Claimed by My Bully Alpha Chapter 80

Aurora’s P.O.V

“I want to leave.” I told everyone at the dinner table, forcing the words past the lump forming in my throat.

Caleb and Caroline exchanged concerned glances for a second before turning to Jade. “Ask the front desk about Aurora’s visitors for today.” Caleb asked, making my heart thrash against my ribcage.

“Cindy, Trisha, Laura and Mia.” Jade answered almost immediately, and it once again struck me just how big of a difference we had. Human and the supernatural. It was a bridge that I couldn’t cross easily. They could just reach out with their minds and find out exactly what was happening…a gift I would die to have.

Any gift actually…a gift that could help Caleb get stronger. But instead, all I’ve been doing was dragging him down with me.

“What did they say to you?” Caroline placed a hand on my shoulder gently. “Did they try to threaten yo-”

“No.” I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. “It wasn’t a threat…what they said made perfect sense.”

“What made sense? That you should go back to your house, the most unsafe place for you to be in right now?” Caleb’s voice was harsh and cold, something I had expected, but it took me by surprise nonetheless. “Does that make sense to you? You want to go back to the life you had before? Where your own fucking father-”

“Caleb.” Jade placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Honestly, I wasn’t mad at what he just said. If I was in his place and I had been the one to rescue him from a near-death experience, then I would be angry too. I didn’t blame him for the outburst, I had expected it. But that didn’t mean that his words didn’t hurt…

Jade turned to face me then, his golden eyes worried. “Aurora, there is something that I want you to understand, Mia and her group, the four of them are usually harmless, but they can twist simple facts to make you believe in the worst. If it’s something they said to upset you, or to make you feel insecure…you can tell us.”

“Their words didn’t upset me or make me feel insecure, Jade. They made me realize the truth.” I spoke softly, keeping my eyes to my plate so that I wouldn’t accidentally meet Caleb’s electric blue orbs and weaken my resolve. “The fact that I’m human…it’s causing gossip around the pack, isn’t it? People are doubting Caleb’s capability as the next Alpha because of me.”

When my words were met with silence, I looked up to find the three of them exchanging worried looks. My heart tightened with the force of my emotions, like an ice-cold hand had wrapped around the organ, refusing to let go.

Some part of me had still held hope that what Trisha and Mia had told me might have been out of spite, because of what had happened with Shane…but as it turns out, not all of it was false.

“Aurora…that’s not something we have to deal with now.” Caroline tried to reassure me. “Caleb won’t be Alpha for a while and no matter what, we will support him. The pack doesn’t know you yet. Once they do, I’m sure they will accept you with open arms.”

“Your parents were disappointed that you didn’t turn out to be Caleb’s mate.” I told her instead. “Will they ever be okay with me and Caleb being together? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! I’m human; I won’t live as long as any of you! Don’t you get it? If I left now…it’ll be easier for all of us.”

“Easier how?” Caleb snapped. “You’re my mate Aurora, and yes, just like you said, you’re human. Which means that you have no idea about the intensity of the mating bond or how it affects me when I’m not around you.”

I sighed, fighting an internal battle not to give in. “What happens when the pack rejects me? What will happen to us then? What will happen to the mating bond? Answer me truthfully.”

Surprisingly, it was Jade who answered my question. “The possibility of a pack completely rejecting a mate is next to impossible, but there are cases like this that have happened in history. In that case, the Alpha will call for a witch, someone who uses magic, and then your memories of us will be erased. The same will be done to Caleb as well, so he can mate with another wolf going forward and it would seem like our paths never crossed.”

My heart thrashed against my ribcage in fear as Jade repeated the exact same words Trisha had spoken earlier. So it was all true? I was really going to be forced to erase my memories of them.

‘So leave while you can. Go away and never look back. This isn’t a warning, but a request. Think about us too, before you become a permanent chink in Caleb’s armour.’

I looked up at Caleb, hardening my determination even though my heart felt like it was being ripped apart. If this was how it felt now, when Caleb and I were only getting to know each other…then how would it feel later on…when we…

“I’ve made up my mind.” I told him, trying my best to ensure that my voice didn’t give away my inner pain and turmoil. “I want to leave while I can. You can call me a coward but I don’t want to have my memories erased…of any of you. I’d rather keep your kindness in my heart than forget I ever met you. You’ve helped me so much…I…”

I couldn’t…I couldn’t forget them, I couldn’t forget Caleb. So if it meant that I was to leave now and still be able to retain my memories…

“Fine.” The sudden screech of the chair as it scraped on the floor made me wine. Caleb stood up, and I could feel his gaze burning holes into my skull, but I kept my head down.

“I’ll send you back tomorrow.”

With that, he left the table without so much as touching his dinner and stormed out of the room.

*

Caleb was mad, I understood that…but I felt helpless as well.

I could take anything that came my way, but I didn’t want him or anyone else to suffer because of me. I didn’t doubt him; I didn’t doubt his loyalty to the pack or to me…but what good was our mating bond if I stood in the way of his becoming Alpha?

I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to make his life miserable by just staying by his side even while knowing that I was going to bring him down. But at the same time…it broke my heart to let him go.

I wiped away the tear that had slid down my cheeks as I packed my stuff. My stay here had been incredibly short and I would miss everyone dearly, but still, it felt like I had lived a lifetime’s worth of happiness.

But maybe, I was never supposed to be happy, because every time my heart has dared to hope…that hope had been shattered into a million pieces one way or the other.

And this time, my heart was at stake… the organ that I had once thought incapable of loving; the organ that Caleb had brought back to life…it was now threatening to break once again and this time, the damage might be permanent.

So I had to leave while I still could. I knew that I was being selfish…I knew I was protecting myself but letting Caleb suffer alone…but I had to do this.

Hopefully…with me out of the way, Caleb and Caroline could have their happy ever after and they would be able to mate and lead the pack as the Alpha pair.

Yes…that would be best for everyone. I needed to leave. I needed to give up and move on.

Then why did it feel like I was losing everything precious in my life?