Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 438

Caleb’s P.O.V

I could feel Damien’s back pressed against mine, the two of us spinning in a circle, striking and dodging as another wave of snarling wolves lunged at us. Their claws scraped against the ground, their eyes clouded with something that wasn’t them, something darker. Every time I swung my fist, every time Damien’s elbow connected, I reminded myself we weren’t here to kill. Just disable it. Just stop them long enough to figure out how to break this madness.

“Caleb!” Shane’s voice cracked as he ducked a swipe, barely managing to shove his attacker away before he staggered back to my side.

“This is insane! That’s Elias! That’s my damn cousin! How are we supposed to fight them like this?”

I blocked a strike with my forearm and slammed the heel of my palm into the side of a soldier’s neck. He dropped like a stone, unconscious but breathing. I didn’t even look at Shane as I answered, my jaw clenched.

“We don’t have a choice, Shane! They’re not themselves right now. Look at their eyes, you think they’re seeing us as family?”

Damien grunted as he ducked low, sweeping someone’s legs out from under them. “He’s right. You hesitate, you’re done for. Knock them out, nothing more!”

Shane’s fists trembled. “But these are our people! I grew up with half of them. You’re telling me to break bones, to strike at faces I know better than my own?”

I grabbed him by the arm and shoved him out of the way of another charging wolf before cracking my knuckles against its jaw. “I’m telling you to survive, Shane! You don’t strike, they won’t hesitate to tear you apart. They don’t care who you are right now, they don’t even recognize us.”

Shane’s voice dropped, almost breaking. “I can’t… this feels wrong. How do I punch Elias, or Aria, or…”

I snapped at him, the heat of my own rage barely kept in check. “Because if you don’t, they’ll kill you. And when this is over, do you want their blood on your hands because you were too weak to defend yourself? Do you want to die here and let them live with the guilt of what they did while possessed?”

Damien barked out a strained laugh as he caught one wolf in a chokehold, forcing him unconscious before tossing him aside. “He’s got a point, Shane! Pick a side, fight or fall!”

Shane cursed under his breath, eyes darting between the unconscious packmates strewn on the ground and the ones still circling us, eyes ghostly while from possession. His hands tightened into fists. “Damn it… fine. But only because I trust you two. If this goes wrong, if anyone dies…”

I cut him off, my voice sharp. “No one dies. Not if we keep our heads straight. We take them down, but we don’t end them. That’s the line, Shane. Stay with us.”

Shane nodded reluctantly, then surged forward, slamming his fist into a wolf’s temple just hard enough to send him crumpling.

“Alright then! Let’s end this before I lose my mind completely!”

Damien chuckled grimly, pressing his back against mine again. “Finally. About time he stopped whining.”

I smirked, even through the chaos. “Less whining, more fighting. Let’s move.”

And together, we pushed forward, one strike after another, each blow carefully measured, not to kill, but to save.

I thought we were doing well, dodging and fighting just enough to knock them out. But it all changed when one of the unconscious soldiers suddenly woke up…and charged right at Damien with a sharp cry.

I watched in horror as Damien’s claws tore across the soldier’s chest, the sound of flesh splitting making me freeze where I stood. The soldier howled in pain, clutching at the wound, his body trembling as blood seeped through his fingers.

“Damien!” I shouted, my voice cracking with disbelief. “What the hell are you doing? This…this wasn’t supposed to happen!”

Damien’s head snapped toward me, his eyes blazing, his fangs bared. “What choice do I have, Caleb? There’s too many of them! You think I want this?” he growled, his chest heaving.

“If we don’t want to hurt anyone else, then we run. That’s the only damn option!”

I shook my head furiously, my fists trembling at my sides. “Run? That’s cowardly! We can’t just turn our backs. We’re supposed to stand with them, not against them!”

Damien stepped closer, his claws still dripping red. “You think this is about pride? You think standing here is going to make us heroes? Look around you, Caleb! The longer we fight, the more of them get hurt. Is that what you want?”

Before I could answer, Shane’s voice cut through, sharp and urgent. “Caleb, listen to him!” he barked, grabbing my arm.

“You don’t see it? We’re surrounded. Staying here means more blood, more of our packmates suffering. Do you want that on you?”

I jerked my arm out of his grip, glaring at both of them. “And what do we look like if we run? Weak. Betrayers. That’s not who we are!”

Shane grabbed me again, this time shaking me hard. “It’s not a weakness, Caleb! It’s survival! Didn’t you just say the same thing to me? Survival! You think I like this? You think I want to leave them? But staying means we’re part of the problem, not the solution!”

Damien growled low, his patience burning thin. “Make up your damn mind before someone else gets torn open!”

I turned back to the soldier on the ground, his gasps ragged, his body twisting in pain, and guilt slammed into me like a blade. My throat tightened.

“This isn’t right,” I whispered, though my voice shook.

“No, it’s not,” Shane said sharply, “but it’s the only way to stop it from getting worse. Now move!”

Damien snarled at another soldier stepping forward, his claws twitching, his whole body tense, and he hissed, “Caleb, if you don’t start running right now, I swear, I’ll drag you myself.”

I swallowed hard, my chest aching with shame, and finally nodded, though it felt like a knife in my pride.

“Fine,” I muttered. “We run.”

Without another word, Damien turned, his body shifting, and Shane pulled me along as we bolted away from the chaos. My heart hammered in my ears, shame and fury tangled in every step as we fled, desperate for a place to hide, desperate to keep from harming anyone else.

Some of the soldiers who were still sane followed our lead and ran with us, side by side. None of us wanted to hurt our own, and this was the only choice left.

“Where do we go?” I gasped between breaths, dodging past wolves still hot on our pursuit.

“Anywhere but here,” Shane snapped. “We’ll find cover, regroup, and figure it out, but we’re not spilling any more blood tonight.”

Damien’s voice rang ahead of us, harsh and ragged. “Remember this, Caleb…sometimes running takes more strength than staying. You’d better learn that fast.”

And all I could do was clench my teeth, running harder, the sound of the wounded soldier’s cries chasing me long after we left the field behind.