Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 440

Aurora’s P.O.V

I froze where I stood, my eyes widening as I stared at her, unable to process the words that had just left her mouth.

“What… what do you mean by that, Mother?” My voice shook as though I were a child again, and I could feel my throat tightening.

“If I’m not dead, then…then how am I seeing you right now? You can’t be here. You can’t be standing in front of me like this.”

She only gave me a gentle smile, the kind that once made everything feel safe, though now it suddenly chilled me to the bone.

“Aurora, my soul is trapped in the afterlife, but my body is dead. That is why you can see me.”

I staggered back a little, clutching my chest as if I could steady my heartbeat. “Trapped?” I whispered hoarsely.

“No… that doesn’t make any sense. Does that mean I… I failed to kill Lucas? Did I fail, Mother?” My words spilled out in a rush, desperate, panicked.

Her expression softened even more as she shook her head slowly. “No, my dear. Lucas is finally gone. You did not fail in that.”

I blinked, the breath that rushed out of me almost breaking into a sob. “He’s… gone?” For a moment there was relief, but it was fleeting, because then she added.

“But Harmona is still here, Aurora. And she wants vengeance.”

My hands trembled at my sides as I whispered, “Vengeance?” The word tasted bitter in my mouth. “So it’s not over? You mean… after everything, it’s still not over?”

Mother took a step closer, her voice firmer now even though her expression was still kind. “It will not be over until Harmona is defeated once and for all. And that task falls to you, my daughter.”

I shook my head, my eyes burning with tears I hadn’t realized had gathered. “But… how? I’m not even in my body, am I? I can’t feel it, I don’t feel like myself, mother. I don’t even know where I am anymore. How can I fight her like this?”

“That,” she said softly, “is why I am here. To help you return to your body. You cannot face Harmona like this. You must return if you are to end her.”

Her words struck me with both hope and terror, and I stared at her as though the answer might be hidden in her smile.

“Return to my body?” I breathed. “But how is that even possible? Tell me, Mother, how?”

She tilted her head, the smile never leaving though there was sadness flickering in her eyes. “That is my purpose here, Aurora. To guide you back. But understand this, once I do, once I help you, I will disappear. Forever. You will never sense me again.”

I gasped sharply, the sound breaking like glass in the air. “Disappear? No… no, you can’t mean that! I just found you again, I can finally see you, talk to you, hear your voice. You can’t take that away from me, not now!” My voice cracked, and I felt my knees weaken. “Mother, please… there has to be another way. Please, don’t leave me again.”

Her smile trembled faintly, though she reached out as though to brush my cheek. “Aurora, I never left you. I was always here. And I will always be with you. But my time in this form is ending. You must be strong. Stronger than you have ever been. Harmona will not stop, not until she has destroyed everything. She wants to avenge Lucas, but you must stop her. Do you understand?”

I shook my head violently, tears streaming down now. “I don’t want to understand! I don’t want to accept that the only way to have you back is to lose you again. Why can’t I just keep you with me? Why must it always be sacrificed?”

“Because,” she whispered, her voice filled with love but also with that unshakable firmness only she had, “greatness is born from sacrifice. You are my daughter, Aurora, and you were never meant to be ordinary. You were meant to finish this war. And you cannot do that if you cling to me.”

I bit down on my lip so hard I could taste blood, shaking as I whispered, “So I have to choose? To lose you forever… or to save everyone?”

Her hand, warm despite being only spirit, cupped the side of my face. “You already know the answer, my love.”

“Mother…” My voice cracked again, barely more than a sob. “I don’t want to let you go.”

“And you never will,” she said gently, her smile finally faltering with her own tears. “Because I will live on in you. In your heart. In every choice you make from this moment forward.”

I buried my face in my hands, crying out, “Why does it have to be this way? Why can’t the world ever give us peace?”

“Because peace must be fought for,” she said firmly. “And it is your turn to fight.”

I lifted my head, my face wet, my chest heaving. “And when you’re gone… when you’re really gone, how am I supposed to go on without you?”

She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against mine, whispering, “By remembering that you are not alone. You never were. You never will be.”

But I shook my head furiously, gripping the pendant so tightly in my palm that it almost cut into my skin.

“No…no, Mom, you can’t say that. You can’t talk like that. I can’t lose you all over again. Do you understand me? I barely survived the first time. I can’t… I won’t survive it again.”

My voice cracked at the end, and I felt my chest burning with the weight of the words, as though every syllable was being dragged out of me against my will.

Her face softened, and she gave me that look, the one she always used to give me when I was little and terrified of the dark.

“Aurora… sweetheart, listen to me. I’ve already been gone for a long time. That moment, back then, when I was buried in the ground, I was truly gone. What’s been here, what’s been tied to you through this pendant, it’s not my life, it’s my love, my worry, my fear. It’s the parts of me that couldn’t rest because I was so afraid for you. For you and for Riley. Because I knew Lucas… I knew what he was capable of, and the thought of him laying a finger on you was enough to keep me bound here. That’s all I am now, worry and love and fear woven together.”

“No,” I snapped, shaking my head harder, tears blurring my eyes until I couldn’t see her face properly.

“No, don’t you dare minimize yourself like that. Don’t you dare tell me you’re just some scraps of love and fear. You’re my mom. You’re her. You’re the one who held me when I couldn’t sleep. The one who sang to me when…that man would torment my dreams. The one who never let me think I wasn’t strong enough. That’s not scraps. That’s not fragments. That’s everything. You’re everything to me.”

Her lips trembled, but she still smiled at me gently. “I know, baby, I know. And that’s why this hurts so much. Because I can see you clinging to me like I’m still whole, like I’m still living and breathing and able to be what you need. But I’m not. I haven’t been for a long time. This pendant, it kept me close, yes. But it’s also kept you from letting go. It’s kept you chained to a ghost. Aurora, I don’t want you to chain yourself to me forever. You need to live. You need to protect Riley, to protect yourself. You need to face Lucas without leaning on me as your shield.”

She shook her head slowly, her eyes brimming with tears that didn’t quite fall. “I’m not asking, Aurora, now I see how strong you are. I see how much you’ve carried, how much you’ve fought. You’re not that little girl anymore. You don’t need me as a crutch. What you need is the belief that you can do this, that you can face Harmona and win. And you can. But this fragment? This shadow you’re holding onto? If I stay… it will only hold you back.”

“Don’t say that,” I shook my head, my sobs breaking through in harsh, uneven breaths. “I’m not ready. I can’t let you go. I can’t watch you fade away in front of me. Please, Mom. Just stay. Stay a little longer. Stay until Harmona is gone. Stay until I know Riley is safe. Just… just don’t leave me yet. I can’t do this without you.”

Her hand brushed my cheek, warm and familiar, even though I knew it was only an illusion, a memory given form. “Aurora… you already are doing it without me. You just haven't seen it yet. And as much as it breaks my heart to say this, I can’t stay much longer. My fear kept me here, yes, but love… love wants me to let go. Love wants me to give you back to yourself.”