The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 320

Chapter 320

Aurora

My phone buzzed again.

Aurora.

Just my name. Nothing else.

1 bit my lip, my thumb hovering over the screen as a dozen thoughts collided at once. If I went out there alone-without telling Mira, without telling Zayn-it wouldn’t just be reckless. It would be stupid. The kind of upid that got people hurt. Or worse.

What if this was a trap?

The idea settled heavy in my chest, slow and cold. Kael was smart. Calculated. I knew that now. He’d been careful for weeks, always one step ahead, always saying the right thing. If he wanted to isolate me, this would be the perfect way to do it-late at night, when everyone was exhausted, when no one would think twice about me stepping out for a few minutes.

I locked my phone and set it face down on the nightstand, as if that could silence the pull of it. My heart was beating too fast, a sharp rhythm under my ribs. I stared up at the ceiling, tracing the faint shadows cast by the lamp, trying to steady myself.

Don’t be stupid, Rory.

Zayn’s voice echoed in my head, calm but firm. Act normal. Don’t give him anything.

I turned slightly, glancing at Mira. She was already half-asleep, turned toward the wall, her breathing slow and even. Waking her would mean questions. Telling Zayn would mean explanations. And yet, going alone fell wrong on a level I couldn’t ignore.

My phone buzzed a third time.

Please.

My jaw tightened.

Whatever Kael wanted, it clearly wasn’t something he was willing to say over text. That alone was a warning. I exhaled slowly, forcing my shoulders to relax, even though my instincts were screaming at me to stay put.

I picked the phone back up, typing carefully, choosing each word like it might detonate if I wasn’t precise.

I’m exhausted. We can talk tomorrow.

The message showed as delivered almost immediately.

Three dots appeared.

Then vanished.

A few seconds passed. Ten. Twenty.

1/3

No reply.

That unsettled me more than anything he could’ve said.

But then my phone buzzed after few minutes.

Bring your pretty ass to my room. It’s 317. Or I’ll get you myself. You have ten minutes.

I blinked, once. Then again.

For a second, I honestly wasn’t sure I’d read it right. My brain stalled on the words, replaying them slowly, as if rearranging them might make them less real. Less… threatening. But they stayed exactly the same, sharp and unapologetic on the screen.

My stomach dropped.

That wasn’t Kael asking.

That was Kael deciding.

A chill slid down my spine, and it had nothing to do with the cold outside Ten minutes. The casual confidence of it made my chest tighten, like he already knew I’d seen the message-like he was counting down.

I glanced instinctively toward the door, then back at Mira. She hadn’t moved, still asleep, unaware that the air in the room had shifted. My fingers curled around my phone, knuckles whitening. If he came here-if he actually tried to get me himself-there would be questions.

Attention. Trouble I couldn’t afford.

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