The Human Among Wolves Chapter 138

Aurora

Lira and Riven were stunning in their dresses as well.

Lira wore a soft silver gown that shimmered like fresh frost, the fabric catching every bit of light as she moved. Thin crystal beads traced the neckline and sleeves, making her look like she’d stepped right out of a snow-spell.

Riven, on the other hand, looked bold and dangerous in deep midnight purple. Her dress hugged her figure before falling into sharp, elegant folds, and the high slit up the side showed off the confidence she never bothered to hide. Dark lace wrapped around her arms like enchanted ink.

Once the four of us were finally ready, we left our dorm room and headed toward the academy’s auditorium, where the winter dance was already waiting—glowing, echoing, alive with magic.

When we arrived, the auditorium was already overflowing with students, teachers, and the shimmer of winter lights. Music drifted through the air, warm and bright—but none of it mattered. My eyes were searching for only one person.

Him.

But he wasn’t here yet.

Instead, my gaze snagged on Selene and her mate, Alex, already on the dance floor. Selene looked ethereal—her dress a shimmering silver that hugged her waist before falling into soft, flowing layers that sparkled whenever she moved. Her hair was braided back and threaded with tiny snow-like crystals, and Alex couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. They looked… happy. Effortlessly so.

I should’ve kept watching them. I should’ve turned away.

But then my eyes caught on someone else.

Kael.

He was already here, standing near the edge of the room, talking to a few guys from his year. He looked unfairly good in a fitted black suit, his white shirt open at the collar, his usually messy blond hair actually brushed back for once. The soft blue lights from the decorations reflected in his eyes, making them look more silver.

I hadn’t spoken to him since the day he asked me to dance. I told him I’d think about it—and then I never texted him back. I’d completely forgotten, swallowed by everything else that happened… everything with Zayn.

Guilt pricked at me, sharp and uncomfortable. Kael lifted his head slightly, as if sensing he was being watched. For half a second, I thought his eyes might meet mine.

They did.

And then he… smiled.

Not a small, polite smile. Not the kind you give someone you barely know. It was warm, slow, like he genuinely meant it—like he was actually happy to see me. It hit me with a strange, unexpected force, tightening something low in my stomach.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, my breath catching for a moment. The room around us didn’t exactly stop, but it blurred—voices, music, the rustle of dresses and soft laughter fading into the background. His smile widened just a little, a soft curve at one corner of his mouth, the kind that hinted at something playful… or maybe knowing.

I swallowed, unable to look away.

Kael lifted his chin slightly in a small greeting, subtle but unmistakable. As if to say hey without a single word. As if nothing awkward had happened. As if I hadn’t left him waiting for an answer I never gave.

My chest tightened again—guilt tangled with something else I didn’t want to name.

I forced myself to blink, my fingers brushing the fabric of my dress as if grounding myself back in the moment. My roommates were still talking beside me, but none of it registered.

As I finally gathered the courage to approach Kael—after a full minute of standing there, breathing in, breathing out, telling myself to just move—I took a single step toward him.

And then another.

But on the third… something stopped me dead in my tracks.

Someone.

Zayn.

He had just walked in through the main doors, and the moment my eyes landed on him, everything inside me stilled—like my body forgot how to function for a second.

He looked so unfairly good that it felt like the air got knocked out of my chest.

His black shirt was fitted enough to show every line of muscle across his chest and abdomen, the kind that hinted rather than screamed, elegant in its own quiet confidence. The first two buttons were undone, revealing a sliver of warm skin and the faintest edge of his collarbone. A dark tailored jacket rested over his shoulders, making him look sharper, taller, like he owned the room without even trying.

His hair—usually a mess from training or running between classes—was pushed back, slightly tousled but intentional, just enough to make him look effortlessly dangerous. And his eyes… gods, his eyes. That deep, storm-grey eyes that always seemed to see through me scanned the room slowly, and there was a tension in his jaw, a focus to him, like he was trying not to think too hard but failing.

He hadn’t even seen me yet.

And still, my whole body reacted.

Heat crawled up my neck, my heart stumbling into a faster rhythm without asking my permission. My wolf lifted her head, alert, restless, almost aching at the sight of him.

I froze where I stood—halfway between my friends and Kael—unable to take another step in either direction.

Because now he was here.

And suddenly, approaching Kael didn’t feel so important anymore.

And then… he finally noticed me.

It happened in an instant—his gaze sweeping over the room, distracted, disinterested even, until suddenly it wasn’t. Until it landed on me.

His whole expression shifted, like someone had quietly flipped a switch inside him. The line of his shoulders straightened. His attention snapped into focus. And without a single moment of hesitation, he started walking toward me.

Not fast. Not slow. Just steady, deliberate, with that kind of confidence he didn’t even know he carried—like the crowd was nothing but shadows parting for him.

I couldn’t move.

Hell, I couldn’t even breathe. My lungs refused to cooperate, my feet rooted themselves to the polished floor, and all I could do was watch him get closer and closer, each step somehow louder in my chest than the music pulsing through the auditorium.

By the time he reached me, my pulse was chaos.

And then he smiled.

That smile.

The one that always got me. The one he rarely showed anyone else. A little crooked, a little wicked, soft around the edges but sharp enough to make my stomach flip. The one I’d missed more than I should admit.

“You look beautiful,” he said—low, warm, too sincere to handle.

Heat spread across my cheeks instantly. I tried to look away, but that only made it worse. I stared down at the floor like it could hide the way my face was practically on fire.

“Thank you,” I murmured, barely above a whisper.

Before I could even try to get myself under control, his hand lifted—warm, steady, familiar—and he gently cupped the side of my face, tilting it upward until I had no choice but to look at him.

His touch alone sent a shiver down my spine.

“Why so nervous, baby?” he asked, voice dropping into that maddeningly confident tone, a cocky smile tugging at his lips.

Gods, that smile.

I rolled my eyes—mostly because if I didn’t, he’d see exactly how much power he still had over me.

“I’m not nervous,” I muttered.

“Sure you’re not,” he said, leaning in just enough for his breath to brush my cheek, eyes shining with smug amusement.