The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 317

Chapter 317

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I let myself relax against him. The steady hum of the plane, the dimmed cabin lights, the quiet breathing of other students around us-it

should’ve been enough to lull me back to sleep.

It wasn’t.

A few minutes passed in silence before a strange, unsettling thought surfaced.

I tilted my head up slightly. “Zayn?”

“Hm?” He looked down at me instantly, alert.

“My wolf’s been… quiet for a while now.” I frowned, the words tasting wrong as I said them. “Do you think she’s mad? Or something?”

His brows knit together. “What?”

“I don’t hear her anymore,” I whispered. “At all.”

That got his full attention.

He shifted so he could look at me properly, one hand coming up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing gently beneath my eye as if

grounding me. “How long?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “after the winter dance, I think. I was so distracted I didn’t notice at first.”

Zayn was quiet for a moment, his gaze distant, thoughtful-but not panicked. That alone kept me from spiraling.

“She’s not mad,” he said finally, voice low and steady. “Wolves don’t just… disappear because they’re upset.”

“Then why does it feel like she’s gone?” My chest tightened”

He rested his forehead against mine.

“Sometimes wolves go quiet when something is changing,” he said carefully. “Or when they’re protecting themselves. Or you.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” I muttered.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. “I know. But listen to me-if something were wrong, I’d feel it too. Our bond would react. And it hasn’t.”

I searched his face, trying to find any hint he was holding something back.

“Switzerland,” he continued softly. “The mountains, the altitude, the magic there-it’s different. Stronger. Your wolf might just be…

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Chapter 317

waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

“For you to be somewhere safe enough to wake up fully.”

That sent a small shiver down my spine.

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Zayn pulled me closer, his arms solid, protective. “Sleep,” he murmured again. “I’m right here.”

The hours blurred together after that.

Sleeping, waking, half-sleeping again. Eating something warm that tasted better than it had any right to at thirty thousand feet. Talking to Zayn about nothing important and everything at once. Sometimes I rested my head on his shoulder, sometimes I stared out at the dark

beyond the window, watching clouds pass like shadows.

Before I knew it, exhaustion settled deep into my bones.

Finally-finally-the announcement came.

We’d arrived.

After nearly ten hours in the air, the plane touched down smoothly, tires kissing the runway with a low, distant screech. Because of the time difference, it was already 11 p.m. when we landed, and I felt it instantly.

My body was heavy, movements slow, thoughts hazy in that way that only comes when you’ve been awake far too long.

By the time we were allowed to stand, stretch, and make our way down the aisle, my legs felt like they belonged to someone else.

It took around fifteen minutes to get everyone off the plane. The doors opened—and the cold hit me like a slap.

Real cold.

The kind that steals your breath the second you inhale, sharp and clean and unmistakably winter. Snow lined the edges of the runway, glowing faintly under the airport lights, and the air smelled crisp, almost metallic,

I pulled my coat tighter around myself as we grabbed our suitcases, fingers already numb despite my gloves.

Buses were waiting outside, engines humming softly, headlights cutting through the darkness. Steam rose from the exhausts as we loaded our bags underneath and climbed inside, one by one.

Warmth wrapped around me as soon as I stepped on, and I sank into the seat with a quiet sigh.

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