The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Aurora

8 ཊཱི89%B

The trail dipped sharply, and soon we could hear the rush of water somewhere ahead. The air grew cooler, damp, and smelled faintly

metallic

–

the kind of smell that clung to wet rocks.

Nova spotted it first. “There!” she shouted, pointing.

The path opened up into a small clearing, a narrow stream cutting across the middle. The next checkpoint box was sitting on the

other side, perched smugly on a flat rock like it knew it was safe from us.

Chris groaned. “Oh, come on. How are we supposed to get over there without falling in?”

The stream wasn’t wide–maybe five feet across–but the current was fast, and the rocks looked slippery. The only way across was a

single, thick log laid like a bridge.

Marcus crossed his arms, eyeing it. “One at a time, slow and steady. Whoever falls in owes us all an extra s’more later.”

Nova giggled nervously. “You’re joking, right?”

“Nope,” he said, completely serious.

Chris went first, arms out for balance. He made it across with a cock grin and turned to bow dramatically when he landed.

“See? Easy.”

One by one, the others followed, some more graceful than others. Selene moved like she’d done this a thousand times, Nova

wobbled but made it, and Marcus brought up the rear.

I hesitated at the edge. The log suddenly felt way too narrow, the water way too loud.

“You got this,” Chris called from the other side.

I nodded, even though my stomach was doing somersaults.

Then Zayn stepped up behind me. “Go,” he said quietly.

The word was simple, but it sent a shiver down my spine.

I took a deep breath and stepped onto the log. The world narrowed just me, the wood under my boots, and the rushing water

below. My arms stretched out instinctively, trying to stay balanced.

Halfway across, my foot slipped just slightly, and my heart jumped into my throat.

Before I could panic, there was a firm hand on my arm.

|||

1/4

12:05 Thu, Jan 29 GGB.

Chapter 101

Zayn.

4.89%

He’d stepped onto the log behind me, close enough that I could feel is breath against my neck.

“Keep going,” he said, steady and calm.

My face burned, but I nodded and focused on putting one foot in front of the other until my boots finally hit solid ground again.

Chris whooped like I’d just won a race, but I barely heard him. My pse was pounding too hard in my ears.

Zayn stepped off behind me like it was nothing, his expression unreadable,

“Thanks,” I mumbled, not looking at him.

He just gave the smallest nod, then moved past me to kneel by the checkpoint box.

The familiar golden glow lit up the clearing when the lid opened, revealing the third clue and another set of supplies – this time, a lantern that flickered to life the second Zayn touched it.

Nova squealed softly. “Okay, that’s actually kind of spooky.”

Chris grinned. “Spooky or not, we’re killing this challenge. Let’s go before the other teams catch up.”

We packed up quickly and headed back into the trees, the forest even darker now that the sun had started sliding lower in the sky.

–

And the whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking about the warmth of Zayn’s hand on my arm -steady, unshakable

second, everything was safe.

–

like for just a

The trail curved uphill, winding between thick roots and low branches. My legs were starting to feel it, and even Chris had stopped

bouncing so much.

By the time we reached the next clearing, the sun had shifted higher and sweat was sticking my hoodie to my back. The clearing was smaller than the last one, quieter too–just a ring of trees and, in the center, a stone pedestal about waist–high.

It looked old. Ancient, actually. The surface was covered in faint carvings, worn down by time, and there was a small slot in the

center with a piece of paper wedged inside.

Chris jogged forward and plucked the note free, holding it up like he’d just found treasure. “Another riddle,” he announced.

Marcus groaned. “Figures. Read it.”

Chris cleared his throat dramatically:

“I’m always around you but cannot be seen. I can fill a room but take up no space. What am I?”

Nova’s hand shot up like we were in class. “Air! It’s air!”

Chris grinned. “She’s right. It’s gotta be air.”

111

O

2/4

12:05 Thu, Jan 29 G BG.

Chapter 101

We all turned toward the pedestal. Nothing happened.

“Maybe we have to say it together,” Laura suggested nervously.

So we all did–a chorus of, “Air!” that probably sounded ridiculous echoing through the trees.

Still nothing.

Zayn crouched down, frowning at the carvings. “Look,” he said quietly, pointing at the shallow circular depressions cut into the

stone. “The stones.”

89%

My heart did a little flip. Of course–the colored stones we’d been carrying since the first checkpoint.

I knelt opposite him, pulling the pouch from my bag. The stones were warm against my palm as I set them out one by one. “Okay,

so we have to put them in the right order?”

“Probably,” Marcus said, leaning over my shoulder. “Start with white White feels like air.”

We worked through the sequence together, moving stones around until it felt right. White first, then green, then blue, yellow, red,

and finally black.

When Zayn placed the last stone, the entire pedestal gave a low, shuddering click.

Then, with a slow grinding sound, the top of the pedestal rotated and slid open.

Inside was an object–small, delicate, and definitely not just a piece of wood.

I reached for it carefully, half–expecting it to vanish the second I touched it. It was a pendant, strung on a thin, dark cord, the metal

disk at the center engraved with the same swirling pattern from the pedestal.

It pulsed once in my hand–a faint, warm throb–before going still.

“What is it?” Laura whispered, eyes wide.

I turned it over, running my thumb over the grooves. “I… don’t know But it feels important.”

Marcus took it gently from me, holding it up so the light caught on the metal. “Whatever this is, we should hang onto it. Might be

we’ll need it later.”

Chris grinned, clearly energized by the discovery. “Okay, this is officially cooler than I thought it was going to be. Magical jewelry?

Yes, please.”

Nova giggled nervously. “What if it’s cursed?”

“Gues we’ll find out,” Marcus said, tucking the pendant carefully into the pouch with the stones.

The pedestal slid shut again on its own, as if nothing had ever been inside it. The forest went quiet, like it was holding its breath.