The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Aurora

For a while after the call ended, I just sat there–phone still in my hand, her words echoing in my head.

Be careful.

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It took me a minute, maybe longer, to pull myself together enough to move. My body felt heavy, like the conversation had drained

the last bit of energy I had left.

Finally, I exhaled, long and shaky, and forced myself to get up. The cold air hit my skin the moment I tossed the blanket aside,

grounding me a little. I made my bed slowly, almost absently, smoothing the sheets that were wrinkled from a night of twisting and

turning. The small, mindless task helped–something about order, about making things neat, when everything else felt so wildly out

of place.

When I finally straightened up, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

My eyes looked tired, the kind of tired makeup couldn’t really fix. I looked away.

Classes.

I needed to focus on something normal. Something boring.

I reached for my skincare pouch, my hands moving automatically through the familiar routine–cleanser, moisturizer, a quick brush

through my hair. My mind wasn’t really in it, though. It kept replaying her voice, the hesitation, the way she’d said dangerous.

By the time I pulled on a sweater and jeans, my roommates were starting to stir. Mira was the first, her hair a mess, squinting at the

clock like she couldn’t believe it was morning already. Lira followed with a groan that sounded borderline dramatic, rolling out of

bed with her blanket still half–wrapped around her shoulders. Riven just mumbled something unintelligible and pulled a hoodie over

her head before heading straight to the bathroom.

It was strangely comforting, that little slice of routine chaos. The sound of them moving, talking, existing–it made things feel

normal again, even if just for a moment.

No one said much at first, not until coffee was involved. Then came the quiet chatter, the half–awake complaining about schedules,

tests, professors. I smiled faintly, letting their noise fill the space where my thoughts had been spinning too fast.

We left together, like we always did, walking down the hall in our usual tangle of mismatched energy–Mira talking a mile a minute,

Riven barely awake, Lira adjusting her bag strap for the tenth time.

And then, like every morning, we split off at the main hallway.

“See you after class,” Mira said, flashing me a grin.

I nodded, forcing one of my own. “Yeah. See you.”

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Chapter 142

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As they disappeared around the corner, I adjusted my backpack and urned toward the lecture wing, trying not to think about the

call, or my mother’s voice, or the quiet warning that still rang in my ears.

Just another day, I told myself.

Just get through it.

By the time I got to my first class, I’d almost convinced myself everything was fine.

Normal. Manageable. Just another day.

Except… it wasn’t.

It started with the whispers.

At first, I thought I was imagining it–those small, sharp bursts of laughter that died the second I walked past. The sideways

glances, the sudden silence when I entered the room. It was early, I told myself. People were tired. Weird.

But then my phone buzzed with a text.

Mira: don’t freak out but check lycannet rn

I opened the app–our academy’s unofficial gossip feed–and there it was.

Pinned to the top. Hundreds of comments.

Me.

And Kael.

In his car.

Outside the academy gates.

Kissing.

The shot was close, like whoever took it had been right there. You could see the rain on the window, the way his hand was in my

hair, how my eyes were half closed.

And the caption underneath it:

“Guess the Lycan prince’s tastes aren’t as royal as we thought.” #MoonboundScandal”

The room seemed to go quiet all at once. I could feel people’s eyes on me, feel the weight of it. My throat went dry.

I locked my phone and shoved it into my bag before I could read the comments. I didn’t have to read them to know how they went-

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The Human Among Wolves