The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 302

Chapter 302

Kael didn’t interrupt. He didn’t react right away. When he finally spoke, h voice was gentle. “I know you do.”

“And that hasn’t changed,” I added, my voice firmer now, steadier. “It won.”

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“I’m not asking it to,” he said. “I’m not asking you to choose. I just… couln’t keep pretending there was nothing here. Not when it was eating

at me.”

I pressed my lips together, breathing slowly.

“You should’ve told me.”

“I didn’t want to put this on you,” he replied honestly. “You were happy. You still are. I wasn’t going to be the one to fracture that.”

“Then why now?” I asked quietly.

“Because secrets rot,” he said. “And I didn’t want to be standing next to you, smiling, while lying by omission.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy but not hostile.

“I don’t know what to do with this,” I admitted.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Kael said. “Not now. Maybe not ever. I just needed you to know the truth.”

My grip on the phone loosened, my hand trembling slightly.

“But things won’t be the same,” I said.

“No,” he agreed softly. “They won’t.”

When the call ended, I stayed where I was, phone resting in my palm, my thoughts tangled and restless.

I stayed sitting on my bed longer than I meant to, my phone resting loosely in my hand, my thoughts looping in slow, relentless circles.

Zayn couldn’t know.

No–he can’t know.

He already hated Kael enough as it was. Telling him this wouldn’t bring clarity or honesty; it would only bring anger, suspicion, and a fracture

I wasn’t ready to face. I wasn’t even sure what this meant yet. All I knew was that I needed time–space to think, to breathe, to understand my

own heart before anyone else got dragged into it.

I glanced up at the clock.

5:45 p.m.

With a quiet exhale, I decided to call my mom before going to Zayn’s dorm

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12:41 Thu, Jan 29 BGB.

Chapter 302

The call connected faster than I expected, and the moment I heard her vole, something in my chest gave way. One sentence turned into

another, and before I knew it, I was talking–really talking. Not deflecting. Not dodging. Just… telling the truth.

I apologized. Properly this time.

For being distant.

For being sharp when I didn’t need to be.

For acting like I didn’t need them when the truth was, I always had.

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I told them I was sorry for being a shitty daughter. For taking their protection for granted. For forgetting that everything they ever did–even the things I’d resented–came from love. From fear of losing me. From wanting me safe in a world that had never really been gentle.

My mom didn’t interrupt me. She just listened. And when she spoke, there was no accusation in her voice. No disappointment. Just warmth.

Steady and familiar.

At one point, I almost asked her what she’d meant the last time we talked those strange, unfinished words that had stayed with me ever since.

But I stopped myself.

That wasn’t a conversation for a phone call. That was something I needed to hear face to face.

We talked for nearly two hours. About small things. About nothing. About everything.

When the call finally ended, I realized I was smiling.

The weight I’d been carrying–heavy and constant, like it had fused to my bones–felt lighter. Not gone. But eased. Like I could finally stand up

straight again.

I told them I’d visit soon.

It wasn’t a lie.

I just had a few things I needed to take care of first.

I set my phone down and stood, rolling my shoulders as if shaking off the last of the tension. Then I headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the steam fill the space. The hot water grounded me, washing away the remnants of doubt and exhaustion clinging to my

skin.

Afterward, I dressed, packed my bag carefully, and took one last look around my room.

Then I stepped out, locking the door behind me, and made my way toward Zayn’s dorm–my heart steadier than it had been all day, even if my

mind was anything but quiet.

12:41 Thu, Jan 29 GG B

The Human Among Wolves