The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 245

Chapter 245

He started the engine, pulling back onto the road. We drove in silence for maybe a minute before he spoke.

“I didn’t like that guy.”

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I turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “What guy?”

“The gas station guy,” he said, eyes fixed on the road. “He kept looking at me weird. And he called someone as soon as I stepped

outside.”

I frowned slightly. “Maybe you’re just paranoid,” I said gently. “Maybe he kept looking at you because we’re probably the first people

he’s seen in a while?”

Zayn let out a short breath, his jaw tightening. “Paranoid or not,” he said, voice calm but firm, “after everything we’ve been through -when I get a bad feeling about someone, I’m usually right.”

“I didn’t say I don’t believe you,” I said slowly. “It’s just… we’re both exhausted. Maybe he’s just a regular guy.”

I tried to smile, tried to make it sound lighter than it felt, but the tension didn’t lift. Not even a little.

“We still have to be careful,” Zayn said quietly.

I nodded, my gaze drifting to the mirror above the dashboard without really thinking about it. The reflection caught my eyes, and

my chest tightened.

God. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them.

It had been two… maybe three hours. I’d lost track somewhere between the empty road and the sky slowly bleeding into darker shades. The light outside had thinned into that dusky blue that comes right before night fully settles in, and the headlights were doing more work than the sun ever could now.

I glanced at Zayn. He was still focused on the road, but I could tell his shoulders were tense, his jaw set the way it got when he was pushing through exhaustion instead of admitting it.

Then the motel sign appeared.

One of those old ones, half–lit, the neon flickering like it hadn’t fully decided whether it wanted to stay alive or give up. The word MOTEL buzzed softly as we pulled closer, the place sitting alone off the road like it had been forgotten by time.

“That’ll do,” I said quietly.

Zayn nodded without hesitation and turned in.

The motel itself was… fine. Nothing special. One long, low building with doors facing the parking lot, faded paint, and a small office

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Chapter 245

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at the front with a dim light glowing inside. A couple of cars were parked nearby, but it was mostly quiet. Too quiet, maybe–but at this point, quiet felt like a gift.

Zayn parked and shut off the engine. The sudden silence made my ears ring for a second.

We got out, the cold immediately biting through my jacket. I shoved my hands into my pockets as we walked toward the office. Inside, it smelled faintly like old carpet and cheap cleaner. A tired–looking man sat behind the counter, barely glancing up at us.

“One room,” Zayn said. “Just for the night.”

The man slid a clipboard toward him, asked for an ID, didn’t ask any unnecessary questions. I liked that. A few seconds later, a key slid across the counter–actual metal, with a heavy plastic tag attached.

“Room twelve,” the man muttered.

We thanked him and stepped back outside.

Room twelve was near the end of the row. Zayn unlocked the door, and we stepped inside together. The room was small but warm, the heater already humming softly. Two beds, a little table, a TV bolted to the wall, and a bathroom that looked like it hadn’t been updated in decades–but it was clean. That was enough.

I dropped my backpack by the bed and exhaled, the kind of breath you don’t realize you’ve been holding until it finally leaves your

body.