The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 16

16

Aurora

The dorm was quiet when I got back.

Too quiet.

The beds were made, the windows cracked open to let in the late afternoon air, and the soft rustle of leaves outside was the only thing keeping my thoughts from spiraling.

My roommates were probably in class right now and I was grateful for that. I didn’t have a strength to deal with anyone right now.

I dropped my bag by the door and sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone like it might burn a hole in my palm.

I hadn’t called them since I got here. Barely even texted. They’d sent a message the first day–something about ‘so proud of you and ‘can’t wait to hear all about it.‘ I didn’t reply.

But now?

Now I needed answers.

Or the truth, whatever it was.

My fingers hovered for a second. Then I tapped the contact and hit Call before I could talk myself out of it.

It rang. Once. Twice.

Then a voice picked up–warm, bright, familiar.

“Sweetheart! Oh, thank God, we were starting to worry-”

“Mom, I need to ask you something. And I need you to tell me the truth.” there was a pause–long enough to make my chest constrict.

“Aurora… what’s going on?”

“Just answer–me,” I cut in. “Did you adopt me?”

A sharp inhale crackled through the speaker. “What? Where is this coming from?”

“Please,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “I’m not mad. I just… I need to know.”

Another pause. Then a voice in the background–Dad’s, low and concerned. Who is it?”

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Chapter 16

Mom must’ve covered the receiver, because he

1 and hurried.

“Mom.”

The line shifted again, and now Dad’s voice came through, heavy. “Aurora. What happened? Did someone say something to your

I bit down on the inside of my cheek. “Just tell me the truth. Did you find me? Somewhere? Did you –”

“Yes.”

The word was soft. Broken.

I froze.

“Yes,” Mom repeated, her voice trembling now. “We… we found you.”

My knees gave out, and I sat on the edge of my bed, gripping the blanket like a lifeline. “Where?”

Dad exhaled slowly, like this was costing him something. “On the old stone bridge outside of town. You were… standing there. Alone. So

small. You couldn’t have been more than ten.”

A shiver ran down my spine. The bridge. The same one in my dreams.

“You didn’t have anything with you,” Mom added quietly. “No bag, no note, nothing. Just… your name. You told us your name and age, and that was it. You didn’t remember where you came from or who your parents were. We thought you were in shock. We took you in until someone came looking, but… no one ever did.”

I pressed a hand over my mouth, trying to hold in the sob that wanted out.

“So you just–kept me?”

“We loved you,” Mom said fiercely, as if that alone could stitch up the hole she’d just ripped were ours. That’s never changed.”

e moment we found you, you

I stared at the far wall, where sunlight cut across the posters my roommates had hung, bright and normal and safe. Everything I wasn’t.

“So,” I said finally, my voice so thin it barely sounded like me, “I just… appeared out of nowhere. And you never found out why.”

Dad’s silence was answer enough.

Something in me snapped tight. Not anger, not sadness–just clarity.

“Thank you for telling me,” I said, even though it hurt to hear. “I have to go.”

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0:08 Thu, Jan 29,

Chapter 16

“Aurora-

I ended the call.

My phone slipped from my fingers and landed on the bed. I stared at it for a long, hollow moment, my heartbeat loud in my ears.

Someone had hidden me. Someone powerful enough to erase everything before that bridge.

And now, the spell–or whatever it was–was unraveling.

I wasn’t just lost.

Comments

R Visitante

2 Comments >

that’s why it breaks in the dreams. is the spell keeping her from crossing onto the memories

7 days ago

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