The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 412

Chapter 412

Aurora

“Do you know how to cook?” I asked.

Zayn glanced up from the counter where he had been digging through one of the grocery bags, holding a pack of instant noodles in one hand like he had

just discovered something valuable.

“Does ramen count?”

“It does not,” I replied flatly.

He considered that for a moment, staring thoughtfully at the packet as if debating whether it deserved more respect than I was giving it.

“Then no.”

I rolled my eyes again.

“Move.”

He lifted one eyebrow slightly, but stepped aside anyway as I slid past him toward the stove.

“I will make us something.”

The kitchen was small but functional. The basics were there-a stove, a couple of pans, knives, a cutting board, and just enough food in the bags Zayn had

brought back to turn into something edible.

It had that quiet, unused feeling to it, like a place meant for temporary stays rather than daily life. The counters were clean, the cabinets half empty, and the faint chill of the evening still clung to the room despite the warmth beginning to spread from the stove.

Behind me I could feel Zayn leaning back against the counter again, arms crossing loosely over his chest as he watched me start pulling ingredients out of

the bags.

“You can cook?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“That’s surprising.”

I glanced at him briefly while grabbing a pan.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “You just don’t seem like the type.”

“The type that eats?”

“The type that cooks.”

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Chapter 412

I turned on the stove, the quiet click followed by the soft rush of flame.

“My mom taught me,” I said simply.

That shut him up for a moment.

I grabbed a knife and started cutting vegetables slowly on the board, the repetitive rhythm of the blade against the wood grounding in a way I hadn’t expected. After everything that had happened lately, the simple act of chopping vegetables felt strangely steady, like something normal had finally forced its way back into the world.

For a while the only sounds in the kitchen were the quiet rhythm of the knife and the low hum of the stove heating up.

Then Zayn spoke again.

“You didn’t cook much before.”

I shook my head.

“Not really.”

“They had kitchens though.”

“They also had people who did the cooking.”

He nodded slightly.

“Right.”

I slid the vegetables into the pan, the soft hiss of heat filling the quiet kitchen as the smell of food slowly began to spread through the air.

He shifted slightly and leaned his shoulder against the counter beside me now instead of across the room, close enough that I could feel the faint warmth of his presence without actually touching him.

“You’re doing better,” he said after a moment.

I stirred the vegetables slowly.

“Better than what?”

“Better than you were earlier.”

I didn’t answer right away.

The faint thread of the bond still lingered somewhere deep in my chest. It had quieted after Zayn told me Kael was alive, but it hadn’t disappeared

completely.

It was like a distant echo.

Quiet.

But constant.

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Chapter 412

I reached into the grocery bag and grabbed one of the apples, turning it slowly in my hand before taking a bite while the food cooked.

The crisp sound echoed faintly through the kitchen.

“I’m just hungry,” I said finally.

“That too.”

I grabbed a second pan and cracked a few eggs into it, the shells tapping softly against the counter before dropping into the trash.

For a few minutes neither of us spoke again.

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