The Human Among Wolves Chapter 135

Aurora

“Zayn… we can’t.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them—quiet, but sharp enough to slice through the air between us.

He froze, confusion flickering across his face, but I pushed on, my voice unsteady.

“With everything you just told me… about your father, about Zade…” I shook my head, trying to breathe around the tightness in my chest. “I can’t. We can’t.”

The blanket slipped off my shoulders as I stood, and the moment my feet touched the floor, he moved—fast, instinctively—like he thought I might disappear if he didn’t.

“Aurora,” he said my name softly, almost like a plea.

I couldn’t look at him for a second. His voice, the way he said my name—it tugged at something I wasn’t prepared to feel.

“Don’t do this,” he murmured, taking a step closer. “Please—”

“I’m not going to reject you,” I cut in, spinning toward him before he could say anything else. My voice steadied, even though everything inside me felt anything but steady. “That’s not what this is.”

Relief flashed in his eyes, too quickly, too desperately.

“I just…” I exhaled, rubbing a hand over my face. “I need some time. Alone.”

I swallowed, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “Please. I need to think.”

The room fell quiet—heavy, but not hostile. Just full of things neither of us knew how to say. He didn’t argue. He didn’t reach for me again. He just stood there, breathing like someone had hit him in the ribs, watching me with a kind of restraint I wasn’t used to seeing from him.

And slowly, he nodded.

I dressed quietly, every movement feeling louder than it should have—like the room itself was holding its breath.

Zayn didn’t say another word. He just watched me the whole time with that steady, unreadable expression that made my pulse trip over itself. I didn’t let myself look back at him too long. If I did, I wouldn’t leave.

I pulled on my clothes, smoothing the wrinkles from the shirt. My hands felt clumsy. Uncoordinated. I could feel him behind me—his heat, his attention, the way his presence always seemed to press against my skin even when he wasn’t touching me.

I slipped out the door before the word mine—unspoken but thick in the air—could swallow me whole.

The hallway was quiet. Too quiet. Every step echoed, and all I could think about was the sound of his voice, the look in his eyes, the way my pulse still hadn’t calmed.

When I pushed open my door, the room was warm and bright, voices drifting inside. Lira sat cross-legged on her bed, braiding her red hair in sections. Mira lay sprawled on her stomach with a book open, glasses sliding down her nose. Riven was perched at her desk, painting her nails a deep midnight shade. Selene’s bed was empty—her blanket neatly folded, as always.

Three sets of eyes snapped to me the moment I walked in.

Lira blinked dramatically. “Oh my goddess, finally. We thought you died in a ditch.”

Mira’s head shot up, eyes widening. “You look… flustered. Why do you look flustered?”

Riven leaned back in her chair, smirking. “She definitely did something.”

I closed the door behind me and exhaled, leaning my head against it for a moment. “Okay. Just—give me a second.”

Lira hopped off her bed and marched right to me. “You were with him again, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“What?!”

“Tell us everything!”

“Did he kiss you?!”

“Did you kiss him?!” Mira added, already blushing as if she knew the answer.

I sat on my bed, pulled my knees up, and let out a shaky breath. “It’s… complicated.”

“Well, lucky for you,” Riven said, rotating her chair toward me with a grin, “we’re excellent with complicated.”

So I told them.

They listened without interrupting—shockingly. Only small noises slipped out.

“Oh, wow…”

“Holy—okay, that’s… intense.”

“Are you okay?” Mira asked gently.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

Lira sat beside me, her shoulder nudging mine. “You don’t have to decide anything tonight. Or tomorrow. Or anytime soon.”

Riven nodded. “Yeah. If he’s your mate, he’s not going anywhere.”

Mira smiled softly. “Just breathe. We’ve got you.”

Their comfort settled over me like a blanket. My heartbeat finally slowed, the anxiety unraveling enough for exhaustion to crawl in its place.

“I think I’m just gonna sleep,” I said quietly.

They all nodded, giving me space, turning down the lights until the room dimmed into a soft glow. Mira went back to her book. Riven put away her nail polish. Lira climbed into bed, still humming under her breath.

