Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 74

Aurora’s P.O.V

Right after Caleb had left, after showing Riley his new room and handing me a bag of clothes that he said were donated items, which I was highly suspicious of, a woman came into my room and placed a large box on my bed, which was tied up with a pretty pink ribbon.

“Mrs. Blackburn had requested you to dress in this. She has prepared a special luncheon for you.” The woman gave me a kind smile before she left.

A bit hesitant, I went to my bed where she had placed the box, not really sure if I should accept this gift or not. But soon enough, my curiosity got the best of me and I ended up unable to hold myself back from inspecting what was inside the box.

Upon opening the box, I came face to face with a beautiful white dress that reached my knees and had large pink flowers printed all over them. The fabric was unbelievably soft and no doubt, hella expensive.

I wanted to turn down the dress, too afraid to spoil it, but I also didn’t want to insult Caleb’s mother and their generosity.

I wanted to know if Riley was called to the luncheon as well, but I highly doubted that. This was my formal introduction to Caleb’s parents, and I didn’t know if I should involve Riley in this just yet. He was still happy about his very first sleepover, blissfully unaware of how my life had turned upside down in one night, and as his big sister and his only guardian, I would prefer that it stayed that way. I didn’t want Riley to be involved in any of this just yet.

Putting on the dress, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t have any makeup on me, so I couldn’t cover up any fading bruises, but since I was still recovering, I thought it was best to avoid any cosmetics altogether. Since my hair was already short, all I did was comb it back a little, to give it some volume.

A few minutes later, a knock sounded on my door. Thinking that it was the same woman from before, who had probably come to escort me to meet Caleb’s parents, I rushed to open the door. However, I was once again surprised to find Caleb standing on the other side of the door.

Dear god! The boy was unearthly beautiful!

He wore a royal blue shirt with grey dress pants and the colour of the shirt made his eyes pop even more. His midnight black hair was combed back from his face and it seemed like he had just come out of the shower. It felt like a Greek god was standing in front of my very own eyes.  However, I soon noticed that just as I was checking him out, he was doing the same with me as well.

“Do I look okay?” I asked him, feeling insecure about how I looked. I was going to meet Caleb’s parents for the first time and here I was, looking like I had just been hit by a truck.

“You look perfect.” Caleb gave me a genuine smile as he extended his elbow. “Come on. My parents are dying to meet you.”

“But…Riley?” I asked, looking at the door opposite to me. “Isn’t he coming?”

“Riley had the pleasure of meeting them even before you did.” Caleb answered with a smile. “Plus, he’s currently smitten with Caroline. She took him to lunch with her not too long ago.”

Goodness! I’d been so nervous about meeting Caleb’s parents that I had forgotten all about taking Riley to lunch! I felt like a terrible sister.

“Don’t worry,” Caleb told me, probably sensing my mood. “Riley was the one who told us not to disturb you in case you were resting. He was worried about you too.”

That made a smile appear on my lips. My little brother was growing up way too fast.

Now, I hooked my arm through Caleb’s and followed him to the elevator where he pressed the button for the third floor. Instead of up, the elevator went down, telling me that I was on the topmost floor of the building. Even as we exited the elevator, I noticed that Caleb was walking slower than usual. He was trying to make sure I was comfortable on my still wounded foot. And I appreciated that greatly.

The hallways in this area too were well lit, with small chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and bright gold walls that seemed like they were made with real gold. I hadn’t really being paying much attention to the furniture around the house, but as Caleb led me to a giant wooden door with intricate carvings on the wood, I got the feeling that these doors themselves were hella expensive.

The doors opened suddenly and out came a woman with brunette hair and green eyes, with a light pink satin dress that reached her knees. She was wearing huge pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. There was not a single doubt in my mind that this was Caleb’s mother, and as soon as she saw me, her face broke out into a huge smile.

“Oh! Aurora!” She engulfed me in a bear hug as soon as Caleb let go and stepped back. “Oh my goodness! You look absolutely beautify!”

Blushing at the unexpected complement, I looked up into her green eyes with a smile of my own. “Thank you, Mrs. Blackburn. You look stunning yourself.”

“Oh, please! Mrs. Blackburn makes me sound old.” She pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’d love it if you call me mom!”

My throat closed up with emotion as soon as she said those words. I hadn’t called anyone ‘mom’ in the past six years and that had been my most painful memory. Mrs. Blackburn must have realized that it hit too close to home, because the next thing I knew, I was back in her arms, surrounded by the love and comfort that I had missed dearly for the past six years.

“If it’s too painful, just call me Maya for now.” She whispered in my ears. “I’ll wait till you are comfortable in calling me mom, okay?”

“Okay.” I nodded, feeling at a loss for words.

Maya pulled me into the dining area, where Caleb’s father was already waiting for us. However, I was having trouble telling him apart from Caleb. Caleb looked exactly like his father! From the color of his eyes to his hair and skin tone. He was wearing a dark blue suit jacket and dress pants with a white shirt underneath and I could already tell just how Caleb would look when he was older.

“Hello, child.” He came forward to take my hands in his and give them a light squeeze. “I’m Camden Blackburn, Caleb’s father. It is so good to finally meet you.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too.” I smiled. He seemed to have a daunting personality, but I could tell that he was a nice person.

“Come. Let’s have lunch.” Camden announced. “To celebrate Aurora’s addition to our family.”

It wasn’t until he had spoken those words that I realized exactly the parts of my life that I had been missing all this time. A family. People to call my own.

And now, sitting next to Maya and Camden, I had never felt more at home than I did at this very moment.

Yes, Riley was my family, he was my everything. But all this time, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was still that child who had lost her mother six years ago and was given a huge responsibility of raising my brother all on my own. I had yearned for a responsible adult to take care of me too, to look after my needs and wants, but all that had seemed like a distant dream.

But now, sitting in this very room, overwhelmed by the word ‘family’, it felt like I truly belonged somewhere, even if for a little while…