Claimed by My Bully Alpha (by Anna Kendra) novel Chapter 2

Aurora’s P.O.V

I stepped into the kitchen next, already knowing what I’d find. The house was a mess. It always was after my father left. Empty bottles were scattered across the living room, and broken glass was on the floor where he’d thrown something in one of his rages. The stench of alcohol and misery clung to the air, so I had to open up a few windows to let some fresh air in.

Cleaning the room within twenty minutes wasn’t the most difficult part, but trying to stay lucid and not topple over was. My body ached all over, and I could already tell that there was dried blood in my hair from the injury last night. But I hadn't had the time or luxury of a shower. I had to hurry, school started soon, and as a scholarship student, I couldn’t afford to take days off.

So without further complains, I began cleaning the house to the best of my abilities. My hands trembled, my whole body felt numb, as if I’d been hit by a truck, but I knew I couldn’t stop.

I found the remnants of my savings—nothing but a few crumpled bills. My father had taken it all, of course. He always did. I had been saving up to buy food for the rest of the week, to make sure we had something other than cheap instant noodles as breakfast and dinner. But now…it was all gone.

I let out a small, bitter laugh as I shoved the money into my pocket. I would have to come up with some way to make more tips at my job, or there would be nothing left to eat.

Opening the fridge brought another wave of disappointment. There wasn’t enough to make a full breakfast anyway. I’d stretch whatever I could, but with one single slice of bread staring back at me from the otherwise empty pack…I knew I was skipping breakfast today.

So I made Riley a peanut butter sandwich, scraping the walls of the tiny jar and poured the last of the milk into a glass for him. He wouldn’t know that I couldn’t afford breakfast today. He didn’t need to.

I walked into his room, knocking softly on the door. He was curled up on his bed, hugging his pillow to his chest while another remained on top of his ears. The sight made my lips tremble. He must have heard the commotion last night…he must have been so scared…

It always broke my heart how I couldn’t comfort him. But at least if I locked him up in his room, then he would remain safe. And I would do anything in the world to keep him safe.

“Riley?” I called, clearing my throat to make my voice seem less hoarse. “Time to wake up.”

He stirred, his small body shifting in his bed. “Aurora?” His voice was muffled, and I could hear the concern in it.

“Yeah, it’s me. Get up, honey. It’s time for school.”

Riley sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes. He didn’t question me, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know what was happening outside his door. Maybe it because he knew if he asked, I wouldn’t have answers. His eyes flickered to the bruise on my cheek, but he didn’t say anything.

Instead, he looked down, his lips trembling a bit, as if he was trying to hold in a sob.

Watching him like this, it broke something in me, and I didn’t know what to say or do. But the only thing I knew was that I couldn’t break. Not now, not in front of him. After all, he was the reason I was still alive, he was the reason I still kept going.

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