The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 353

Chapter 353

Zayn

The moment the doors slammed shut behind us, I didn’t wait for Kael.

I didn’t wait for the guards.

I didn’t even wait to breathe.

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I ran.

The polished floors echoed under my boots as I sprinted down the hallway, the scent of old wood and cold marble blurring past me. Every door

I passed, I shoved open-rooms, storage closets, offices, empty training chambers. My heartbeat hammered so hard it blurred into a single

sound.

“ZAYN!” Kael called behind me. “Slow the fuck down-”

But I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

Not when every second she was out there somewhere without me.

Not when I could practically feel her absence clawing through my chest like someone had ripped a piece out of me.

I tore through another hallway, shoving open double doors with enough force that they slammed into the walls. The echo cracked through the emptiness like thunder.

“ZAYN!”

Kael was right behind me now, breathing hard but keeping up.

I ignored him.

I flung open another door-the library.

Empty.

Next door-the war room.

Empty.

Another-the armory.

Empty.

My body moved on instinct, fueled by panic, fury, and pure desperation.

Then-

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11:39 Fri, Feb 13 DAB.

Chapter 353

Zade didn’t flinch.

Didn’t back down.

But something flickered in his eyes.

Something dark.

Uncertain.

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And that was almost worse.

I was breathing too fast. My pulse was pounding behind my eyes. Kael stepped closer, tension radiating off him like heat from a fire.

Zade lifted his hands slightly, not in surrender-in warning.

“Zayn… calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down-”

“Listen to me,” Zade growled now, meeting my fury with his own. “I have NO idea what the hell you’re talking about. I haven’t seen Father since 2 days ago. And Aurora-” he pointed a finger at my chest “-is YOUR responsibility. Not mine.”

The words hit like a punch.

My chest tightened with something sharp and ugly-guilt, fear, rage all tangled together.

Kael stepped forward, voice low and dangerous.

“Stop wasting time. If you didn’t take her, then someone else in this palace knows where she is. Start talking.”

Zade shot him a cold look. “Watch your tone, dog.”

Kael’s lips curled back in a snarl. “Say that again.”

“ENOUGH!” I snapped so loudly my voice echoed down the corridor.

They both stopped.

I dragged a hand through my hair, chest heaving, my thoughts spinning fast I couldn’t pull a single one into focus.

“She won’t be here. She couldn’t be.”

The words scraped out of me, barely a whisper, but they felt like they tore omething open inside my chest. I stared at the empty hallway, the cold stone walls, the silence pressing in on all sides.

“She couldn’t…” I repeated, softer this time, as if saying it again might change reality. Might turn back the last hours. Might undo the truth settling in my bones like ice.

Because if she wasn’t here…

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11:39 Fri, Feb 13 DAG.

Chapter 353

If she wasn’t in the only place I was certain my father used…

If he had taken her somewhere else-somewhere I didn’t know-

Then the chances of finding her…

My throat tightened.

My vision blurred for a second.

“Zayn-” Zade’s voice came carefully, like he knew he was holding a thread that might snap with the slightest pull.

I shook my head, jaw clenching, trying to swallow down the panic clawing at my ribs.

“No,” I said, but it cracked. “No. You don’t get it.”

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