Claimed by My Bully Alpha (by Anna Kendra) novel Chapter 286

Chapter 286

Aurora’s P.O.V

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I inhaled deeply before I asked, “Did you find anything? About Violet?”

The air between us stilled, and in that silence, I already knew the answer. I wished I hadn’t asked, wished I could take back the hope that had sparked in my chest, but it was too late. Alpha Camden’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening just slightly before he finally exhaled.

“There’s been no sightings of her in that area,” he said, his voice careful, measured. “Alpha Jackson’s pack has been searching, but… it’s bad, Aurora.”

My heart pounded painfully, but I didn’t interrupt. I forced myself to listen, to take in every word even though I knew it would cut me open.

“They’ve only managed to recover four bodies from the collapse,” he continued, his voice heavy with something that sounded a lot like regret. “The rest… there’s no way to evacuate them. The site is too unstable.”

A sharp inhale lodged itself in my throat, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. I had known it was a possibility. I had braced myself for this, but hearing it–having it spoken into existence–made it real in a way that I wasn’t ready

for.

“So that’s it?” My voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it, a sharpness that I couldn’t smooth out. “They just… gave up?”

Alpha Camden’s expression hardened, and for the first time, I saw the exhaustion in his eyes. “No one’s giving up. But sometimes, Aurora, there’s nothing left to be done.”

I shook my head, not wanting to believe that. Not wanting to accept that Violet could just be gone, buried beneath ruins and dust and the weight of everything I never got to say to her. My hands trembled, and I exhaled sharply, trying to steady myself.

‘She could still be out there,” I said, desperately lacing my words. “She could’ve gotten out, maybe she-

“Aurora.” His tone was gentle but firm, the way someone speaks when they know the truth is a wound you don’t want to face.

I looked away, blinking rapidly, refusing to let the tears spill over. I didn’t want to hear this. I didn’t want to accept that this was where her story ended, trapped beneath rubble, her name lost in the wind.

Alpha Camden reached out, his hand a steady presence on my shoulder. ‘I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear,” he murmured, “but I promise, if there’s even the slightest chance that she’s out there, we’ll find her.”

I swallowed past the tightness in my throat and nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I believed it. Because hope was dangerous, and I wasn’t sure how much more I could take before it shattered completely.

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Chapter 286

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I swallowed hard, my throat dry, the heat licking at my skin even from a distance. My arms wrapped around myself, though it did little to shield me from the weight pressing down on my chest. “Did you at least try to find any signs of life?” My voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, but Caleb heard me.

He turned to me, his expression grave, eyes shadowed with exhaustion. “Alpha Jackson had his men scout the entire

area,” he said, his tone heavy with finality. “They used heat sensors, motion detectors–everything we had. The whole place was silent.” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “There was no chance, Aurora. No one could’ve

survived that.”

His words settled like stones in my stomach, and I felt my knees threaten to buckle beneath me. No one could’ve survived. That meant Violet was gone. Any hope I had clung to, any desperate prayer that she might have found a way out, had just been ripped away from me. I bit down on my lip, willing the sting behind my eyes to subside. Crying wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring her back. It wouldn’t erase the horrific truth that we had been

too late…that we had abandoned her to that horrid fate…

Caleb must have noticed the shift in my expression because his voice softened. “I’m sorry.”

I let out a hollow laugh, though there was nothing humorous about it. “Sorry doesn’t bring her back, does it?” The words felt bitter on my tongue, and I hated myself for saying them, for taking out my grief on someone who didn’t deserve it. But the guilt was suffocating. If we had moved faster, if we had done something differently… Would she

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