The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Aurora

88%

For a while, we walked in an unsettling kind of silence–the kind tha, made you too aware of every sound that wasn’t there. No crickets. No rustling. Not even the whisper of wind through leaves. Just the crunch of our footsteps and the faint beam of Kael’s

flashlight cutting through the mist.

I kept glancing around, half–expecting something to move just out of sight. My nerves were stretched so tight I could practically

hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears.

Every few seconds, I opened my mouth to say something–to ask how much farther, to fill the suffocating quiet with anything–but the words never quite made it out. Kael looked too focused, his jaw set, his eyes scanning the dark like he knew exactly where he was going. I didn’t want to break that concentration, didn’t want to make him admit he might not know either.

Then, just as I was about to finally ask, “Are we even close?” something flickered in the distance.

At first, I thought it was a trick of the light–the fog playing with my eyes–but then it came again. A soft, golden glow cutting

through the darkness.

“Kael,” I whispered, tugging lightly at his hand.

He followed my gaze, and for a moment, his expression shifted–relief, maybe. Or recognition.

Up ahead, the faint glimmer of lanterns lined the forest floor. They were spaced evenly apart, small glass orbs glowing with a steady, unnatural light—not fire, not really. More like something alive. The lanterns formed a narrow path that curved deeper into the woods, winding toward something barely visible between the trees.

A cabin.

Old, wooden, and half–hidden beneath a canopy of twisting branches. Smoke curled faintly from the crooked chimney, glowing faintly in the lantern light. The windows were dark, and the door stood just slightly ajar, as if it had been expecting us.

I swallowed hard. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

Kael didn’t answer right away. He just stared for a moment, his face unreadable in the golden light. Then he nodded once, slow and

certain.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “That’s her place.”

We moved closer to the cabin, the lantern light growing dimmer the nearer we got, as if it didn’t dare come too close.

When we finally reached the porch, I hesitated. The cabin looked even older up close. The walls were made of dark, weathered wood,

carved with symbols I didn’t recognize.

I reached out, hand trembling slightly, ready to push open the door

1/2

12:08 Thu, Jan 29 GB B.

Chapter 124

But before I could touch it, Kael’s hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist.

88%

I turned to him, startled. His expression was serious, eyes darker than usual, his voice dropping low enough that I had to lean in to

hear him.

“Her name is Seraphina,” he said, almost like he was warning me. “She doesn’t like people. At all.”

1 blinked at him, trying to steady my breathing. “Okay… good to know,” I said quietly.

He didn’t let go. “And if she tells you she wants to talk to you alone he continued, his grip tightening just a little, “don’t. You

understand me?”

I frowned, confused by the sudden edge in his tone. “Why?”

Kael’s gaze held mine, unblinking. “Because I’m not leaving you alone with her.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

He finally let go of my wrist, but his hand lingered for a second longer than it needed to. I swallowed, turned back toward the door, and reached for it again. The wood was cold under my palm, almost too cold. When I pushed, the hinges groaned loudly, the sound

echoing into the dark interior.

Before I could take another step, Kael’s hand caught mine again–gentler this time. I looked up at him, and he leaned in close enough that I could feel his breath brush against my cheek.

“And one more thing,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t stare at her face.”

My chest tightened. “What?” I whispered back.

He didn’t answer. He just gave me that look–the one that said trust me, just this once.