The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 187

Chapter 187

<85%

“It’s morning,” he said quietly.

Zayn stirred beside the hearth, groaning as he blinked himself awake “What?”

Kael stood and crossed to the window, brushing dust from the sill before lifting one of the wooden slats. Light poured through —

soft and gold, painting the floorboards in thin lines.

“It’s daylight,” Kael said again, still watching it like he didn’t quite believe it himself.

Outside, the mist was thinning. The trees stood still but visible, their branches traced in pale gold.

Zayn pushed himself up, rubbing a hand over his face. “Could it be a trick?”

Kael hesitated. “If it is, it’s a good one.”

We stood there together, staring out through that sliver of light, none of us daring to breathe too deeply.

After endless hours of dark, the sun should’ve felt like salvation.

But all I could think was that maybe the night hadn’t ended.

Maybe it was only pretending to.

The door creaked open to light.

Not the dim gray glow we’d gotten used to real light. Morning light. It spilled through the trees like liquid gold, slicing through the thinning mist. For a few heartbeats, none of us spoke.

Kael stepped out first, his boots crunching over the frost–damp earth. He tilted his head back, squinting against the brightness. The

sun looked soft and wrong all at once, too golden after so much black.

“It’s real,” he said quietly.

Zayn brushed past me, stepping into the sunlight like he didn’t trust it to stay. He lifted a hand, palm catching the warmth. The corner of his mouth twitched–not a smile, not exactly, but something that almost tried to be one.

For a long moment, we just stood there. The air didn’t hum anymore. The trees didn’t whisper. It was silent in a way that felt

almost peaceful.

Then my gaze fell to the cabin. The old wood. The warped door. The faint smell of smoke still drifting from the cracks. And the

pendant around my neck–cool now, finally, resting heavy against my skin.

I unclasped it slowly.

Kael noticed, his brow furrowing. “What are you doing?”

1/2

12:18 Thu, Jan 29 BGB.

Chapter 187

“I don’t want it,” I said. “It’s hers. Let it stay with the house.”

85%

Zayn didn’t argue. He just watched quietly as I walked back to the threshold and set the pendant on the table inside. For a second, I hesitated–the light from the door caught on the metal, flashing once like it was breathing.

Then I turned away.

“Let’s go,” Kael said, his tone leaving no room for hesitation. “We don’t take anything from here.”

We didn’t.

The three of us crossed the clearing and stepped back into the trees, moving faster than we had before. Every turn, every path, felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for the forest to change its mind. But it didn’t. The fog grew thinner. The air lighter.

And then, suddenly, the trees opened up.

The road appeared ahead, cracked and wet from dew. Kael’s car sat on the other side, dark blue and steady, like it had been waiting

the entire time.

I stopped for a second, heart stumbling in my chest. “We’re out,” I whispered.

Zayn’s hand brushed my back lightly, guiding me forward. “Yeah,” he said softly. “We’re out.”

Kael didn’t waste time. He unlocked the car, tossed his jacket into the backseat, and glanced at both of us. “I’ll drive you two to the

academy,” he said. “Then I’m going home. I need a few hours to think.”

He didn’t look like he’d actually sleep, but neither of us argued.

The drive was quiet–the kind of quiet that sits heavy in the chest. The world outside looked normal again: sky pale blue, streets

wet from last night’s rain, people moving in the distance like nothing had happened.

I watched the trees fade into cityscape, my reflection ghosted in the window.