The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 383

Chapter 383

A few minutes passed.

None of us spoke.

Zayn and Kael stood there like statues in the doorway, still trying to understand what they were looking at-the blood, the bodies, the torn room… and me. Kneeling there, shaking, barely holding myself upright.

My breathing slowly steadied. My skin stopped burning. My heartbeat slipped back into a human rhythm instead of the violent pounding of my wolf.

And then Zayn moved.

Just one step.

A cautious one. A slow one.

But it was enough to snap something inside me.

I pushed myself to my feet too fast. The world tilted, but I didn’t let myself fall. I stood there-naked, shaking, covered in blood-refusing

to let either of them see how weak I felt.

I didn’t say anything.

I just turned my back to him and walked toward the closet.

My legs were unstable, but I forced them to obey. My fingers dragged along the edge of the closet door before I finally gripped it and pulled it open. There were clothes inside-a lot of them-all organized, all expensive, all carefully arranged like someone expected me to

live here.

My hands trembled as I sifted through them.

Silk. Lace. Satin.

None of it felt real.

None of it felt like mine.

Somewhere behind me, I heard him take another slow step.

“Rory…” Zayn’s voice was soft, almost hesitant, like he was afraid of scaring me further.

1/4

But the sound of my name on his tongue ignited something ugly in my chest.

My wolf remembered.

His words before I was taken.

Stupid.

Careless.

Do you even have a brain?

My wolf remembered him at breakfast.

Smiling.

Relaxed.

With another girl sitting beside him.

My wolf remembered the pain in my chest when I realized he didn’t even look for me. Not then. Not until I vanished.

My fingers curled tightly around a simple dress-the only thing that looked remotely normal-and a pair of underwear. I dressed

mechanically, numb and shaking. The fabric clung to my damp skin awkwardly, but I didn’t care.

“Rory…” he tried again, closer now.

I turned around.

And the rage shot out of me like a blade.

“What?” I snapped.

His eyes widened slightly, like he wasn’t expecting me to bite back. Like he thought I’d collapse into him and cry or cling or thank him

for being here.

Wrong.

So fucking wrong.

“This is all your fucking fault,” I said, each word sharp enough to cut.

Zayn froze.

2/4

I didn’t stop.

“I wouldn’t have gone outside that night if you didn’t treat me like garbage. If you didn’t-” my voice cracked, but I pushed through it. if you didn’t make me feel like I was nothing. Like I was a problem you had to scold.”

Something flickered across his face-pain, guilt, fear-I didn’t care.

“You were supposed to protect me.”

My voice trembled.

“You were supposed to be my mate.”

The confession felt like it was being dragged out of me with a hook lodged in my chest.

a tiny step closer, his eyes softening, lips parting to speak.

but I didn’t let him.

“I fucking hate you,” I whispered.

And I meant it-in that moment, with every cell in my body.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify