The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 319

Chapter 319

I didn’t argue.

I let her pull me away, turning my back on him without another word. I didn’t look over my shoulder as we walked across the lobby, past

clusters of students, toward the elevators and the promise of quiet.

I could still feel his gaze on me though.

And I hated how much it lingered.

After we entered our room, the door clicking softly behind us, the sudden quiet felt almost suffocating. The chaos of the lobby-the noise, the

crowds, the murmurs of students from across the world-faded behind the walls, leaving only the soft hum of the heater and our own footsteps

on the polished floor.

The room was simple but cozy, warm despite the frost creeping along the edges of the window. Two beds were set along opposite walls, neatly made with thick blankets and soft pillows. A small nightstand with a lamp rested between them, and a wide closet stretched across the far wall, its sliding doors already labeled with our names.

Mira didn’t wait for a moment to settle. She dropped her bag onto her bed arms crossed, pacing just a little, her voice rising with each word.

“Can you believe him?” she demanded. “I mean, he’s acting like everythings okay. Like nothing. Like-like he didn’t betray you in the worst

way possible.”

I moved slowly, methodical, unpacking my suitcase. Clothes folded, sweaters stacked, socks tucked into corners. My hands worked almost on autopilot as her words washed over me. I nodded occasionally, murmured oft agreements, but my mind wasn’t in the room. Not really.

I trusted him. Or at least, I had. And now, the realization that I’d been so completely blind made my chest tighten. Maybe I trusted too easily.

Maybe the fault was mine entirely.

“I’m going to take a shower,” I said finally, needing the excuse to escape, be alone.

The bathroom was small but modern, pale stone tiles reflecting the light softly. The shower, enclosed in glass, steamed almost instantly. I let

the hot water wash over my shoulders, my back, trying to scrub away the tension, trying to pretend that the last few days hadn’t upended

everything I thought I knew. But of course, they had.

And no amount of steam could hide it.

When I emerged, wrapped in a towel, Mira followed shortly after, still talking, still furious on my behalf. We moved through our routines almost silently after that, brushing teeth, washing up, changing into pajamas. I chose the bed by the window, where the cold glass pressed faintly

against my shoulder, and Mira took the other.

My phone buzzed.

Zayn.

I smiled despite everything, small and fleeting. His message was sweet, teasing almost-good night, that he’d already kissed me enough for the night, that he was thinking of sneaking me into his room tomorrow. I laughed quietly to myself. If we could manage it in the academy, a hotel in the middle of the mountains would be nothing.

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Chapter 319

I placed the phone on the nightstand and tried to relax, but the shadows ch the ceiling didn’t offer comfort. My mind refused to stop. I turned onto my side, pulling the blanket up to my chin, willing sleep to take me!

Then it buzzed again.

I frowned, expecting Zayn’s name, but it wasn’t him.

It was Kael.

come to my room. please

My chest tightened immediately. His tone-soft, insistent-was impossible to ignore. But beneath the words was something else. A subtle… confidence. He had no idea I knew. No idea that the trust I had once given him had already shattered. No idea that I understood exactly what he’d been doing, the little ways he’d wormed himself into my life, the careful manipulations I hadn’t caught at the time.

I stared at the screen for a long moment. My fingers hovered, tense. A part of me wanted to slam the phone shut, to ignore him completely. Another part… another part was too curious, too burned by the need to see what he had to say, to face him knowing that the power balance

had shifted.

Slowly, deliberately, I set the phone aside, leaning back against the pillow forcing myself to breathe. I wasn’t going to reply-not yet. Not until

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