Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 434

Aurora’s P.O.V

I froze where I stood, my chest heaving, my heart pounding so loud I could barely hear myself think. “We can’t reach them at all,” I whispered, my voice breaking as I glanced between Caroline and Alice. “There’s no way… we’re trapped.”

Caroline grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. “Don’t say that, Aurora. We’ll find a way. We always do.”

Alice’s eyes darted between Ashton and Maggie, panic written all over her face. “No, she’s right. Look at them…together, they’re stronger than any of us.”

Before I could answer, the ground shuddered beneath our feet. Caroline yelped and clutched me tighter, Alice stumbling into us so that the three of us huddled together, making sure we created a strong until. But the shaking was so violent it almost knocked us off our feet. “What now?!” Alice cried, her voice shrill.

But then, just as quickly as it began, the shaking stopped. Silence.

My ears rang with it. However, when I followed Maggie and Ashton’s gaze upwards, my stomach turned cold. The sky rippled like water, and then… they appeared. Two shadowy forms, their shapes stretching and bending until there was no mistaking them.

Wraiths.

Lucas. Harmona.

Caroline’s lips trembled. “No… is that…them? Are those the wraiths?”

“They are,” Maggie said softly, almost in awe. She lifted her hand toward the sky. “They’re here.”

Ashton’s smile was cruel and hungry. He turned to Maggie. “It’s time, sister. No more waiting.” His eyes fell on Avery, and before any of us could move, he lunged, his hand clamping around her arm.

“Let me go!” Avery screamed, thrashing against the ropes binding her. “You can’t do this!”

Caroline shouted from behind me, her tone sharp. “Avery! Don’t let him drag you! Fight him!”

“I am fighting!” Avery spat back, her voice raw as she kicked out, her heel catching Ashton’s shin. But he only laughed.

“You think this rope, this struggle, it matters?” Ashton’s grin widened as he started pulling her toward Riley, inch by inch. “This was always your fate.”

“Stop!” I cried out, my throat tearing from how hard I shouted. “Leave her alone!”

Maggie’s eyes snapped to me, her expression sharp and mocking. “You’re too late, Aurora. You can’t save them all. You never could.”

Alice shook her head, tears streaking her face. “She’s wrong! Aurora, she’s wrong…we can...”

“We can’t!” I cut her off, the words tasting like ash. “Not all of them… not like this.”

Avery twisted in Ashton’s grip, her voice breaking as she screamed, “Aurora! Don’t let them, don’t let them do this!”

Ashton only laughed, dark and hollow. “Oh, we will, little one. Tonight, we end this. Tonight, we ascend.”

And above us, the wraiths hovered, their voices a low, guttural whisper that echoed through every bone in my body. Lucas and Harmona, calling, waiting.

When I tried to follow him, Maggie blocked my path. Her eyes glinted with a smug satisfaction that made my skin crawl. She looked at me as if I was a bug under her feet.

Alice raised her hand instantly, magic sparking around her fingers as she shot a blast straight at Maggie. For a second, I thought it would connect, but the energy ricocheted off an invisible barrier and vanished into the air. Maggie didn’t even flinch. She just tilted her head, let out a long sigh, and looked at Alice like she was a child throwing tantrums.

“You never learn, do you?” Maggie murmured, almost disappointed. “Ashton predicted you’d try that. He made sure I’d be ready.”

Alice’s face tightened. “You think hiding behind Ashton makes you strong?”

That was when I stepped forward, my voice sharper than I intended. “Why do you need Ashton’s protection at all? You’re supposed to be centuries old, Maggie. Shouldn’t you be able to handle me and Alice on your own?”

For the first time, her smile slipped, just a little. She exhaled slowly and looked at me, her eyes suddenly less mocking and more… exposed. “Because I’m not what you think I am.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

Maggie’s voice lowered. “I’m not centuries old, Aurora. I’m the same age as you.”

I blinked at her, my thoughts stumbling. “What?”

She gave a small, almost bitter laugh. “Yeah. Surprised? Ashton’s the one who’s two hundred years old. He’s been lying to all of you, to everyone. I was the surprise baby, their last trick. Our parents had me right on time, just to use me as the perfect deception.”

Alice’s jaw dropped. “That’s impossible. We’ve all been told…”

“You’ve all been told what Ashton wanted you to believe,” Maggie cut in, her voice sharper now, though it trembled at the edges.

“This wasn’t meant to last this long, Aurora. I wasn’t meant to be anything more than a mask to keep you and the others in check.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. “So all this time… you’ve been pretending to be something you’re not?”

Maggie’s eyes locked on mine, a flash of pain breaking through her composure. “Pretending? No. Surviving. After all, Ashton was the only real family I have.”

I stared at Maggie, my chest tightening as the words tumbled out before I could even think. “How is that even possible, Maggie? The day Violet’s parents came, you were genuinely worried about your uncle. You even swore you hadn’t heard from him in weeks. That wasn’t an act—I saw it in your face.”

Maggie’s lips curved, almost mocking, and she let out a breath. “You don’t get it, Aurora. He was just a babysitter. Nothing more. Someone we paid off to play the part, and once it was over, he went his merry way. That’s it. There’s nothing deeper to dig into.”

I shook my head quickly, refusing to let that sit. “No… no, Maggie. Is that what Ashton told you? Because Alpha Camden searched for him, he looked everywhere after you mentioned your uncle. And he didn’t just disappear, Maggie. He wasn’t paid off. He’s dead.”

Her smile faltered for a second, her eyes narrowing. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, I do,” I snapped, my voice rough with the weight of it. “Alpha Camden told me himself. He found evidence. Your uncle didn’t walk away. He didn’t take any money. He was killed. They found a body in an unmarked grave, someone who fit that description perfectly.”

Maggie’s hands clenched at her sides, her voice rising just a notch. “That’s not true! Ashton would have told me if that were the case.”

“Would he?” I shot back, leaning closer. “Or would he keep you in the dark because he knew you’d start to move away from him if you found out the truth? Tell me, Maggie, hasn’t Ashton lied before? Hasn’t he twisted things so you only see what he wants you to see?”

Her mouth opened, then closed again, like she couldn’t find the words. I pressed harder, unwilling to stop. “You called that man your uncle. You cried when he didn’t show up. That wasn’t fake. You cared about him. So don’t stand there and tell me he just walked away when the truth is staring you right in the face.”

Maggie’s breathing quickened, her voice barely holding together. “Shut up, Aurora. You don’t know anything.”

“I know enough,” I whispered, but my tone was sharp as a blade. “I know Ashton’s been lying to you. And deep down, Maggie, you know it too.”