The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 402

Chapter 402

Fael

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Pain tore through my ribs the instant I forced myself upright. The impact with the wall still vibrated through my body, a dull shock pulsing through bone and muscle as if the force of it hadn’t fully settled yet. For a moment the room tipped sideways in my vision, the expensive furniture and glass walls blurring together with the glittering city lights beyond them.

I clenched my teeth and steadied my breathing, pressing one hand against the floor as I hauled myself back to my feet.

Across the penthouse, Lazarus Sidorov hadn’t moved at all.

He watched me the way someone might observe an amusing show, his pale expression calm and faintly entertained, as if he had predicted this outcome long before the fight had even started.

Warm blood slipped from the corner of my mouth as I straightened.

“Well,” he said lightly, tilting his head, “that was disappointing. I expected more from a prince.”

My wolf stirred beneath my skin.

A furious snarl rolled through my mind, violent and restless, scratching against my ribs as adrenaline surged into my bloodstream.

Behind me Viktor shifted, the quiet click of his gun already drawn. Anastasia had scrambled away across the floor until her back met the wall again. Her wide eyes flicked between us, fear written plainly across her face as she realized she had stepped into something far more dangerous than she had imagined.

“You should have stayed home.” Lazarus continued in the same casual tone as he stepped closer. “Russia can be… unpleasant for visitors.”

I wiped the blood from my lip with the back of my hand.

“You’re letting her go,” I repeated.

The vampire chuckled under his breath.

“You keep saying that as if it’s an order.”

His crimson gaze flicked briefly toward Anastasia.

“I paid very well for that girl.”

The words struck like poison.

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Chapter 402

Something inside my chest snapped.

Before thought could catch up with instinct, my body reacted.

The shift tore through me like lightning.

Bones cracked violently.

Muscles twisted beneath my skin as power surged through my limbs, my wolf forcing its way to the surface while the transformation ripped along my spine. The world sharpened instantly-color, scent, sound exploding into clarity.

Claws dug into the marble floor as the change finished.

A deep growl rolled from my chest, vibrating through the air.

Lazarus’s smile widened.

“Ah,” he murmured softly. “There it is.”

He moved.

Fast.

Faster than most creatures alive.

But not faster than a Lycan.

I launched toward him with enough force to fracture the marble beneath my paws, claws cutting through the air where his throat had

been a fraction of a second earlier.

The vampire vanished like mist.

The blow came from the side.

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His fist crashed into my shoulder, the force spinning me halfway across the room before I caught myself. My claws screeched against the

marble as I slid to a halt.

Pain flared down my arm.

Sharp.

Disorienting.

He was stronger than he should have been.

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Chapter 402

Far stronger.

“You’re slower than I expected,” Lazarus said lazily.

:

I turned toward him again, my wolf pacing inside me, every muscle wound tight as instinct took control.

This time I didn’t pause.

I lunged again.

The collision split the air.

My claws raked across his chest, shredding the fabric of his coat and carving four deep lines across pale skin before he twisted away.

Dark blood sprayed across the wall.

For the first time, his expression shifted.

Not fear.

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