Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 437

Aurora’s P.O.V

Ashton closed his eyes shut, his chants getting louder, his concentration unbreakable. My vision blurred, and I knew that time was running out. If I didn’t do something now…I will forever be trapped to become Lucas’s vessel.

"I can’t let this happen," I whispered under my breath, my fingers tightening around the dagger at my belt. The cold steel felt heavier than it should have, almost as if it knew the choice I was about to make. My eyes flicked toward Alice, just for a moment, and she caught the look.

"Aurora… what are you doing?" she asked, her voice breaking as she took a hesitant step forward.

"Don’t come closer," I said quickly, holding the blade against my chest. "You know why I have to do this."

"No," Alice shook her head, eyes wet. "No, you don’t. There has to be another way. We’ll find it, we always do."

"Not this time," I told her softly, my throat tightening. "If I don’t end it here, Lucas wins. And if he wins, Harmona does too. You know what that means for Riley… for all of us."

Alice’s lips trembled. "You’re talking like you’re already gone. Stop it. You’re stronger than this. You can fight it."

"I can’t," I cut her off, the words sharp, almost angry, though the anger wasn’t at her. "You think I don’t feel it? Every second he’s inside me, clawing, whispering. I can’t hold on much longer. If I wait too long, there won’t be anything left of me."

"Don’t say that," she begged, her voice cracking. "Don’t you dare say that to me. We can’t lose you, Aurora."

"You won’t," I whispered. "Not really. If I do this, Lucas goes with me. Maybe Harmona weakens too. And then you’ll still have a chance to take them down. I’m counting on you to do it."

Her whole body trembled as she shook her head. "You think sacrificing yourself will save him? What about Caleb? He’ll never forgive me if I let you."

"Tell him I did it for him," I said quickly, my voice low, urgent. "Tell him I chose this. Tell him I wasn’t afraid."

Alice’s tears finally fell. "You’re lying. You’re terrified."

I smiled faintly, though my vision blurred at the edges. "Of course I’m terrified. But that doesn’t mean I won’t do it."

Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She just shook her head, sobbing silently.

Caroline’s face twisted, and I could see the scream building in her throat. “Aurora!” she started, but before the sound could break free, Alice lunged, pressing her palm hard against Caroline’s mouth. Caroline’s eyes went wide with fury, muffled sounds pushing past Alice’s trembling fingers.

“Don’t,” Alice whispered harshly, her voice breaking. “You’ll ruin everything, don’t you see?”

Black spots danced across my vision, and my body felt like it was being dragged into the ground. I forced my gaze to Alice, and in that moment she looked at me with this desperate understanding. Her eyes shone as a single tear slipped down her cheek. She nodded once, a small, broken motion, and I managed a weak, shuddering breath.

“Alice…” my voice cracked.

“You don’t stop now,” she choked out, still holding Caroline back. “If this is what you choose, don’t you dare stop now.”

My fingers closed clumsily around the dagger, my arm trembling like it wasn’t even mine anymore. I didn’t think. I didn’t breathe. I just forced the blade down into my chest.

The sound of it was swallowed instantly by silence. No screams, no cries, nothing but the hollow thud of my own heart giving up. The world fell away. Darkness pulled me under, thick and endless, and I couldn’t even feel the ground beneath me anymore.

“Pathetic,” a voice slithered out of the void, low and mocking.

I froze, though I couldn’t even tell if I had a body anymore. “…No,” I whispered.

“You really are a stupid child,” Lucas’s voice cut through the dark, sharper than any blade. “Did you think stabbing yourself would change anything? You can try for a century, you can bleed for a thousand years, but you will never, never defeat me.”

“You’re wrong,” I hissed, though my voice cracked in the emptiness. “I had to try. I had to.”

He laughed…slow, cruel, like it was meant to curl around me and choke the air I no longer had. “Try? You think trying matters here? You are nothing but a pawn who’s confused sacrifice for victory.”

“I’m not your pawn,” I snapped, though it sounded feeble against his echo. “Not anymore.”

“Not anymore?” he mocked, amused. “You still belong to me now, Aurora, mind, body and soul. Everything you’ve done, every choice you’ve made, it’s all led you back here, to me.”

I clenched my fists, or maybe I only thought I did. “I don’t care if you own the world, Lucas. You don’t own me.”

“Oh, Aurora,” he said softly, almost like he pitied me. “You’ll break. They all do. And when you do, you’ll beg me to take what’s left.”

His laughter swelled, filling the void until it was all I could hear, pressing against me from every side. I wanted to scream back, but the dark swallowed even that.

I froze, the horror clawing up my throat as I realized my attempt had failed. I wasn’t myself anymore. I was his. Lucas had taken me, made me his vessel, and all I could hear was the echo of his laughter wrapping around my mind like chains. My lips parted, a broken whisper slipping out.

“No… no, this can’t be happening…”

Lucas’s voice stirred inside me, smug and sharp. “You fought hard, Aurora. But it was always going to end this way. You were made for me.”

I wanted to scream, to tear my skin open just to rip him out, but then, suddenly, a blinding green light ripped through the endless dark. It burned so bright it seared across my vision, and over it came the desperate, piercing cry of my mother.

“Now!”

My breath caught. My eyes snapped open, and I was back…me. The void shattered, and what I saw made my blood chill. Ashton stood over me, his hand wrapped around mine, guiding the dagger away from my chest. His grin was smug, victorious.

“It’s over, Aurora,” he sneered. “Our father is finally home.”

But he didn’t know. He didn’t realize. His grip was lazy, triumphant, because he thought Lucas had already won. I stared at him, at that grin, and something inside me snapped.

“You’re wrong,” I rasped.

His smirk faltered. “What?”

With every ounce of strength I had left, I jerked my hand back, breaking free of his loose grip. His eyes widened.

“Aurora, don’t!” he shouted, but it was too late.

I turned the blade, pressing the cold steel to my chest. My hands trembled, but my voice was steady. “I will never, ever, let him win.”

His face twisted in panic. “No! Stop!”

But I didn’t. I shoved the dagger into my chest, hard, feeling the pain explode through me like fire. I gasped, my knees buckling, but even as the world started to blur, I managed a broken laugh through the blood.

“You lose… Ashton.”

He caught me as I stumbled, shaking his head furiously. “No, no, no you stupid girl, what have you done?”

I looked up at him, tears stinging my eyes, but there was something else in them too, relief. “I ended it… for good this time.”

And as his frantic voice grew distant, I let the dagger stay buried in my heart. For the first time, Lucas was truly silent.