The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Aurora

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Kael’s eyes narrowed. “We’re walking in circles again.”

Zayn swore under his breath. “Didn’t we just kill the thing doing this?”

Kael glanced back at me, then at the forest ahead. “Apparently not.”

The air felt different again–denser. I touched the pendant through my shirt. It was cold now, but it pulsed once beneath my fingers,

faint as a heartbeat.

“We’re not getting out tonight,” Kael said finally. His tone was calm, but there was a weight behind it that made my stomach

tighten.

Zayn ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “So what? We just keep walking until something else jumps us?”

Kael’s gaze shifted toward the faint clearing ahead. “No. We go back

I blinked. “Back?”

“To the cabin,” he said. “If the barrier’s still active, that place might be the center. If there’s a spell keeping us here, we’ll find the

mark there.”

Zayn’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “You want to sleep in the place where Seraphina was probably murdered in?”

Kael’s look said he didn’t particularly want to sleep anywhere near here–but we didn’t have much choice.

“Night’s coming,” he said quietly. “And I’d rather have walls.”

Zayn glanced up at the sky. The light was already thinning, that strange, colorless dusk that didn’t feel natural. “Fine,” he said finally. “But if anything breathes wrong, I’m torching it.”

Kael didn’t argue.

We turned back. The walk was silent this time, heavier. The trees didn’t move, but they seemed closer, as if the forest was folding in

on itself.

When we finally reached the clearing again, the cabin stood exactly where we’d left it–only now, it looked older. Grayer. Like the

life had been drained from it.

Zayn came to a stop beside me. “I swear this thing wasn’t leaning before.”

He was right. The cabin slanted slightly now, as if the earth beneath it had shifted.

Kael approached first, cautious but steady. “Stay behind me.”

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Chapter 169

I didn’t argue.

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The door creaked when he pushed it open. The smell hit instantly–dust, damp wood, and something faintly metallic, like old blood.

Zayn stepped in after him, blade still in hand. “What now?”

Kael crossed the room, crouching near the cold hearth. “We make it through the night. The magic’s still active, which means we’re

not getting out before dawn.”

Zayn’s head snapped up. “You’re saying we’re stuck here.”

Kael met his gaze evenly. “For now.”

Zayn swore under his breath and dropped his pack beside the door. You better be right about dawn.”

Kael didn’t answer. He was already unpacking supplies–small lanterns, a flask of water, a knife that looked more ceremonial than practical. He moved with the kind of focus that came from habit, not calm.

I sat down on one of the overturned chairs, my legs finally giving out. The floor was cold even through my jeans. My pendant pulsed

once–faint, then still.

Kael straightened, brushing dirt off his palms. “It’s getting cold,” he said. “We’ll need a fire.”

Zayn looked up from where he’d been sitting near the door. “There’s not much out there that isn’t soaked.”

“I’ll find something,” Kael said, checking the knife on his belt before reaching for the lantern.

“You’re going out there alone?” Zayn’s tone wasn’t mocking for once–just cautious.

Kael gave a single nod. “One of us has to. The other stays here. She’s not being left alone.”

Zayn’s jaw flexed but he didn’t argue. He just shifted his knife on his thigh, the metal glinting faintly in the dim light. “You sure

about this?”

Kael’s hand lingered on the door handle. “I’ll stay close to the clearing. Ten minutes.”

I stood when he did, the weight in my chest tightening. “Kael–be careful, okay?”

He met my eyes, something flickering there for a second–worry, maybe, or something heavier he didn’t want to say out loud. “I

will,” he said simply.

And then he was gone.

The door shut behind him with a soft, hollow sound, and the cabin felt immediately smaller.

Zayn stayed by the door, listening. His eyes didn’t leave the wood, but his body was tense in that way that meant he was ready to

move if he had to.

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The Human Among Wolves