Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 429

Aurora’s P.O.V

I was about to ask Alice what she meant, the words right on my lips, when the howls tore through the air-sharp, wild, and echoing from every direction. My breath caught in my throat. The whole room froze, the sound of claws scraping on stone as heads whipped up in fear. Caleb cursed under his breath, the sound low and rough.

“Damn it,” he muttered, his jaw tightening as he turned toward us. “That’s the signal. Another rogue attack.”

“What?” My heart thrashed against my ribcage.

Alice’s eyes widened, but she recovered fast. “No, this isn’t random. This means Ashton knows. He knows we’ve caught on. He’s sending the wraiths to create a distraction.”

Caleb cut her off with a sharp shake of his head. “I don’t care what it means, Alice. The reason doesn’t matter right now. What matters is the pack. They’re in danger. We’ll need to move toward the borders. Now.”

My heart hammered, but my hand shot out, catching his arm before he could storm out. “Caleb, wait—”

He stopped, looking down at me, his chest rising and falling like he was holding back a growl.

At the same time, Caroline stumbled forward, reaching desperately for Damien. “Don’t go out there without protection,” she whispered, clutching onto him like he was the only steady thing in the world.

Damien wrapped his arms around her, murmuring, “I’m not leaving you, but I have to fight. You know that.”

Caleb’s gaze softened just slightly as he glanced at them before turning back to me. “Aurora, I need you to be safe, no matter what. Can you do that for me?”

I swallowed hard, nodding, even though my fingers tightened around his arm for one more second before I finally let go.

"I told you not to worry about us, Caleb," I said firmly, holding his gaze even though my chest felt like it was being torn in two. "The pack is what matters most right now. You can’t hesitate."

His jaw clenched, his voice rough. "Aurora, don’t give me that. I don’t care what happens out here, you come back to me. Do you hear me? No excuses. No sacrifices. You come back."

I forced a small smile even though my throat ached. "And you’ll do the same for me. No matter what happens, we’ll find our way back to each other. That’s a promise neither of us is allowed to break."

He shook his head, frustrated, but his hand lingered on mine. "You’re asking me to walk away when every instinct in me is telling me not to."

"I know," I whispered. "But you have to trust me, Caleb. Trust us."

Before he could answer, Alice’s voice cut in sharply. "If those things are the same corpse-like rogues from before, then you need to use fire. The moment they touch it, they’ll burn. That’s the only way to make sure they don’t revive."

Caleb turned to her, nodding quickly. "Fire. Got it. Thank you, Alice."

Damien slapped his shoulder. "We don’t have time to waste. Let’s move."

Shane adjusted his grip on his weapon. "We’ll hold the line. Just keep the rest of this mess under control."

Caleb looked back at me one last time, eyes burning. "Aurora…"

"Go," I said, forcing strength into my voice. "We’ll handle it here."

With a reluctant growl, he turned, running off with Damien, Shane, and the soldiers. A few stayed behind, keeping close to the beach, turning into their wolf to guard us.

When the sound of their footsteps faded, I turned to Alice. "We can’t wait any longer."

Alice nodded grimly. "Then we move."

Caroline pointed ahead, her hand trembling. "The portal… it’s right there."

I lifted my head, watching as the night sky grew even darker. The air pressed heavy on my skin.

"The eclipse is almost complete," I muttered. "We have to act now, before it’s too late."

But as we looked at the area where the ‘portal’ was lingering, one question still haunted me.

"I don’t get it," I said, staring at the strange emptiness before us. "Alice, how do we even get into this thing?"

Alice tilted her head at me, calm in that unnerving way of hers. "You just need to walk through it."

"Walk through what? Thin air?" I asked, my brows knitting.

Caroline stepped closer, her voice low but steady. "Aurora… give me your hand."

I hesitated, then placed my hand in hers. The moment her fingers wrapped around mine, the portal shimmered ahead- sudden, alive, like the air itself was catching fire. A glowing ring of red light bled into existence, swirling and pulsing. My breath hitched. "I see it."

Alice reached out to me too. "Take my hand as well. We’ll go together."

I grabbed her hand without thinking, clinging to both of them. Caroline squeezed my palm once before saying, "Ready?"

"No," I muttered, but I tightened my grip anyway.

Alice gave the smallest smile. "Then let’s run."

And we did, straight into the red glow. The instant we crossed, my whole body lurched. The world spun and cracked apart, as though time and space weren’t rules anymore but suggestions breaking under us. My chest squeezed tight, my head roared with pressure. I gasped, "I can’t…"

"Don’t let go!" Alice’s voice rang out, fierce and urgent. Her grip tightened, almost painful.

Caroline’s fingers dug into mine too. "Hold on, Aurora, hold on!"

It felt like something was tearing us in three different directions, like invisible claws trying to rip us apart. My stomach twisted, my vision blurred, and for a heartbeat I thought I’d lose them both.

Then, sudden silence. And then…

We slammed down hard onto solid ground. The breath was knocked right out of me, and I rolled onto my side, clutching my aching ribs. Caroline groaned beside me, and Alice was sprawled out, her hair a wild mess.

I squeezed my eyes shut, dizzy and sick. "Okay… that was definitely not just walking through a door."

Alice sat up slowly, rubbing her temples. "No one ever said portals were gentle."

Caroline laughed weakly, though it sounded more like a cough. "Next time, you give the warning before we jump."

I lay back, still gripping their hands even as my head spun. "Yeah, no… we’re never doing that again. Ever."

Alice glanced at me, still pale but steady. "Oh, Aurora… we’ll be doing it again. Trust me."

I blinked hard, trying to clear my sight, but when the haze finally lifted, my stomach twisted.

“What… What is this place?” My voice cracked as I spun in a slow circle, the red glow from the rocks catching in my eyes.

“It feels like we’ve been teleported straight into hell.”

Alice’s expression stayed calm, though her lips pressed into a thin line. “This,” she said slowly, “is what a pocket dimension looks like.”

I whipped my head toward her. “A pocket dimension?”

“Yes.” Her tone was sharp, clipped, like she didn’t have time to soften the blow. “It’s a small slice of space that exists in the middle of a void. Only the most powerful witches can create it. If we lose our way here, Aurora…” She trailed off, her eyes flicking into the yawning darkness surrounding the rocky ground. “We could be swallowed by the void between dimensions. Forever.”

My mouth went dry. “Forever? You mean…”

Before I could finish, the sound of slow, deliberate clapping cut through the air. My heart jumped to my throat.

“Well, well,” a familiar voice drawled, laced with arrogance. “You made it.”

I snapped my head toward the sound, and my breath hitched. Ashton stepped out from behind a jagged red boulder, dressed in white ceremonial robes that shimmered faintly in the beacon light. His smile was all teeth, sharp and smug.