The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Aurora

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The room had gone quiet. Every sound seemed too loud after everything that had just happened: the low hum of the dorm heater, the wind scraping the window, the uneven rhythm of someone’s breathing.

I sat on the edge of my bed, holding the necklace in my palm. It didn’t look like much anymore–just a dull chain with flakes of dried red that refused to fade. But it felt heavier than anything I’d carried before.

Selene paced near the window, her arms folded tight across her chest. “We’re going with you,” she said, breaking the silence like

she’d been holding it in for too long.

Mira was next. “Yeah, you’re not walking into those woods alone.”

Lira didn’t speak at all, but her expression said enough–eyes sharp, thin lifted. She’d already decided.

Even Riven, who’d barely moved since sitting down, finally muttered “Someone should watch your back. It’s not up for debate.”

I looked at all of them–the people who had somehow become home and felt that sharp, familiar ache in my chest. Fear, guilt, love.

It was all the same thing now.

“I appreciate it,” I said, my voice quiet. “But no.”

Four pairs of eyes snapped to me.

“No?” Selene repeated, like she hadn’t heard right.

“You’re not coming,” I said again, forcing my tone to stay even. “None of you are.”

Lira frowned. “You think we’re going to just sit here while you walk into a trap?”

“I think you’re safer here than following me into something we don’t understand.”

Selene let out a dry laugh. “Safe? On what planet?”

“Safer than dead,” I said.

That shut them up for a second.

The air was heavy, thick with everything they weren’t saying.

Then Kael spoke from where he’d been standing against the wall, arms crossed but gaze fixed on me. “She’s not going alone.”

Zayn’s reply came before I even had time to react. “Neither of us are letting her.”

Mira blinked. “You two agreeing on something? That’s new.”

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Chapter 158

Kael’s voice dropped. “We leave at dawn.”

Zayn nodded once, quiet but firm. “Fine.”

They both turned slightly toward the door, the air still tight between them.

Then Zayn’s voice cut through the space again.“She’s not staying here tonight.”

Everyone looked at him.

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Zayn’s eyes were steady, unreadable. “If someone managed to get into this room once, they can do it again. You’re safer in my

room.”

My stomach knotted. “Zayn-”

“Stay in my room,” he said, cutting me off. “At least until morning.”

Kael’s laugh was low and humorless. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

Zayn turned his head slightly, his tone still calm but his eyes colder. You have a better idea?”

“Yeah,” Kael said. “She stays here–with her roommates. I’ll take the hall.”

“Not enough,” Zayn shot back. “Whoever sent that necklace didn’t just walk in off the street. They knew exactly where she sleeps.”

Kael crossed his arms. “And you think that suddenly makes you her bodyguard?”

“I think it makes me the one who’s not pretending this place is safe Zayn said.

Selene groaned under her breath. “Oh my god, the testosterone in this room could kill a small animal.”

Mira whispered, “It’s like watching two wolves argue over who gets the last brain cell.”

I ignored them both. My head was pounding, and the idea of arguing another second made me want to scream.

“I’m not “I started, but Zayn’s voice came in softer this time, cutting clean through the noise.

“Aurora.”

Just my name. Quiet. Solid.

Something about the way he said it made everything else fall away fr a second.

He stepped closer, not enough to crowd me, but enough that I could see how serious he was. “You don’t have to like the idea,” he said, voice low, careful. “But you’re not safe here. Not tonight.”

Kael’s expression flickered–part frustration, part something else I couldn’t name.

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Chapter 158

“You’re not sleeping in his bed,” he said, quieter now but no less firm.

Zayn exhaled slowly, keeping his focus on me. “I’ll take the couch.”

The words hung there–calm, reasonable, impossible to argue with.

I rubbed a hand over my face, exhaustion creeping into every edge of me. “This is insane,” I muttered.

“Maybe,” Zayn said. “But it’s safer.”

I wanted to keep fighting it. To say no just on principle. But the image of that bloodstained necklace burned behind my eyes.

Seraphina’s voice still echoed in my head–they found me.

Finally, I nodded, barely. “Fine,” I whispered. “Just for tonight.”

Zayn’s shoulders loosened by a fraction- the closest thing to reliefd seen from him.

Kael swore under his breath. “This is a mistake.”

“Then you can sit outside the door,” Zayn said evenly. “Make sure nothing gets past.”

Their eyes locked again, sharp and unyielding. But this time, neither pushed it further.

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