The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80

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When I reached my dorm, the hall was eerily quiet. The usual chatter of my roommates was absent. A glance at the clock confirmed it–past nine in the morning. My roommates had already left for classes. All of them out, all of them oblivious to the storm churning inside me.

I didn’t want to go anywhere. I didn’t want to face anyone. Not today. Not after what had just happened.

I kicked the door open with more force than necessary, letting it slam behind me, and sank against it for a moment, the book still pressed to my chest. My breath came in short, uneven bursts. My body was trembling, exhausted from crying, from running, from the sheer weight of betrayal.

And yet, despite the ache, despite the humiliation, I didn’t feel like drying anymore. Not yet. I just felt empty, and furious, and unbearably alone.

I dragged myself inside, my steps slow now, deliberate, avoiding the mess I had left the night before. I didn’t bother putting the book down; it was the only thing that felt solid, real.

Collapsing onto my bed, fully dressed, I curled into myself, letting the sheets wrap around me like a fragile shield. The room was silent, save for the faint hum of the academy waking up outside my window.

I didn’t move for a long time. I didn’t think. I just let the silence swallow me, letting the heat of my anger burn quietly in my chest.

Today, I would skip class. Today, the world could wait.

Hours passed in a blur of silence. I didn’t move from my bed, didn’t even think about the world outside my room. Time felt like it was dragging on forever.

Eventually, hunger made itself impossible to ignore. My stomach growled, loud and insistent, a harsh reminder that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. Reluctantly, I forced myself up from the bed, rubbing my eyes and trying to shake the heaviness from my limbs. The room felt too small, too suffocating, and the thought of seeing anyone–even my roommates–made my chest tighten with

anxiety.

The cafeteria was bustling, filled with students chatting and moving about their day, the smell of cooked food heavy in the air. I kept my head low as I made my way through the crowded tables, scanning for an empty spot to sit, my thoughts elsewhere, tangled

and messy.

And then I saw them.

Zayn. Sitting across from Charlotte. Laughing. Eating.

I froze, my stomach twisting violently, the food I had just passed suddenly tasting bitter in my mouth. My heart raced, a mix of

disbelief, rage, and hurt coiling in my chest like a living thing. They looked so… comfortable together, as if last night had never

happened, as if our world–the one I had thought existed, fragile and beautiful–had never existed at all.

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Chapter 80

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I felt my hands tighten around my tray until my knuckles turned white. Every instinct screamed at me to turn around and run, but something inside me forced me forward. I had to see it with my own eyes. I had to understand just how far he had pushed me away.

I moved past a few tables, keeping my eyes locked on them, and my chest burned with each laugh they shared, each casual glance. The sight was worse than any words he had thrown at me. It wasn’t ust cruel; it was deliberate. It was him, showing me exactly

what I had been to him–nothing.

My hunger didn’t matter anymore. I didn’t care about lunch or about the chatter around me. All I could feel was the raw, twisting

ache in my chest, the taste of betrayal bitter on my tongue.

And Zayn… he didn’t even look up. He was focused on her, and the realization hit me like a physical blow.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. I wanted to disappear.

Instead, I walked past their table, my steps slow but steady, trying to ignore the tears that threatened to spill again.

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