Claimed by My Bully Alpha (by Anna Kendra) novel Chapter 137

137

Aurora’s POV

I woke up gasping, my chest heaving as if I’d been running for miles. Cold sweat trickled down my face, and my hands instinctively clutched at my head, pain searing through it like a jagged knife.

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For a moment, the world was a blur, the echoes of voices and the distant hum of machines melding into one cacophony. My breath came in shallow bater and I was too disoriented to distinguish reality from the vivid nightmare clawing at my mind.

“Aurora!” Caleb’s voice cut through the fog like a lifeline. His hands were on my shoulders, firm yet gentle, shaking me just enough to ground me

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. Look at me. Aurora, look at me!”

I blinked, my vision sharpening as I met his concerned eyes. The fear in them mirrored the turmoil i felt inside, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I was still in that school parking lot, trapped in suffocating grip of that shadow. My hands trembled as I reached out to touch Caleb’s arm, needing to feel something solid, something real.

“Caleb…” My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. “Is Riley… Is he okay?”

“He’s fine,” Caleb reassured me immediately, his arms wrapping around me in a protective embrace. His warmth was like a balm against the icy chill that had settled in my bones.

“He’s asleep with my mom in her room. She didn’t want him to see anything that might upset him. He’s safe, Aurora. I promise.”

I let out a shaky breath, the tight knot of fear in my chest loosening just a fraction. Caleb’s steady presence was like an anchor, keeping me tethered to the present. But as the panic began to fade, a tidal wave of emotion surged forward. The memory of those hands–large, rough, and unforgiving–gripping me flashed in my mind. The pressure, the helplessness, the sheer terror. It all came rushing back, and before I could stop myself, I crumbled.

Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and relentless, as sobs racked my body. “I… I can still feel him, Caleb,” I choked out between gasps.

“Those hands… crushing me, suffocating me. I thought I was going to die.” My voice broke, and I buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed by the weight of it all.

Caleb held me tighter, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back. “You’re not there anymore, Aurora. He can’t hurt you now. I’ve got you, okay? You’re safe.” His words pulled me further away from the darkness threatening to consume me.

I clung to him, my fingers gripping his shirt as if letting go would send me spiraling back into that nightmare.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I admitted, my voice muffled against his chest. “I don’t know how to stop feeling this way.”

“You don’t have to do it alone,” Caleb murmured against my hair. “I’m here. We’ll get through this together. One step at a time.”

For the first time since waking, I felt a flicker of hope. It was small and fragile, but it was there, nestled in the safety of Caleb’s arms. And for now, that was enough.

But the peace didn’t last long.

“What happened at the parking lot, Aurora?”

I blinked at him, caught off guard by the directness of his question. “At the parking lot?” I asked, though I knew exactly what he was talking about. Still, I hesitated, the memory of what happened lingering uncomfortably in my chest. But his gaze didn’t waver, and I knew he wouldn’t drop it. So I took a breath, leaning back slightly as I tried to piece my thoughts together.

“When I got there,” I began, trying to keep my voice steady, “it was… too quiet. I didn’t like it. The lot was empty, not a sound, not a shadow, nothing. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. So I decided to just sit in your car for a bit and wait for you to get back.”

Caleb’s brow furrowed, his jaw clenching like he was bracing for the rest. “Did you get to the car?”

“No, not really,” I admitted, biting my lip. “I saw someone standing by the school entrance. I couldn’t make out their faces, but they were just… standing there. Not moving, not doing anything, just standing. And I don’t know why, but something about it made me want to reach out to that person… so I went

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Chapter 137

to the gate.”

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