Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 425

Aurora’s P.O.V

I glanced at Caleb as we stepped out into the cool night air, the silence of the pack house fading behind us. For a while, neither of us spoke, just the sound of our footsteps crunching against the gravel path. My chest felt tight, and I finally broke the quiet.

“Caleb,” I said softly, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. “About the other night… I didn’t mean for things to get so heated. I wasn’t trying to argue with you.”

He stopped walking and turned to face me. “You don’t have to explain, Aurora. I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure. I shouldn’t have pushed.”

I shook my head quickly. “No, it wasn’t just that. I felt… cornered, like no matter what I said it was going to sound wrong. And with everything that’s been happening, I just—” I bit my lip, lowering my voice. “I kept thinking it was all my fault.”

His brows furrowed. “Your fault? How could any of this be your fault?”

“Because I’m the one who brought Ashton and the others here,” I said, my words tumbling out faster now. “If they hadn’t come, maybe none of this chaos would’ve started. I feel like I stirred everything up, and now I’m the one who has to fix it.”

Caleb let out a sharp breath, rubbing a hand across his jaw. “Aurora, stop. You didn’t bring trouble here. You brought people who needed help. You brought people who you thought were family. That’s not the same thing.”

“But look what happened,” I whispered, my throat tightening. “The attacks, the suspicion, everyone looking over their shoulders… that’s on me. I can’t shake the thought that if I had just…chosen to stay away from them…none of this would’ve reached us.”

He stepped closer, his voice firmer now. “Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t carry weight that was never yours to bear. I was angry that night because I was worried—worried about the pack, yes, but mostly about you. I hate seeing you take all the blame when you’re the one holding everyone together.”

I swallowed, staring at him. “You really think I’m holding things together? Because from where I stand, it feels like I’m the one tearing things apart.”

Caleb gave a short, almost frustrated laugh. “Aurora, you drive me insane sometimes with how stubborn you are, but you’re also the reason half of us haven’t fallen apart already. You keep pushing forward when the rest of us are ready to stop.”

I blinked, caught between wanting to smile and wanting to cry. “So you’re not mad at me anymore?”

His expressing shifted slightly, and I knew this wasn’t over just yet. “I was never really mad at you. Just at the situation. And maybe a little at myself for not knowing how to say what I meant.”

I looked at Caleb as he stood in front of me, his expression a mixture of frustration and concern, and I felt my chest tighten.

“Aurora,” he said quietly, though his voice carried that edge of sternness I’d come to know too well, but there was desperation there too. Desperation for me to understand. “I understand. I really do. But I’m your mate, and that means something. It means I want to share your fears and your sorrows just as much as your happiness. When you keep things from me, when you act like I don’t need to know what you’re up to—it makes me worry. Because if anything happened to you, I’d only ever blame myself.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Caleb, it’s not like I wanted to shut you out. I just… I didn’t want to drag you into something that might get messy.”

“Messy?” he repeated, eyebrows raising as if he couldn’t believe I’d used that word. “Aurora, everything about our lives is messy. That’s not the point. The point is, you don’t have to carry it all alone.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, shaking my head. “And if something happened to our packmates? If one of them was hurt because of me? Then what? You don’t understand, Caleb—I’d blame myself. I already do. Jade is lying in the hospital right now because I wasn’t careful enough. You think I don’t carry that with me every second?”

His face softened then, but it didn’t take away the weight of his words. “Aurora, you can’t punish yourself like this. What happened to Jade isn’t on you—”

“Yes, it is,” I cut in sharply, my voice cracking even though I tried to hold it together. “I should’ve been more alert. I should’ve protected him. He got involved with Maggie and it cost him. How do I look at him when he wakes up and act like I didn’t fail him?”

He sighed, his voice gentler now, though still stubborn. “And what if it had been you lying in that hospital bed instead of Jade? What if you’d been the one unconscious, bleeding out? Do you know what that would’ve done to me? Do you think I’d be standing here telling you it wasn’t my fault? No. I’d be broken, Aurora. I’d be shattered. That’s why I’m saying—I need to know what you’re doing, where you’re going, what you’re planning. Not because I want to control you, but because I can’t lose you.”

I bit my lip, looking at him, torn between anger and guilt and a kind of aching fear I didn’t want to admit.

“Caleb… I don’t know how to let you in without making you carry what I’m already carrying. And I don’t want you to feel the way I feel right now.”

He shook his head, finally closing the distance between us and placing his hand gently on my arm.

“That’s exactly what being mates means, Aurora. We carry it together. Even if it hurts.”

I let out a shaky breath, my gaze dropping. “And if I can’t forgive myself for Jade, how am I supposed to believe you won’t start blaming me too?”

Caleb leaned closer, his voice low but firm. “Because I don’t see you as the reason he’s hurt. I see you as the reason he’s still alive.”

I froze, his words echoing in my mind, and for a moment I didn’t know what to say back. All I could do was stand there, my heart pounding, wondering if I should believe him.

Caleb finally pulled me into his arms, his hold firm but gentle, and for the first time tonight, I felt the tension in my chest start to ease.

“Aurora,” he whispered against my hair, “we’ve both been so stubborn. But the truth is, we want the same thing—protecting each other, protecting the pack. That’s all that matters. Hiding things from each other only makes it worse.”

I nodded slowly, my cheek pressed against his chest. “I know, Caleb. I’m sorry… I should’ve trusted you more. I should’ve told you everything instead of keeping it bottled up.”

He sighed and tilted my chin up so I would look at him. “No, I should be the one apologizing too. I’ve been harsh, and I know my words cut deep sometimes. I don’t want us to fight anymore, Aurora. Not you and me.”

A small smile tugged at my lips even though my eyes stung with tears. “Then let’s not fight anymore. Let’s put this behind us.”

His lips curved into that rare, soft smile that always seemed to undo me. “Deal. From now on, no secrets. We do this together.”

“Together,” I repeated, holding onto him a little tighter.

For a moment, we just stood there, letting the silence settle between us, but this time it wasn’t heavy, it was comforting. Caleb then slipped his fingers into mine and gave my hand a squeeze.

“Come on,” he said quietly, “let’s go get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

I let out a small laugh, the first genuine one in what felt like forever. “Yeah, we could both use the rest.”

Hand in hand, we walked back toward the packhouse, the night air cool around us, but his warmth beside me was enough to keep me steady. When we finally got inside, I stopped in front of my door, hesitating.

Caleb glanced at me curiously. “What’s wrong?”

I bit my lip and looked down the hall. “Before we go in… I want to check on Riley. Just to make sure he’s sleeping properly.”

He nodded, brushing his thumb over the back of my hand. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Together, we walked down the hall, and my steps slowed the closer we got to Riley’s room. My heart thudded in a strange rhythm, though I didn’t know why. Carefully, I turned the knob and pushed the door open.

The second my eyes landed inside, a sharp gasp escaped my lips.

Caleb’s grip on my hand tightened instantly. “Aurora—what is it? What do you see?”