I curled under my blanket.

The moment my eyes closed, the world around me softened.

My breathing slowed, my thoughts blurred, and the weight inside my chest loosened just enough for something else—something warm and ancient—to slip through the cracks.

Then everything shifted.

I wasn’t in my bed anymore.

Or maybe I still was.

It didn’t matter.

The space around me was quiet, shadow-washed, the air humming like it carried a pulse of its own. Soft darkness stretched in every direction, warm instead of frightening, like the world had dimmed the lights just for me.

And he was there.

Zayn stood a short distance away, half-hidden in the glow of something unseen. His presence was the first thing I felt—heavy, magnetic, familiar in a way that went deeper than memory. He wasn’t moving, not yet. Just watching me with eyes that looked darker, deeper, almost fevered.

But not dangerous.

Not to me.

A slow breath left him, and the sound of it skimmed across my skin as if the air carried his touch.

When he finally stepped forward, it was with a certainty that stole the ground from under my feet. Each step brought him closer, and with each one, the world grew smaller—like everything outside the space between us had stopped existing.

He came to a halt in front of me. Close. Too close.

Close enough for my lips to part on instinct.

He raised his hand, fingers brushing the side of my face with a gentleness that didn’t match the tension simmering beneath his skin. He traced down the line of my jaw slowly, like he was memorizing something he already knew by heart.

“Aurora,” he breathed.

My name sounded different in this place—warmer, lower, threaded with something I wasn’t brave enough to name.

His forehead dipped toward mine until our skin touched. The contact was soft, careful… but the effect hit like lightning. My breath hitched. His chest rose sharply in response, as though the air between us had become one single inhale, one single exhale.

I didn’t realize I had moved until my palms were pressed against his chest. His heart thundered under my hands—fast, uneven, too real. Like he was fighting the urge to pull me closer and losing.

I tilted my head up.

His lips brushed mine lightly at first, a ghost of a kiss, barely there. But even that faint touch sent a shudder rolling through me—hot and desperate and impossible to ignore.

Then he kissed me again.

His mouth claimed mine with a hunger that stole every thought out of my head. Heat pooled low in my stomach, spreading like a wildfire beneath my ribs. My fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer, and he groaned—quiet, broken, like the sound was ripped straight from his chest.

His arm slid around my waist, pulling me flush against him. His grip wasn’t rough, but it wasn’t gentle either. It was something in-between. Something that said he’d been starving for this—for me—far longer than he admitted.

Every move he made sent sparks firing under my skin. Every shift of his mouth made my breath stutter. I felt like I was unraveling from the inside out, thread by thread, and he was the only thing keeping me upright.

He broke away just enough for his lips to trail down the side of my throat. The warmth of his breath against my skin made my knees nearly give out. His grip tightened instantly, steadying me, holding me against him like he sensed the exact second my body loosened.

When his teeth grazed lightly along the curve of my neck, a sharp, helpless sound escaped me. My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him even closer, and he groaned again—this time deeper, rougher.

“Aurora…” His voice vibrated against my skin, low and raw. “I can’t stay away from you.”

Something inside me answered.

Not words.

Not a thought.

A presence.

Warm. Fierce. Ancient.

Stretching awake at the sound of his voice, like she’d been waiting beneath the surface for far too long.

**There you are.**

The voice curled through me—female, powerful, unmistakably mine.

A slow purr echoed inside my ribs, filled with hunger and amusement.

**Finally. You hear me.**

Heat shot through my chest, blooming outward in a rush that stole my breath. My entire body jolted, every nerve alight, every heartbeat too loud and too strong.

My wolf.

Awake.

Claiming her space.

Claiming me.

My eyes flew open with a sharp inhale.

I sat up in my bed, breath unsteady, skin flushed, heart slamming against my ribs like it wanted out.

The dorm was quiet.

But inside me…

Someone else was breathing with me.

Someone who had been silent for years.

Someone I could feel now—alive, burning, awake.

And she was not going back to sleep.