The Human Among Wolves (Aurora) novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Aurora

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Something about the way he said it–like it wasn’t a big deal, like it wasn’t some obligation–made me just nod instead of arguing

We cut back across the field, leaving the glow of the fire behind. The further we walked, the more the night seemed to swallow us

1. up.

By the time we reached the Academy gates, my body felt heavy with exhaustion, like the weight of the night had finally caught up to me. The campus was still and quiet, all the windows dark except for one or two glowing faintly in the distance.

No one stopped us as we crossed the courtyard–no guards, no professors.

“They really don’t care tonight,” I whispered, half expecting someone to step out of the shadows and call us out.

We slipped inside the dorm building, the door clicking softly shut behind us. The hallway was dim, lit only by the soft glow of wall lamps. Our footsteps were quiet against the carpet as we made our way up the stairs.

When we reached my floor, I slowed, glancing toward my room at the end of the hall. The building was completely silent–no voices,

no doors creaking, no one coming out to catch me sneaking in.

I stopped outside my door and turned to face him.

“Thanks,” I said softly, feeling suddenly awkward. “For walking me back. For… everything tonight.”

Kael leaned his shoulder against the wall, his hair falling into his eyes as he watched me. “Anytime.”

“Where are you staying tonight?” I asked.

“My best friend’s dorm,” he said. “He’ll be passed out by now, but I crash there. Easier than going all the way home.”

“Must be nice. Having your own space.”

“It is.” His mouth curved into the faintest hint of a smile.

I turned back to the door, finally sliding the key into the lock. The handle turned with a soft click, and I stepped inside, glancing

back over my shoulder one last time.

“Goodnight, Kael.”

“Goodnight, Aurora,” he said, his voice low and warm enough to linger long after the door closed between us.

I leaned against it for a moment, breathing out slowly into the dark room. My roommates were asleep, their soft breathing filling

the space.

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12:04 Thu, Jan 29 GBB.

Chapter 96

The first thing I felt was the light.

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It slipped through the thin curtains in soft golden stripes, cutting across the floor and warming my face. I groaned and rolled onto my back, blinking against the brightness. My jaw cracked as I yawned, stretching my arms above my head until my spine popped.

For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting the quiet hum of the dorm fill the room.

It had been a week since the Halloween party. A week since the bonfire, the fight, the look in Zayn’s storm–grey eyes when he told

me to go back to the Academy.

And I hadn’t spoken to him. Not once.

It wasn’t easy–avoiding him. In a place like this, with its endless hals and crowded classes, it was like trying to avoid gravity. But I’d done it. Or at least, I’d tried. Changing when I’m going to the canteen. Ducking out of rooms early. Pretending to be busy when I

saw him at a distance.

But today?

Today I wouldn’t be able to avoid him.

Because today was the big field trip–the one everyone had been talking about for weeks. All years, all students, all of us crammed together on buses like one big happy family.

I sighed, dragging a hand over my face before sitting up. My hair was a mess, sticking out in every direction, and I shoved it out of my eyes as I glanced at the clock on my nightstand.

6:15 a.m.

Too early to be awake, too late to go back to sleep.

I swung my legs out of bed and sat there for a second, staring blearily at the floor. My roommates were already up and moving, packing their bags with the kind of energy only morning people–or psychopaths–had at this hour.

Well, three of them, anyway.

Selene’s bed was empty, her blanket kicked to the foot of the mattress, her pillow abandoned. No surprise there. She hadn’t been in

our room much this week.