Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 467

Aurora’s P.O.V

I took a deep breath, staring at her, my throat tightening at the raw honesty spilling from her lips. “Caroline,” I said softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, “you don’t ever need to explain yourself to me. You’ve always been brave, even when you thought you weren’t. And if this is what you want, if this is what will make you happy…then I’m happy for you.”

Her lip quivered, and she shook her head. “But I’m scared you’ll hate me for leaving. That you’ll look at me like I abandoned you, like I abandoned everyone.”

I squeezed her hand firmly, grounding her. “Never. Don’t you ever think that way. Do you know what I see when I look at you? I see my sister, my best friend, my confidant. And I see someone who deserves to step out into the world and find out who she is. I could never hate you for that. If anything, I’m proud of you, Caroline.”

Her eyes brimmed with tears now, spilling down her cheeks, and I reached for the box that I had gotten her and finally opened it for her. When I pulled it out, the tiny pendant caught the light, the same pendant that belonged to my mother, the one I had been wearing all this time. I held it in my palm between us, and Caroline’s breath caught.

“Aurora, no… you can’t. That’s your mother’s,” she whispered, shaking her head furiously, pushing my hand back toward me.

But I didn’t let her push it away. I closed her fingers over it gently and looked her straight in the eyes. “She left this for me, yes. But she left it with the wish that I’d never feel alone. And now that you’re going away, I want you to have this. When you’re out there, when you’re exploring who you are, when you feel alone or lost, I want you to hold this and remember that you’re never truly alone. That no matter where you go, a piece of me, a piece of her, will always be with you.”

Caroline’s mouth opened and closed, like she wanted to argue, but the words never came. Instead, a sob tore out of her throat, and she clutched the pendant to her chest. “Aurora, I don’t deserve this. I don’t… I don’t deserve you.”

I reached up, cupping her face, wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks. “Stop saying that. You deserve everything good in this world, Caroline. You’ve always deserved it. And I need you to carry this with you, not as a goodbye, but as a reminder that this bond between us doesn’t break, no matter how far apart we are.”

She nodded shakily, biting her lip. “I promise I’ll take care of it. I promise I’ll take care of myself. And I promise I’ll come back, Aurora. No matter how long it takes, I’ll come back.”

“That’s all I need to hear.” I told her truthfully.

“You’re sure?” she asked again, her voice almost begging me to say no, to take it back so she wouldn’t feel the weight of responsibility. But I reached forward and helped her clasp it around her neck, smiling as I whispered, “It looks perfect on you. Just like I knew it would.”

The moment the pendant settled against her chest, Caroline’s arms went around me so suddenly that I staggered back a little, laughing through the tightness in my throat. She held me so fiercely I thought she might never let go.

“Aurora,” she whispered into my shoulder, “I swear to you… when I come back, I’ll give this back to you. I’ll return it with all the love and memories you’ve given me. But until then, I’ll take care of it for you, in your place, like a piece of your heart I’m carrying with me.”

I closed my eyes against the sting of tears and squeezed her tighter, whispering back, “That’s all I could ever ask for. Just promise me, Caroline, that no matter what happens, you won’t forget that I’m right here waiting for you.”

She pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes, her hands still gripping my arms as if letting go might break something between us. “I could never forget,” she said fiercely. “Even if the world changed, even if years passed, this pendant would remind me every single day of who I am, of who we are…sisters, no matter what.”