The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Aurora

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The tears that had been stinging my eyes spilled over, hot and fast. My cheeks burned with humiliation, but I couldn’t look away from him.

My chest ached, but it wasn’t just his words.

was the weight of everything I’d given him–my trust, my first kiss, my first time-

and how easily he crushed it beneath his heel.

How easily he crushed me.

Before I even realized what I was doing, my body moved on its own.

I crossed the distance between us, my pulse roaring in my ears, drowning out every rational thought.

And then–crack.

My palm connected with his cheek so hard that the sound echoed through the room, sharp and violent. The impact jolted up my arm, the sting biting into my skin, but I didn’t care.

Zayn’s head snapped to the side, his jaw tightening, a red mark already blooming where I’d hit him.

My hand burned like fire, but the ache in my chest burned hotter.

“You” My voice shook, my breathing uneven, but I forced the words out, each one laced with fury. “You don’t get to talk to me like

that. Not after-” My throat closed up, cutting me off before I could finish.

I stood there, chest heaving, tears streaming freely down my face now, glaring at him through the blur.

For a split second, he just stood there, completely still, his expression unreadable. I didn’t know if he was angry, surprised, or if he

even felt anything at all.

But I didn’t wait for him to answer. I refused to.

My fingers were still trembling when I reached for my things.

The bag sat slumped on the floor beside the bed, and I bent down to grab it, my movements jerky and clumsy–almost like my body

couldn’t keep up with the storm raging inside me. The leather strap aught on the leg of the chair, and I yanked it free with more

force than necessary, my breath coming out in harsh little gasps.

Then my gaze landed on the book.

It sat neatly on Zayn’s desk, so quiet and unbothered–like it hadn’t been at the center of everything that brought me here. That

single book, the reason I ever knocked on his door in the first place, he thing that had connected us. My throat tightened.

I crossed the room slowly, my steps heavy, my tears hot against my cheeks. My hand hovered above the worn cover for a moment

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12:03 Thu, Jan 29 GGG

Chapter 79

before 1 finally grabbed it, clutching it to my chest like it was the last piece of myself I could take with me.

And then I turned.

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Zayn hadn’t moved from where he stood.

I didn’t say anything. There was nothing left to say.

Without looking at him again, I made my way toward the door. Every step felt like it was dragging me through wet cement–slow, deliberate, painful–but I didn’t stop until my hand was on the doorknob.

“Aurora.”

His voice was quiet–so quiet that I almost thought I imagined it.

I froze, my back still to him, my chest heaving. I didn’t turn around.

For a moment, there was only silence, and then he said it, barely more than a whisper:

“You should hate me.”

The words cut through the air like a blade. My stomach knotted, my grip on the book tightening until my knuckles ached.

“I already do,” I said, my voice shaking, and then I pulled the door open and stepped out, leaving him behind.

I didn’t stop to look back. Not once. My heart was pounding so hard thought it might burst through my chest, and every step felt like it was fueled by a mix of rage, humiliation, and heartbreak. I stumbled down the hall, the book clutched tightly against my chest, my bag bouncing against my hip with every hurried step.

The morning light poured through the academy’s windows, pale and indifferent, but I didn’t notice. I barely noticed the other students moving around me, going about their quiet routines. It was as if the entire world had fallen away, leaving only the jagged

rhythm of my own heartbeat.