The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 300

Chapter 300

Zayn studied my face for a moment, like he was deciding whether to push or let it go.

Finally, he nodded. “Okay. Take your time.”

I gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

As I turned toward my dorm, my phone felt heavier in my pocket than it should have.

As I stepped into my dorm room, the door closing softly behind me, the quiet hit all at once. It felt strange being back here, like I’d left a

version of myself behind and only now noticed the gap.

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I dropped the shopping bags onto the table without really looking at them and sat down on my bed, the mattress dipping under my weight. My phone felt heavy in my hand, like it knew what I was about to do and wanted to warn me.

1 stared at the screen for a few seconds longer than necessary.

Then I called Kael.

It rang once.

Twice.

I almost hung up.

“Hello?”

His voice came through the speaker, familiar and grounding and somehow too much all at once.

“Hey,” I said quietly. My throat felt tight. “It’s me. I got your message. You said you needed to talk to me… that it was urgent.”

There was silence on the other end. Not the kind where the call drops, but the kind where someone is still there, just thinking. Breathing.

Choosing words carefully.

“Oh… hey,” he said finally, slow and

measured, like he was testing the sound of his own voice. “Yeah. I–I didn know if you’d call.”

“I almost didn’t,” I admitted, staring at the floor between my feet. “But I couldn’t just… not.”

Another pause. I could almost picture him, running a hand through his hair the way he always did when he was stressed.

“I heard you left,” he said. Not accusing. Just stating it. “You kind of disappeared.”

“I know,” I said softly. “I’m sorry. Things got… complicated. Fast.”

“That seems to be a pattern with you,” he replied, and there was a hint of something in his tone–concern, maybe. Or worry dressed up as

teasing.

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Chapter 300

I huffed out a small breath. “Yeah. Guess so.”

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More silence. It stretched, not uncomfortable exactly, but heavy. Like there were too many things sitting between us, waiting to be named.

“So,” he said at last, “are you okay?”

The question shouldn’t have hit me as hard as it did. I leaned back onto my hands, staring up at the ceiling.

“I don’t even know how to answer that,” I said honestly. “I’m not hurt. I’m safe. But okay?” I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see it.

“That’s… complicated.”

He didn’t push. That was always Kael’s thing. He waited.

“I sent that message because something felt off,” he said slowly. “You don just leave without a word. Not like that. I figured something

serious had to be going on.”

He wasn’t wrong. And that somehow made it worse.

“I didn’t want to lie to you,” I said. “But I also didn’t know how to explain everything over text. Or at all.”

“You don’t have to explain everything,” he replied. “Just… enough so I know you’re not in trouble.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply. “I’m not in trouble,” repeated. “I promise.”

Another pause. Shorter this time.

“Okay,” he said. “Then I’ll take that.”

There was relief in his voice, and it loosened something tight in my chest.

“I’m back at the academy now,” I added. “For a bit.”

“That’s good,” he said. “That’s… really good.”

The silence between us stretched.

“Kael?” I said after a few seconds.

“Yes?”

“Is everything okay?” I hesitated, my fingers tightening around the phone. I mean… your message sounded urgent. Do you need to tell me something else?”

Silence stretched between us again. Not the comfortable kind–the kind that presses on your chest, that makes you hyper–aware of your own breathing. I could almost hear him thinking, weighing every word he hadn‘ said yet.

Then he exhaled, long and heavy, like he’d been holding that breath for days.

“I don’t want to complicate things,” he said quietly.

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Chapter 300

My stomach tightened. “Complicate?” I frowned, sitting up straighter. “What do you-”

“I think,” he cut in, his voice low and steady despite the weight of the words, “you’re my mate.”

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The Human Among Wolves