The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 12

The Human Among Wolves

Chapter 12

Aurora

400

The last of the students shuffled out of the classroom, their footsteps fading into the hallway until only the professor and i remained. The door clicked softly behind me, sealing the silence that fell heavy between us.

She stood by her desk, arms folded, eyes sharp and unreadable. Slowly, she walked over and fixed me with a steady gaze.

“Aurora…” The professor’s voice broke through the silence. She stepped closer, her expression tight with something between disbelief and concern. “I don’t understand how you managed to get into Moonbound Academy–how you even passed the wards at the gates, let alone enrolled as if you belonged here.”

I felt my throat tighten, but she didn’t give me time to speak.

Her gaze sharpened, scanning me like she could strip away my skin and see what was underneath. “I know what you are. Or rather… what you aren’t. And I cannot fathom how no one else has noticed yet.”

The professor exhaled slowly, almost as if she was bracing herself. “This is an academy for our kind, Aurora. People like you… people who are human… they don’t survive here. They’re not

meant to. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

My stomach dropped so fast it felt like the floor had given out beneath me. A cold, prickling wave crept up my spine, and I knew–just knew–that whatever color I had left in my face had drained completely.

I opened my mouth, desperate to say something, anything, but the words tangled and knotted i hollow, breathless rasp. My fingers clenched around the strap of my bag like it was the only thi

1 all I could manage was a

tanding.

And the worst part? I wasn’t surprised. Not really.

Somewhere, buried deep beneath all my denial and excuses, I’d known this moment was coming. From the second I learned what Moonbound really was, from the second I saw what walked these halls, I should have turned around and run.

But I didn’t.

And standing there now, heart hammering so loudly it almost drowned out the silence between us, I couldn’t even explain to myself why I

stayed.

I should have left. God, I should have left.

But I stayed.

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Chapter 12

Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was sheer stupidity.

fragile as I’d always felt. That I could stand

it was because, deep down, I wanted to prove to myself that i wasn’t as

in the middle of monsters and not flinch.

Except now… now, with the professor’s knowing stare pinning me in place, I felt anything but strong. My chest was tight, too tight, like

the walls of the classroom were slowly closing in, and every breath scraped like glass.

My throat felt raw, like I’d swallowed sand, but I forced my mouth to work anyway. “1-” The first sound cracked and died, humiliatingly

weak.

I clenched my jaw and tried again, dragging air into my lungs until the words scraped out, rough but steady.

“I didn’t know.”

It sounded small, too small, but it was the truth. I tightened my grip on the strap of my bag, knuckles whitening. “I thought this was

My voice cracked, frustration surging more just… a college. My parents… They filled out the forms, they helped me apply, and no one-” than fear now. “No one said anything about this being some… some secret supernatural academy.”

The professor’s expression didn’t soften, but her silence was worse than shouting.

I swallowed hard, my mind racing, every instinct screaming at me to bolt. But I stayed rooted to the spot, legs locked, because if I left now, it would look like I was guilty–and I wasn’t guilty of anything except being stupid enough to walk into a world I didn’t understand

or didn’t belong to.

The professor’s mouth tightened into a hard, unreadable line. She crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping over me like she was weighing and measuring something only she could see.

“If what you’re saying is true,” she said finally, her voice crisp but low, “then you don’t belon Aurora. And unless you can prove

und was not built for humans,

otherwise…” She let the words hang between us, heavy and absolute. “…you should leave before someone less patient than me realizes

what you are.”

id le meani

The sentence slammed into me like a punch. Prove I’m not human? My brain scrambled for meaning, but it sounded absurd, laughable, if it hadn’t been so threatening.

“I am human,” I shot back, anger spilling past my shock before I could stop it. “I bleed, I breathe, I-”

“That’s not enough.”

Her interruption cut clean, final.

I just stared at her, heartbeat thundering in my ears. Was she serious? Prove I wasn’t human? How the hell was I supposed to do that

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Chapter 12

when I barely understood why this entire school fuir

and Lycons and whatever else hadn’t thrown me out already?

“Do yourself a favor,” she continued, quieter now, though it somehow felt even sharper. “Pack your things. Walk out while you still have

the chance.”

I looked at her, but no words came. What could I even say? She was right. This place wasn’t meant for humans. And staying–pretending- wouldn’t just put me in danger. It could hurt the others, too.

I bit my lip, a nervous habit I’d picked up over the years, and forced myself to speak. “Okay. Can you give me some time? I need to call my parents and-” I hesitated. “I don’t even know what I’d tell them.”

The professor studied me for a long beat, then gave a short nod. “You have until the end of the day. You’re dismissed.”

I nodded, once. Tight. Then turned and walked out, gripping my bag so hard my fingers went numb. I didn’t even bother heading to my next class. What was the point? I was done with this place.

Still, I didn’t expect the tears. My eyes started to sting, vision blurring, and I didn’t know if it was anger, shame, or something else I didn’t want to name. Why was I even sad? I never belonged here in the first place.

But… Zayn.

His name hit like a stone, and I stopped walking, nearly slamming right into him.

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