The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Aurora

The name lit up my screen like a warning sign, his words crawling over my skin even though it was just text.

Don’t forget our deal, beautiful.

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I blinked at the message, rereading it once, twice, as if maybe the words would rearrange themselves into something less unsettling. But no–they sat there, smug and deliberate, in my notifications.

Of course he’d find some way to get under my skin even when he wasn’t in the same room.

But how the hell did he even get my number?

“Who’s texting you?” Mira piped up, catching the flicker of panic on my face before I could mask it.

“Uh–no one,” I said a little too quickly, clicking my phone off and shoving it face down on the nightstand.

The girls all exchanged looks. Lira raised a brow. “No one? You reacted like it was the King himself.”

“Yeah, spill,” Riven pressed, smirking. “Is it Zayn? Please tell me it’s Zayn.”

Selene’s voice was quieter, but no less curious. “Or… was it Zade?”

My throat went dry, and I forced a laugh that came out weak. “Why would Zade text me? I literally just met the guy.”

“Hmm.” Mira leaned forward, eyes narrowing with fake suspicion. “That’s exactly what someone who got a text from Zade would say.”

1 rolled my eyes, grabbing my pillow and chucking it lightly in her direction. “You guys are impossible.”

But even as they laughed and teased, my mind wasn’t here. It was back in Zayn’s dorm, in the way Zade had looked at me before leaving, the weight behind his words when he’d made me promise to stay away from his brother.

And now this message.

My phone sat there, face down, like it was burning a hole through the nightstand. My fingers itched to pick it back up, to reply or maybe just to delete the text entirely, but I didn’t move.

Instead, I plastered on a smile and leaned back against my bedframe. “Anyway… m exhausted. If you guys keep interrogating me, I might just pass out from

stress.”

They groaned, Mira dramatically clutching her chest. “Ugh, fine. But you’re not off the hook. Tomorrow, you’re giving us all the details.”

“Yeah,” Riven agreed, her smirk razor sharp. “Especially if you run into Zade again. Can’t keep the juicy parts to yourself, Aurora.”

I laughed lightly, rolling my eyes.

Hours later, after a long, steaming shower that did little to wash the thoughts from my head, I brushed my teeth and finally slid beneath the covers. The dorm was dark now, only the faint moonlight spilling through the curtains, casting silver shadows across the floor. The girls were already asleep, their soft,

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Chapter 52

even breaths filling the room with a calm I couldn’t seem to catch.

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I turned onto my side, hugging my pillow close. Sleep should’ve come easily–I was exhausted–but my mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Zayn’s unreadable expression. The way he had told me to go. The King and whatever he did to Zayn And, worst of all… Zade.

My phone sat on the nightstand, screen black and silent, but I couldn’t stop glanding at it. That message still lingered in the back of my mind, echoing like a whisper: Don’t forget our deal, beautiful.”

With a sigh, I reached for it, careful not to wake anyone. The soft glow lit up my ace as I unlocked it.

And my heart skipped.

There wasn’t just one message anymore. There were three.

The first was the one from earlier.

The second, sent about an hour ago: ‘You didn’t answer. Silent treatment already

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And the third, just five minutes ago: ‘Sweet dreams, Aurora.

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I sat up slightly, pulse quickening. Seeing my name written out by him made my skin prickle.

My thumb hovered over the keyboard, itching to type something back–anything. To demand how he got my number and what exactly he wanted from me. But I didn’t. Something told me replying would only feed into whatever game he was playing.

Still, the silence stretched heavy in the room, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that Zade wasn’t just some overbearing older brother. No, he was watching.

Waiting. Testing me.

I locked the phone and shoved it under my pillow like that could somehow bury the unease. But even as I closed my eyes, the words burned against the

inside of my mind.

“Sweet dreams, Aurora.‘

That night, despite every effort to force my mind quiet, sleep dragged me under–but it wasn’t the peaceful kind.

I found myself standing in the middle of the Academy’s courtyard, but it wasn’t quite the same. The torches burned lower, the air heavy and thick like velvet night pressed against my skin. I felt it before I saw him–that pull, that gravity.

Zade.

He stepped out of the shadows like he belonged to them, his movements slow, deliberate, predatory. His eyes locked onto mine, gleaming with something

dark and unspoken. I should’ve backed away, but my feet refused to move.

“Aurora,” he said my name like a caress, low and husky, vibrating through me. It made my stomach flip and made the air in my lungs stutter.

I whispered his name back before I even realized it, and suddenly he was right in front of me, towering over me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him. His hand brushed against my arm, feather–light at first, but then firmer, sliding down until his fingers wrapped around my wrist.

“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” he murmured, leaning in. His breath was warm against my ear. “You know what it does to me.”

My heart hammered, every nerve in my body alive under his touch. “I don’t…” I started, but the words died when his other hand lifted, grazing my jaw.

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Chapter 52

tilting my face up toward his.

I should’ve protested, should’ve reminded myself this was Zayn’s brother, the King’s son–dangerous, off–limits. But the dream didn’t care about rules.

His lips hovered over mine, not quite touching, his smirk lingering even here. “You want me to stop?”

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe. My silence was answer enough.

Then he kissed me–slow at first, like he wanted to savor every second, then deeper, hungrier, pulling me against him as though he couldn’t get close enough. My body responded without thought, my hands clutching at his shirt, desperate for more.

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The courtyard spun away, shadows closing in, until there was only him–his mouth on mine, his hands anchoring me like I belonged to him. And for that moment, I let myself believe I did.

But just as the heat of him started to consume me, I woke with a gasp, heart racing, the taste of him still burning on my lips like it had been real.

“What the fuck?” I muttered to myself, sitting up in bed, my heart beating so fast thought I was going to have a heart attack.

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11:59 Thu, Jan 29 BBB.

The Human Among Wolves