I didn’t even need to look at him twice to know Caleb was mad. It wasn’t in the way he moved or sat, it was in that heavy quiet he carried, the kind that wrapped around the room like smoke. He didn’t shout. He didn’t slam anything. He just looked at me with that unreadable expression and said, in that calm tone of his.

“Why didn’t you tell me about what you were going to do today?”

I stopped just a few steps in, my hands tightening at my sides. “Caleb…” I let out a small sigh, feeling the weight in his voice. “You have every right to be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad,” he said quickly, but his eyes stayed fixed on me, dark and steady. “I just don’t understand why you couldn’t tell me. That’s all I’m asking. Just tell me before you go off and do something—”

“Reckless?” I cut in, raising a brow. “Is that the word you’re looking for?”

He leaned back slightly, his jaw tightening. “Something dangerous. Something that could’ve gone wrong.”

I took a step closer, holding his gaze. “Caleb, you have to understand… there are some things I have to do alone. Not because I don’t trust you, but because they’re mine to face. And besides—” I shrugged lightly. “I wasn’t alone. I had Alice with me.”

His brows furrowed, and I could see the flash of irritation in his eyes. “Alice?”

“Yes,” I said, more firmly now. “A powerful witch, in case you forgot. She’s more than capable of keeping me safe if something happened.”

“That’s not the point, Aurora,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “The point is…I don’t want to find out after the fact. I don’t want to wonder where you are or what trouble you’ve walked into while I’m away. I just want you to tell me.”

I exhaled, feeling a little sting of guilt under his steady gaze. “I hear you, I do. But I didn’t do anything reckless. I had a guardian with me. I was careful.”

His eyes softened just a fraction, but the hurt was still there. “I just… need you to let me in next time.”

I nodded, even though part of me still wanted to argue. “Next time,” I promised quietly. “But you have to trust me too.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he finally gave a slow nod. “I’m trying, Aurora, I really am, but how can I do that when you keep doing things like this.”

“Caleb! I’m fine, aren’t I?” I sighed, this time in exaggeration. “Why can’t you just accept that?”

I stood there, watching the way Caleb’s jaw tightened as he scoffed, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe me.

“Aurora, tell me,” he said, his voice sharp, “how was following two powerful witches in the dead of the night not a reckless move? Especially when you have no idea where they keep disappearing to?”

I exhaled slowly, already feeling the heat in his tone. “Caleb—”

“No,” he cut in, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t get it. This isn’t some harmless game. You could have been trapped, hexed, or worse. What were you even thinking?”

“I was thinking,” I said firmly, taking a step closer so he had to meet my eyes. “I understand you’re mad, I do. But do you realize you’re talking to me like I’m some helpless child who doesn’t know what she’s doing?”

He frowned. “That’s not what I’m—”

“Yes, it is,” I interrupted. “Because I can remember perfectly well the night you went into battle to fight those rogues. You left me behind, remember? And I spent the whole night pacing, wondering if you’d even make it back alive. Every single second, Caleb. So tell me—how is this any different?”

His mouth opened, then closed. “It is different,” he finally muttered, his tone softer but still edged with frustration. “I’m a wolf. This is what I’m built for. You—”

“I’m a witch,” I said sharply before he could finish. “And just like you’re built to protect your people, so am I. You think I’d stand back while the people I love are in danger? No, Caleb. Just as you’d throw yourself into a fight to keep me safe, I’d do the exact same for you.”

He stared at me, the tension between us stretching in the silence. “Aurora…” he began, but I could tell he was struggling to find the right words.

I softened my voice just a fraction. “We’re different, yes. But at the core of it? We’re the same. We’d both go to the ends of the earth for the people we love. You have to see that.”

His eyes flickered, some of the anger draining away, replaced by something else—something that looked a lot like worry.

I watched him, my heart tightening as his expression finally softened, the tension in his jaw loosening as he exhaled heavily.

“Aurora…” he said quietly, almost like he was unsure how to even start, “I’m sorry… for being mad. I just—” his voice cracked a little, and he shook his head, running a hand over his face, “I love you too much, and if anything ever happens to you… I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

I felt a lump rise in my throat, my chest aching at the way his words carried so much raw honesty.

“Caleb…” I whispered, stepping closer to him, “it’s the same for me too. You should know that. You should know what I feel as well… because if something ever happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to breathe, let alone live with myself.”

He looked at me then, his eyes searching mine like he was trying to read every unspoken thought I had. “I just—sometimes I feel like you don’t see it… how much I worry about you.”

“I see it,” I interrupted softly, “I’ve always seen it. And I worry about you the same way, Caleb. Every second you’re not near me, I’m wondering if you’re okay, if you’re safe. It’s not just you who feels this way.”

He sighed, the fight in his shoulders easing, and he shook his head like he couldn’t believe me. “Then why do you keep doing things that put you in danger? You know I’m not strong enough to lose you.”

“Because sometimes,” I said quietly, “we don’t get to choose the dangers. But we can choose to stand together in them. That’s all I’ve ever wanted… for you to know that no matter what happens, we’re in it together.”

He reached out then, his hand finding mine, gripping it tightly like letting go would mean losing me forever. “I just… I can’t lose you, Aurora.”

“You won’t,” I promised, my voice firm even though my eyes were stinging, “because I’m not going anywhere, Caleb. But you have to trust me as well...trust that I have to do things on my own sometimes, and keep things from you for your own good.”

He looked at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. But just when I thought that he might give in…that he might pull me into his embrace and tell me everything was going to be alright…he just sighed, and walked out of my room without a backward glance.