The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 409

Chapter 409

Kael

The moment I heard his voice, I leaned back slightly against the couch, my gaze drifting toward the bathroom door where the sound of the shower was still running steadily behind it, steam slowly creeping beneath the frame and curling into the colder air of the motel room.

Across the room Viktor looked up from the laptop, immediately recognizing the name even though he couldn’t hear the voice on the other end.

For a second neither of us said anything.

Then Zayn spoke again, his tone tight in a way that made it very clear he hadn’t called just for a friendly conversation.

“What the hell happened?”

I raised an eyebrow slightly.

“That’s a pretty vague question.”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” he said immediately, irritation threading through his voice. “Aurora just felt something through the bond. Pain. A fight.

Something big enough that it nearly knocked the air out of her lungs.”

My eyes flicked briefly toward the ceiling.

Well.

That explained the call.

“She felt that, huh?”

“Kael.”

“Relax,” I said casually, stretching one leg out in front of me while leaning back into the worn couch cushions. “I’m alive. Clearly,”

“That’s not what I asked.”

I exhaled slowly through my nose.

“You’re talking about the vampire.”

There was a pause on the other end.

Then Zayn spoke again, his voice noticeably sharper now.

“What vampire?”

“Well,” I said, glancing over toward Viktor for a second before returning my attention to the phone, “the one who bought one of the girls from the auction”

Another silence.

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Chapter 409

Then-

“You’re telling me you picked a fight with a vampire tonight.”

“Technically he picked the fight.”

“Kael.”

“What?”

“You’re supposed to be rescuing people quietly.”

“And I did.”

“You killed someone.”

“He was a two-hundred-year-old vampire who bought a human girl like she was a piece of furniture,” I replied calmly. “I’m not losing sleep over it.”

Zayn let out a long, slow breath.

“Start from the beginning.”

I shifted slightly on the couch, running a hand across the back of my neck as the lingering soreness from the fight made itself known again.

“Alright,” I said.

Then I told him.

About tracking Lazarus Sidorov through the surveillance network.

About the penthouse.

About finding Anastasia chained inside that bedroom.

About the moment the vampire walked in while we were trying to get her out.

“You should’ve heard Aurora when she felt it,” Zayn muttered quietly after a moment. “She thought you were dying.”

That made me huff out a small laugh.

“She’s dramatic.”

“No,” he said flatly. “She was scared.”

That part I didn’t respond to right away.

Instead I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees while the faint noise of the shower continued in the background.

“Well,” I said eventually, “tell her she can relax. The vampire’s dead, the girl’s safe, and I’m currently sitting in a very depressing motel room in Moscow,

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Chapter 409

“You killed him.”

PPO

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Head came off.”

Zayn went quiet again.

3

I could practically hear the frustration building through the phone.

“You know,” he said finally, “most people would consider decapitating a vampire a pretty significant event.”

“He was asking for it.”

“That’s not the point.”

“What’s the point then?”

“The point,” Zayn snapped, “is that Aurora felt the entire thing through the bond and nearly shattered the glass table in the room we were sitting in.”

My eyebrow lifted.

“She did what?”

“Her magic spiked.”

“Huh.”

“Kael.”

“What?”

“That’s not normal.”

“Well neither is having two mates,” I replied casually. “So we’re already operating outside the normal rules.”

Another pause stretched across the line.

Then his voice dropped slightly.

“You’re hurt.”

I frowned.

“What makes you say that?”

“She felt pain.”

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pp

Chapter 409

I glanced down briefly at my ribs.

“…Nothing serious.”

“That wasn’t the question.”

“It’s a couple bruised ribs.”

“And?”

“A cracked one maybe.”

Zayn swore under his breath.

“You fought a vampire and you’re sitting in a motel like it’s a Tuesday night.”

“What would you prefer?” I asked lightly. “Dramatic speeches?”

“I’d prefer if you stopped trying to get yourself killed.”

“Relax,” I said. “I’m a Lycan prince, remember?”

“That doesn’t make you immortal.”

“No,” I admitted, “but it helps.”

Across the room Viktor glanced up again.

I waved a hand slightly to signal everything was fine.

“So what exactly happened on your end?” I asked. “You said Aurora felt the fight.”

Zayn hesitated.

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