Secret 214 - Claimed by My Bully Alpha

bChapter /bb214 /b

Aurora’s P.O.V

I stirred to the sound of my name, soft and insistent. “Aurora. Hey, wake up,” the voice said, low bbut /bfamiliar. My eyes fluttered open, and there was Caleb, sitting by my bedside, a small smile ying

on his lips.

“Caleb?” I croaked, my voice rough from sleep. I pushed myself up on one elbow, blinking away the fog in my mind. The clock on the wall caught my eye, and I squinted. Nearly ten at night. “bI /bslept this long?” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “Why didn’t anyone wake me? I feel like I’ve been hit bby /b

a truck.”

He smiled faintly, leaning back in the chair he’d pulled up beside me. “You looked like you needed it. Besides, you didn’t miss anything. The party hasn’t started yet.”

“What?” I sat up straighter, the thib/b

n nket slipping from my shoulders. “But it’s sote! Isn’t it supposed to-?”

“Midnight,” he interrupted, his tone easy, almost amused. “They always start around midnight. You

know that. Mine did.”

The memory hit me like a cold ssh of water. His birthday party. That single night I’d never stop regretting. My stomach twisted at the thought, and I looked away, fiddling with the corner of the nket. “Yeah, I remember,” I murmured. “Your party. That feels like… a different life.”

He tilted his head, watching me. “It wasn’t that long ago.”

“Maybe not,” I replied, my voice quieter than I’d intended. “But it was long enough to feel like it. Everything was so different then.” I hesitated, debating whether to say more, but his steady gaze urged me on. “I still don’t know why I even went. Everyone saw… what happened.”

“You’re talking about Shane,” he guessed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “Aurora, no one remembers that. Not like you think they do.”

“They do,” I insisted, my chest tightening. “I still hear about it sometimes. Snidements. Little reminders. They don’t forget.”

Caleb sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You know how people are. Theytch onto drama for five minutes and then move on./You’re the only one holding onto it.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but his words hung in the air, undeniable and frustrating. “It’s not bthat /bsimple, Caleb. You weren’t the one standing there–humiliated.”

He leaned closer, his voice softening. “No, I wasn’t. But I was there. And I saw how strong you wereb, /b

bChapter /bb214 /b

beven /bwhen byou /bbdidn’t /bfeel blike /bIt. You didn’t crumble. bYou /bkept byour /bbhead /bbhigh/bb, /bbeven /bbwhen/b→→→

“Even when I wanted to disappear?” I cut in, giving him a pointed look.

“Even thenb,/b” he said firmly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “And tonight, none of bthat /bmatters. You’re here. It’s your night. So stop letting ghosts haunt you.”

I nodded, feeling more at ease. But what I had told Caleb was also true. That day, that bincident/bb…/bbit /ball felt like a lifetime ago.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands resting on my knees, as Caleb’s voice broke through the bquiet/bb. /b“I’m sorry if I brought back bad memories,” he said softly, his eyes searching mine like he was bafraid /bof what he might find.

I shook my head, a faint smile tugging at my lips. “Don’t be. I feel like I’m not even that girl. anymore. She’s… someone I’ve left behind. And I’ve changed for the better.”

He nodded, a warm understanding in his gaze. “You have. I can see it. It’s like you’ve finally stepped out of the shadows.” His words hung in the air for a moment before he added with a grin, “But enough of this serious stuff. It’s time you joined the party.”

I tilted my head, raising a brow. “Speaking of which, where’s Riley? He wasn’t in bed earlier.”