Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 456

Aurora’s P.O.V

Alice hesitated, and that hesitation made my heart race even faster. “Possession,” she said at last, the word so heavy it felt like the air itself thickened. “That green ring… it’s a mark that those wraiths had touched them.”

I shook my head violently, tears blurring my vision. “No. No, Alice, don’t say that. Riley isn’t possessed. He’s still him. I saw it in his eyes, I heard it in his voice…he’s still my brother.”

“Aurora,” Alice said softly but firmly, “I didn’t say he’s possessed. I said it’s a sign that he was possessed and survived. That means that they are survivors.”

But I shook my head, tugging at my memories and trying to connect the dots.

“Alice… it wasn’t just Riley and Jade. Avery and I…” I paused, my voice breaking just a little, “...we were possessed too. And yet… we don’t have those rings around our iris. Nothing that marks us like it did him.”

Alice leaned back, her lips parting as if she hadn’t expected me to say it out loud. She let out a long sigh, her hands folded neatly on the table in front of her.

“Aurora, that’s because you and Avery share something Riley doesn’t. You both have Lucas’s blood running through you. That blood may be the determining factor that shields you, keeps the signs from showing up. For now, everyone is safe.”

Her words should have been enough, but they weren’t. I shook my head, frowning as my chest tightened.

“Safe? Alice, how can you even say that? Just because we don’t have visible signs doesn’t mean there isn’t something lurking beneath. What if Harmona or Lucas left… pieces of themselves inside us? Or worse, what if they’ve left something hidden inside Riley, maybe even Jade, something we can’t see yet?”

Alice’s eyes softened, but her tone was steady, as if she’d already rehearsed this argument a hundred times.

“I’ve already drawn their blood, Aurora. Riley’s, Jade’s, all of it. I’ve tested them with every spell I know. I even went further, I’ve done runic examinations, binding incantations, even aura extractions. Everything has come back negative. There is nothing inside them. Nothing.”

I slammed my palm on the table, the sound startling even me. “That’s exactly what you said about Ashton, remember? When you tested him? And what happened, Alice? Every single test came back clean. You swore there was nothing wrong with him, and then…then we learned he was the purest dark witch of them all. Every test failed us!”

Alice exhaled sharply, pressing her lips together before answering. “That’s because the tests I used back then weren’t meant to detect someone like Ashton. They were designed for witches…ordinary witches, Aurora not dark witches. And Ashton wasn’t just tainted, he was pure darkness. Nothing I had in my arsenal back then could have revealed what he really was.”

I shook my head again, the fear clawing at me. “Then how do I trust the tests now? How do I know they’re not failing us again? What if this darkness is just lying dormant? What if they’re carrying something that hasn’t awakened yet?”

Alice leaned forward this time, her eyes locking on mine with a fierce determination. “Because I didn’t make the same mistake twice. I adjusted, Aurora. I’ve studied dark magic more than I ever wanted to. I’ve created new parameters, new spells, new filters specifically meant to expose corruption like Ashton’s. I wouldn’t let history repeat itself. If Riley or Jade had any trace of that darkness inside them, it would have shown by now.”

I wanted to believe her. I wanted her confidence to be mine. But fear lingered and I felt Caleb’s hand squeeze mine in a reassuring way that did little to ease the tension.

Her expression softened again, this time filled with sympathy rather than certainty. “I know you’re scared. I know the thought eats at you. But listen to me, your bloodline is a shield, not a curse. You have the blood of the priestess of the Moon Goddess. It’s why you’re standing here, worried, instead of being consumed. You’re safe, Aurora. Riley’s safe. And Jade has no magic in his veins. For now, everyone is safe.”

I stared at her, my throat tight, my heart refusing to be soothed. “You keep saying ‘for now.’ That doesn’t sound like safety, Alice. That sounds like a countdown.”

She fell silent at that, her eyes flickering just briefly, and for the first time, I realized that even Alice didn’t have all the answers.