The Human Among Wolves Chapter 107

Aurora

The knock came like thunder after a storm that had finally gone quiet.

Sharp. Repeated. Relentless.

For a few seconds, I didn’t move. My mind was slow to catch up, heavy with the kind of sleep that comes after too many sleepless nights. Then the sound came again—louder this time—and I groaned, burying my face against the warmth under me.

That’s when it hit me.

Warmth.

Steady heartbeat.

Zayn.

I blinked, reality sliding back into place all at once. I was lying half on top of him, my arm draped across his chest, his hand resting loosely on my waist like it had been there for hours. For a second, neither of us moved. The quiet between us felt oddly… peaceful.

Then came another round of pounding at the door.

Zayn stirred beneath me with a low sound that was half growl, half exhaustion. “What time is it?” he muttered, voice rough with sleep.

I squinted toward the clock on his nightstand. “Five thirty.”

He groaned. “Who the hell knocks on doors at—”

“Kael,” I said before he could finish.

That earned another groan, this one heavier. “Of course it is.”

I reluctantly pushed myself up, brushing the wrinkles from my shirt and trying to make myself look somewhat alive. My hair was a disaster, my eyes puffy, and there was a faint, traitorous warmth still sitting on my lips from last night.

The thought made my stomach flip in a way I hadn’t felt in… I didn’t even know how long.

It wasn’t like when Kael kissed me—his kisses had been careful, calculated, like he knew exactly what effect he wanted to have. Zayn’s kiss hadn’t been that. It had been raw, unplanned, full of something that didn’t ask permission but somehow still felt safe.

And even now, standing barefoot in the middle of his room, I couldn’t stop the quiet hum of happiness sitting under my ribs. The ache that had been there for months felt—just for once—a little lighter.

Zayn sat up slowly, rubbing a hand down his face, eyes half-lidded and hair an absolute mess. The sight made me bite back a smile.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, voice still hoarse.

“Like what?” I asked, already heading for the door.

“Like you forgot how annoying I am.”

I didn’t answer. Mostly because the stupid grin I was trying to hide said enough.

When I opened the door, Kael was standing there—dressed, alert, and looking like he hadn’t slept at all. His sharp gaze flicked over me in an instant, taking in the messy hair, the oversized shirt, the obvious lack of sleep.

And then his jaw tightened. Just slightly.

“We’re leaving in twenty,” he said. His tone was clipped, efficient. “Pack what you need. Food, water, anything you might want if things go sideways.”

“Morning to you too,” I said, fighting a yawn.

He didn’t smile. His eyes narrowed instead, studying my face. “You look… different.”

“Different how?”

He hesitated, head tilting just a fraction. “You’re smiling.”

I blinked. “No, I’m not.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “You are.”

And there it was—the faintest crease between his brows, confusion mixing with something that looked suspiciously like irritation.

Zayn appeared behind me, shirtless, stretching one arm lazily over his head.

Kael’s gaze flicked past me—and his entire expression darkened.

“Fantastic,” Kael muttered. “Now I see why.”

Zayn gave him a slow, deliberate smirk. “Morning, sunshine.”

Kael ignored him, looking back at me. “Twenty minutes, Aurora,” he repeated, tone leaving no room for argument. Then he turned and walked off down the hall.

I stood there for a moment, the tension from that brief exchange still humming in the air.

Zayn leaned against the doorframe beside me. “He’s fun before breakfast.”

I shot him a look. “You don’t exactly make mornings better.”

His smirk deepened. “You didn’t seem to mind last night.”

Heat rose instantly to my cheeks, and I shoved at his shoulder. “You’re insufferable.”

He caught my wrist before I could pull away, fingers warm against my skin. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked quietly.

I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. For the first time in a while… yeah.”

He searched my face for a moment like he didn’t quite believe me, but eventually let go, stepping back to grab his jacket. “Then get ready,” he said. “If we’re doing this, we’re not doing it without coffee.”

I rolled my eyes, but I was still smiling as I turned toward the small pile of my things on the chair.

Twenty minutes.

Enough time to pack, to breathe, to pretend I wasn’t terrified about what we were walking into.

But as I shoved a few essentials into my backpack—flashlight, water, spare clothes, the dagger I hoped I’d never need—I couldn’t stop that small, traitorous part of me that felt something close to… hope.

The sky was still gray when we left.

That washed-out color that sits between night and morning, when the world feels like it hasn’t decided what it wants to be yet.

Kael’s car waited at the edge of the courtyard. The air was cold enough that my breath came out in faint clouds, my fingers curled tight around the strap of my backpack.

Zayn walked beside me, quiet but close enough that our arms brushed every few steps. He didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to. After last night, words felt unnecessary. His presence was enough—solid, steady, grounding.

Kael stood by the driver’s side, pacing with the kind of restless energy that made it clear he’d been awake for hours. When he saw us, his jaw flexed once, but he didn’t say anything. He just opened the door and nodded toward the back seat.

Zayn got in first. I followed, sliding in beside him, the faint smell of his cologne—smoke, cedar, something clean—settling into the air around us.

Kael started the engine without a word.

The hum of the car filled the silence as we pulled onto the road, the academy shrinking in the rearview mirror. The tires hummed against the pavement, a low, steady rhythm that should’ve been comforting but wasn’t.

No one spoke for a while.

I glanced out the window, watching the horizon slowly lighten, streaks of pink and gold trying to fight through the mist. Normally, mornings made me feel tired. This one didn’t. For the first time in forever, I felt… calm. Not because things were okay—they definitely weren’t—but because I wasn’t facing it alone.

My reflection in the glass looked almost like a stranger—eyes softer, mouth curved in something dangerously close to a smile.

Zayn noticed. Of course he did.

He leaned back in his seat, one arm resting casually on the edge of the window, his other hand brushing against mine where it rested on my knee. The touch was small, barely there, but it sent a quiet warmth up my spine.

Kael’s voice broke the silence.

“You look happy,” he said, not looking at me. His tone wasn’t accusing, just… curious.

I blinked, caught off guard. “I’m just… not used to being up this early.”

Zayn’s mouth twitched into something halfway between a smirk and a laugh. Kael didn’t buy it.

“Given everything going on,” Kael said, eyes fixed on the road, “I didn’t expect that.”

I hesitated, unsure what to say. Because he was right. I shouldn’t be happy. Seraphina was probably dead. Someone had sent me a box with blood on it. We were driving straight into the woods to find answers that might ruin everything.

And yet—sitting here, watching the sun climb over the trees, Zayn’s hand brushing against mine—I couldn’t help it. The weight that had been sitting on my chest for months felt a little lighter.

“I guess I’m just… tired of feeling scared all the time,” I said finally.

Kael glanced at me in the rearview mirror. There was a flicker of something there—understanding, maybe—but it disappeared before I could name it.

The road turned rough as we left the city behind, gravel crunching under the tires. The trees grew denser, shadows swallowing the weak morning light. The smell of pine and damp earth crept in through the cracked windows.

Zayn shifted, his posture changing subtly—more alert now, shoulders tense. His hand brushed mine again, this time deliberate. “You okay?” he asked quietly.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Kael’s eyes flicked up at that—just once, just enough to notice.

I thought about last night—the warmth of Zayn’s hands, the way his voice had cracked when he whispered I’m sorry. The tear that had hit my skin before I could even react.

And for a split second, guilt flickered through me.

Because Kael was here, leading us straight into danger for me.

And Zayn was here too, trying to protect me from something he didn’t even understand yet.