The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I’d been placed.

And I had no idea why.

I didn’t know how long I lay there. The ceiling stared back at me, the sharp corners of the dorm room suddenly too clean, too neat. My body was heavy, like the truth had pressed itself into every inch of me.

I didn’t cry.

I was just… in shock.

The door creaked open sometime after the last bell would’ve rung. I didn’t move. I didn’t have to look to know who it was–Riven’s clipped footsteps, Selene’s quieter ones, and Mira’s usual soft hum cutting short when she saw me. Lira’s voice broke the silence.

“Rory?” she asked, cautious, like she was approaching a wounded animal.

I blinked up at the ceiling. “Hey.”

“You weren’t in classes?” Mira asked, not unkindly–more worried than anything.

I could feel them getting closer, the air shifting as they gathered near my bed.

“Stomachache,” I said, and winced at how unconvincing it sounded even to me.

None of them bought it. Of course they didn’t.

“Okay,”

“Selene said slowly. “But did you eat anything today?”

I didn’t answer.

The silence stretched.

“You didn’t,“–Riven said flatly, already moving. “Up. Cafeteria. Now.”

I let out a groan. “Guys, I’m not in the mood-”

– coming. Even if we have to drag you.”

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Chapter 17

The cafeteria was still buzzing with the late i

soft hum of dozens of conversations weaving

walked in. The smell of masted meat and spices hit me first, then they Too many sounds. Too much movement.

I kept my head low as we slid into a table near the corner. Mira dumped a plate in front of me before I could argue. Rice, stew, and

something buttery and warm smelling. My stomach growled in betrayal.

I sighed and picked up a fork.

“Progress,” Selene said with a faint smile.

I tried to smile back, but it didn’t quite land.

“Guys, I have to tell you something,” I said, my voice quieter than I meant.

Mira leaned in a little. “Okay,” she said. “What is it?”

I looked up at them. At the girls I didn’t know a week ago, who now felt like the only solid ground under my feet. And I made the decision

then and there–I trusted them.

So I told them.

About the professor who stopped me after class and told me to pack my things and that I don’t belong here. About the warden who brought me into some room where they stored some creepy old book with an ancient spell and my name in it and told me someone had wiped my memories before I was ten. About how my parents–the ones who raised me–weren’t really my parents at all. Just kind people who’d found me standing alone on a bridge. I skipped the part about Zayn. He wasn’t important right now.

Selene’s brows drew together, and Mira’s eyes went wide. Lira didn’t blink once. Riven sat completely still, absorbing every word like it

was law.

“They said I didn’t remember anything,” I said, my throat dry. “No family, no history. Just… my

I had.”

Silence settled around us, heavy and careful.

and my age. Ten years old. That’s all

“And now,” I added, staring down at my hands, “I’m starting to have dreams. About the bridge. About people I’ve never met. I don’t know who I am. Or why I’m even here.”

Lira was the first to speak. “Aurora,” she said softly, “that’s… a lot.”

“But you’re not alone in this,” she said, reaching over to touch my hand. “Not anymore.”

“I don’t care if your memories were erased or if you came from another planet,” Mira said, nudging her tray aside. “You’re one of us now.”

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