Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 469

Aurora’s P.O.V

The music was already playing softly in the background, and the party had barely just started when I suddenly felt someone grab me from behind. I turned, startled, and before I could even speak, Caroline’s arms were around me, squeezing me so tight that I almost lost my balance.

“Aurora!” she sobbed into my shoulder, and instantly, my own eyes burned with tears. I clutched her back just as fiercely, feeling her trembling, and whispered.

“Caroline, oh my God, I still can’t believe you’re really here?” My voice cracked, and the moment I said it, I broke down with her. We were both crying in the middle of the deck, not caring who was watching, not caring that everyone else had gone quiet for a second before turning their attention back to their chatter. She kept holding on, her tears wetting my suit jacket, and I didn’t even care.

“When did you even get here?” I finally asked, pulling back just enough to see her face, though our hands still clung together like we were afraid one of us would vanish if we let go.

Caroline sniffled, her lips trembling as she wiped at her cheeks. “I got here this morning. Caleb… he’s been planning this for weeks, Aurora. He wanted everything to be perfect, absolutely perfect. He didn’t want to tell you because he wanted it to be a surprise.”

I gave a broken laugh, shaking my head, and pointed at myself, at the fitted business suit I had rushed into because I came straight from work.

“Perfect? Really? Tell me, Caroline, how is this perfect? I could’ve at least worn a dress, something…anything, that didn’t make me look like I was walking into a boardroom.”

Before Caroline could answer, Caleb suddenly appeared at my side, sliding an arm around my shoulders in that calm, steady way he always did when he wanted me to know everything was fine.

“You look perfect, Aurora,” he said firmly, his voice warm and grounding. I turned to look at him, half wanting to argue, but he squeezed me closer and went on.

“Do you know why? Because this suit isn’t just clothes, it’s you. It’s who you are now. A strong businesswoman. Someone who knows what she wants, someone who’s ready to conquer the world. And that’s exactly how I want to remember you standing here today.”

My throat closed, and I bit my lip hard, shaking my head because I didn’t trust myself to speak without breaking down all over again.

“Caleb…” I whispered, and he just smiled at me, brushing his thumb against my shoulder in reassurance.

Caroline, still teary-eyed, gave a watery laugh. “You two are going to make me cry again. As if I haven’t cried enough already.” She reached up then, her fingers trembling as she touched the chain around her neck. I froze the second I realized what she was doing. Slowly, she unclasped the pendant…my pendant, the one I had given her so long ago, and her hands shook as she held it out toward me.

“Caroline,” I breathed, my hand instinctively going to my chest. “You can’t…”

“Yes, I can,” she cut me off gently, her voice soft but firm, the way it always was when she had made up her mind.

“This belonged to you first. You gave it to me when I needed it, when I didn’t believe I could hold myself together. But now… now it’s time for you to have it back. Because that’s what we promised to do. And because tonight, Aurora, this moment…it’s yours.”

Before I could protest, she stepped closer, lifting the chain and carefully looping it around my neck. My hands came up to stop her, but she shook her head quickly, whispering, “Don’t fight me on this, please.” Her fingers brushed against my skin as she fastened the clasp, and then the pendant rested right against my collarbone, heavier than I remembered, almost like it carried all the memories of everything we had been through.

I swallowed hard, blinking fast as tears threatened to fall again. “Caroline… I don’t even know what to say.”

She smiled through her tears, cupping my cheek for just a moment. “Then don’t say anything. Just know that this is where it belongs.”

Caleb leaned in, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “And you,” he murmured softly, “are exactly where you belong too.”

At that, I finally let the tears fall again, though this time they weren’t just from sadness or surprise, they were from something deeper, something that felt like home.