The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Aurora

The canteen was louder than usual.

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It was always packed around midday, but today the noise felt different–sharper, full of whispers that stopped a little too quickly

when we walked in.

I kept my head down, following Mira and Lira through the maze of tables while Riven scanned the room like she was daring anyone

to look twice. We found a spot near the back, away from the biggest clusters of people.

The smell of food hung heavy in the air–coffee, fried eggs, something sweet from the dessert bar–but I wasn’t hungry. Not even a

little.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Mira pushed her fries around her plate. Lira was pretending to scroll through her phone. Riven had her arms crossed, watching the crowd with that restless, sharp focus she always had when something didn’t sit right.

“For the record, I don’t care what anyone says–that picture looked hot as hell.” Mira said finally, breaking the silence.

That earned a snort out of me, weak but real. “Mira.”

“What?” she said, grinning. “If you’re going to cause a scandal, at least it’s with the Lycan Prince.”

Riven rolled her eyes. “King,” she corrected. “Soon enough.”

“Even better,” Mira said, smirking.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “You guys are impossible.”

“Yeah,” Riven said softly, nudging my knee. “But we’re on your side.

Lira set her phone down. “Do you think Kael saw it?”

I hesitated. “Yeah. Probably.”

“And Zayn?” she asked quietly.

My throat tightened. “He saw it too.”

I poked at the untouched food on my plate, the hum of voices around us growing into a dull roar. The same words kept circling in

my head, over and over.

Aurenya. Stop digging.

That name. That warning. Whoever sent it knew exactly what they were doing.

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Chapter 144

Then Lira’s head lifted suddenly. “Oh, great,” she muttered.

I turned–and saw Selene.

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She was crossing the canteen fast, her usual easy expression replaced with something tight. Serious. Her eyes found mine instantly,

and she didn’t slow down until she reached our table.

“What the hell happened?” she asked, her voice low but sharp.

Mira groaned. “You heard already?”

“Everyone’s heard,” Selene said flatly. She slid into the seat beside me, eyes sharp. “I left for a few hours and suddenly the whole

academy’s acting like it’s mating season. Aurora, what did you do?”

I blinked. “Wow. Thanks for the support.”

Selene gave me a look–the kind that was more concern than accusation, even if it didn’t sound like it. “I mean it. What happened?”

Riven leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. “Someone took a picture of Aurora and Kael. In his car. Outside the gates.”

Selene’s brows shot up. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh, Mira echoed, rolling her eyes.

Selene glanced at me again. “And now it’s everywhere.”

“Pretty much,” I muttered.

For a moment, she didn’t say anything. Then she sighed, pushing her hair back. “Are you okay?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “I’ve been better.”

Lira gave me a small, worried look. “That’s not even the worst part.”

Selene’s eyes flicked toward her. “What do you mean?”

Riven and Mira shared a quick glance.

Mira leaned closer, lowering her voice. “You can’t freak out, okay?”

“Why would I freak out?” Selene asked warily.

I pulled out my phone, thumb hovering over the lock screen for a second before I unlocked it and turned it toward her.

Her eyes dropped to the message.

Aurenya. Stop digging. You won’t like what you find.

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Chapter 144

The color drained from her face. “What the hell…”

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“Yeah,” Riven said quietly. “That’s what we said.”

Selene looked up at me. “Where did you get this?”

“It came through an unknown number. No name, no trace,” I said. “Right after the photo went viral.”

She stared at me for a second longer, then shook her head. “You think it’s connected?”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” I said softly. “Whoever sent it knew my real name.”

Selene leaned back, exhaling sharply. “No one outside this table should know that.”

“Exactly,” Riven said. “Which means someone’s been watching her a lot longer than just last night.”

Selene’s gaze flicked around the room–casual to anyone else, but I could tell she was assessing, scanning faces, exits, shadows.

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