The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 303

Chapter 303

Zayn

The knock at my door cut straight through my thoughts.

Aurora.

80%

I was on my feet before I even realized it, crossing the room in two long strides. The moment I opened the door, she was there–and I didn’t give myself time to think. I caught her wrist gently and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her with my foot.

“Took you long enough,” I muttered, more relief than accusation in my voice.

She smiled faintly, tired in a way that went deeper than sleep. “Sorry,” she said. “I was on the phone longer than I thought.”

“With your parents?” I asked, studying her face.

She nodded, stepping past me and setting her bag down on my desk before climbing onto my bed like it was the most natural thing in the world. She curled onto her side, knees tucked slightly, hoodie sleeves swallowing her hands.

I couldn’t help the quiet laugh that left me. “Comfortable, baby?”

“Very,” she said, her voice soft, eyes already half–lidded. “Your bed’s better than mine.”

I joined her, lying on my side so we faced each other. The space between us disappeared easily, like it always did. I brushed my thumb over her

knuckles, slow and absentminded.

“So,” I said quietly, “talk went okay?”

She hesitated for just a second. “Yeah. It’s… it’s been okay,” she repeated, like she was testing the words before committing to them.

I didn’t push. I knew that tone. Instead, I shifted closer and pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’m glad.”

She sighed, a long one, the kind that carried the weight of a day finally being set down. Her forehead rested against my chest, and I felt her

breathing start to even out.

“You’re safe here,” I murmured without thinking.

Her fingers curled into my shirt. “I know.”

We stayed like that, talking in fragments–nothing important, everything important. Small observations. Half–finished thoughts. Quiet jokes

that didn’t need punchlines. At some point, her voice trailed off completely, her breathing slow and steady.

I realized I’d followed her into sleep only when-

I woke up.

The ceiling above me wasn’t the academy’s.

It was familiar in a way that made my chest tighten.

1/3

12:41 Thu, Jan 29 BGB.

Chapter 303

I sat up slowly, already knowing where I was.

The bed beneath me was larger, heavier. The room wider. Shadows clung to the corners like they had never left.

My old bedroom.

480%

I ran a hand over my face and swung my legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cold under my feet. Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. Too exact.

I didn’t move when I heard the footsteps.

They weren’t rushed. They never were.

They crossed the room with calm certainty, stopping just behind me.

I turned.

Zade.

“You’re getting sloppy.”

His voice was calm. Almost bored.

I didn’t flinch, didn’t step back. I straightened slowly, meeting his gaze. He stood near the window, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat

like he’d been there for a while. Moonlight cut across his face, sharpening angles I knew too well.

“Relaxed,” I said. “Not sloppy.”

Zade’s mouth curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Same thing, in our family.”

I crossed my arms. “You came all this way to insult me?”

“This isn’t all this way,” he replied, glancing around the room. “It’s a thought. A crack. An open door.”

I clenched my jaw. “Say what you came to say.”

He turned fully toward me then, eyes darker than I remembered. Tired. No weak–never that–but worn.

“She’s becoming a liability.”

The words landed heavy.

I took a step forward before I could stop myself. “Watch your mouth.”

Zade raised a hand, not in surrender–just to slow me down. “I’m not talking about her,” he said evenly. “I’m talking about what she makes you

forget.”

I laughed under my breath. “You don’t get to lecture me about forgetting

“No,” he agreed quietly. “I get to warn you.”

2/3

12:41 Thu, Jan 29 BGB.

Chapter 303

Silence stretched between us, thick and familiar.

$ ཊཱ 80%

“You’re drifting,” he continued. “Your defenses are thinning. You’re sleeping deeper. You’re dreaming louder.” His gaze flicked to the bed behind me.

“That’s why I can reach you.”

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I decided to tell him–if not everything, then at least enough.

“The woman in the basement…”

12:41 Thu, Jan 29 G GG.

The Human Among Wolves