Claimed by My Bully Alpha (by Anna Kendra) novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283

Aurora’s P.O.V

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A small, delighted laugh escaped me. “Here, of all places? You do know this is my favorite spot, don’t you?”

His lips twitched into a ghost of a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course I do.” He poured me a cup of coffee, his movements precise but strangely tense. I watched as he placed a plate in front of me, serving me breakfast like it was the most natural thing in the world. Yet, something about the way he held himself, the way his hands briefly hesitated, made my stomach twist with unease.

I reached for his hand before he could pull away. “Caleb… what’s wrong?”

He exhaled sharply, looking down at our joined hands before his fingers curled around mine.

“I’m sorry, Aurora.”

My brows furrowed. “Sorry?”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he just stared at the table, as if gathering the courage to speak. When he finally did, his voice was low, laced with something heavy. “As your mate, I failed you.” He swallowed hard, his grip on my hand tightening. “I should’ve protected you. I should’ve been there when you needed me the most. And now –“He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “-now I’m sitting here, offering you breakfast like it somehow makes up for everything.”

I blinked at him, stunned. “Caleb…”

“I know it’s a sorry excuse.” His voice broke slightly, and my heart clenched at the raw emotion in his eyes. “But I still want to make it up to you. Step by step. If you’ll let me.”

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him, my heart aching at the pain in his expression. I Knew Caleb by heart, had seen him in countless situations that beat the odds, and had watched him command with unwavering strength. But this–this vulnerability, this self–inflicted guilt–was something I hadn’t expected.

I squeezed his hand, grounding him. “You don’t have to make anything up to me, Caleb.” My voice was firm, unwavering. “You didn’t fail me. You couldn’t have-”

His gaze lifted to mine, searching, uncertain. “Then why does it feel like I did?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. But what I did know was that in this moment, despite his guilt, despite everything we had been through, he was here. And sometimes, that was enough.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my hands trembling as I clutched Caleb’s wrist, holding him as if he were the only real thing in a world that had twisted itself into something unrecognizable.

“No one would have guessed what was happening,” I murmured, my voice barely more than a whisper. “No one saw it

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Chapter 283

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coming. Not me, not them, not even the people who thought they knew everything. Harmona played us all, twisted reality until we didn’t know what was real anymore. She made sure we never even thought to question it.” My breath hitched as the weight of it settled over me again. “We were all just pieces on her board.”

Caleb’s jaw tightened, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t quite name. Regret? Anger? Maybe both. He pulled me closer, his warmth seeping into me like the first touch of sunlight after an endless winter. “But you’re here now,” he said, his voice steady, grounding. “And I’m never letting you go again, Aurora. No matter how much anyone tries to manipulate or threaten me again, no matter how much anyone tries to come between us…I’m never letting anyone

come between us.”

A sharp exhale escaped me, something between a laugh and a sob. “You’re right.” I squeezed his hand, as if that would somehow make it sink in. “And you know why you shouldn’t be feeling guilty about what happened?”

Caleb looked at me, a look that said he was looking for something to appease his guilt. “Because you came for me, Caleb. You came to find me, and you got me out. That’s what makes all the difference.”

My chest tightened as I thought of my siblings, the ones who had spent years trapped in that nightmare with no one coming to pull them out. “No one ever came for them, Caleb. They spent years knowing no one would. They had to accept it. They had to survive on their own.” I blinked rapidly, trying to force away the sting in my eyes. “But me? I’m the luckiest, because you did. You came for me.” My lips trembled, but I pressed on, because he needed to know. “And because of you–because of Alpha Camden–not just me, but my half–siblings too… They have a chance now. A

real chance to live, to be free.”

His fingers brushed against my cheek, his touch impossibly gentle, as if he could wipe away all the pain with just that. “Aurora,” he said, his voice quieter now, but no less certain. “No matter what happens, even if the skies fall and the world tears itself apart, I will always come for you. Always.”

A shuddering breath left me as his words settled deep inside me, filling all the cracks I hadn’t even realized were there. He meant it. I could feel it in every syllable, in the way his eyes never wavered from mine, in the way he held me as if I was the only thing keeping him grounded. And I believed him.

Gratitude surged through me, overwhelming and fierce, and before I could think, before I could stop myself, I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. It wasn’t just a kiss–it was everything. Thank you. A promise. A piece of me I was giving

to him, knowing he would keep it safe.

And for the first time in a long, long time, I wasn’t afraid.

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