The Human Among Wolves Chapter 14

Aurora

My stomach flipped. My name on his lips felt like a sentence. Zayn’s hand twitched at his side, like he wanted to stop me but knew he couldn’t.

I stepped forward, slow. “Yes?”

The Warden tilted his head. “We need to talk about your… admissions paperwork.”

Zayn’s body tensed.

And something inside me cracked open.

Not with fear.

With understanding.

Because this wasn’t about admissions.

It never had been.

He knew something. And now… wanted me to know it too.

The Warden’s eyes glinted beneath the dim hallway lights, unreadable and sharp. “Walk with me,” he said, already turning away.

I glanced at Zayn. He shook his head almost imperceptibly – a warning, or maybe a plea.

But I followed anyway.

Zayn didn’t stay behind.

He trailed us at a distance, silent as a shadow. The warden didn’t tell him to leave. Didn’t even acknowledge him. That felt intentional.

We moved through the east wing, where the air felt colder somehow. Older. The walls here were stone, rough and dark, pulsing with the kind of magic that hummed beneath your skin and made your heartbeat stutter.

Finally, the warden stopped outside a heavy door carved with symbols I didn’t recognize.

“This,” he said, hand hovering just over the runes, “is where we store bloodline archives. Original records. The truth, unaltered.”

I frowned. “Okay… and what does that have to do with me?”

The warden looked at me, truly looked. “You don’t remember anything before you were ten, do you?”

The question hit like a slap. I opened my mouth. Closed it.

“How do you—?”

“I know what’s missing,” he said simply. “Because I was there the day it was erased. Not seen it, but felt it. and then...it appeared here.” He gestured with his hands toward the door.

Behind me, Zayn swore under his breath.

“What are you talking about? What appeared?” I asked, but my voice felt paper-thin.

The warden pressed a hand to the door. The runes shimmered, then melted away. The door creaked open, revealing rows of ancient tomes, thick with dust and sealed in heavy metal bands. Magic buzzed in the air—old magic, the kind that didn’t like to be disturbed.

He walked inside, motioning for me to follow. Zayn was at my side in two strides, now openly tense.

“This isn’t safe,” he muttered. “Not for her.”

The warden raised a brow. “She deserves the truth. Even if it breaks her.”

I wasn’t sure if he was warning me or enjoying this.

He stopped in front of one of the older books, flipping it open with care. Pages of parchment whispered secrets to the stale air as they turned.

Then he tapped a name.

Wells, A. – Provisional.

Underneath, in much smaller print, placed under a concealment spell. Origin restricted. Clearance Level Three.

I stared at it.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Zayn moved closer, looking over the page. He went still.

“It means,” the Warden said softly, “that your file was sealed by someone with very high authority. That your parents weren’t your real guardians. That your arrival here wasn’t a

mistake.”

I shook my head. “No. That’s not possible. My parents—”

“—don’t know,” Zayn cut in, voice low, almost stunned. “They couldn’t. That level of masking… It’s old blood work. Royal, maybe even ancient bloodline protections.”

I blinked at him. “Royal?”

Zayn met my gaze, and this time, he looked different. Like something finally clicked into place for him.

“I think you were hidden,” he said. “Not lost. Not misplaced. Hidden for a reason.”

The warden closed the book with a soft thud.

“Which means you’re not just human,” he said. “You’re something we haven’t seen in a very long time. And if certain people find out first… It won’t be me giving you warnings. It’ll be someone who doesn’t care whether you leave breathing.

Silence fell.

Then Zayn spoke, firm and certain.

“She’s not leaving.”

The warden turned to him. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“I’m not asking permission.”

His tone wasn’t loud, but it landed like a blade.

“I’ll protect her.”

My breath caught in my throat.

I turned toward both of them, straightening.

“I’m not leaving.”

The warden’s brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t interrupt.

“I came here thinking this was a mistake,” I went on. “Some wrong turn in my perfectly average life. But clearly, someone went through a lot of trouble to keep me hidden. To send me here. So, I’m going to stay. And I’m going to figure out why.”

Zayn’s jaw tensed, but I didn’t let myself look at him for more than a second.

“But this stays between us,” I said. “If people find out I’m not what I’m supposed to be…"

“They’ll hunt you,” the warden said simply.

I nodded. “Exactly. So, I’ll pretend. I’ll act like I’m just another werewolf first-year trying to survive orientation week without getting torn apart."

“You’ll need help to pull that off,” Zayn said quietly.

That was it. The break in me snapped shut like a trap.

“No. I won’t.” I turned to him fully. “I don’t need your protection. Or your pity.”

He didn’t blink, didn’t flinch—but I saw it. That same flicker again, like he wanted to argue but knew better.

“You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t like me,” I said, voice tightening. “So don’t pretend now. You don’t owe me anything. And on top of that you have a girlfriend, or mate. Or whatever.”

“I never said I hated you.”

“You didn’t have to,” I snapped. “You looked at me like I didn’t belong from the second I stepped foot in that hall. And maybe you were right.”

Zayn opened his mouth, then shut it again. Something clenched in his jaw.

I turned back to the warden. “Can I go now?”

He gave me one slow nod. “You can. But be careful, Aurora. You’re not just pretending anymore. Whatever’s hidden inside you… it’s already waking up.”

I didn’t want to hear that.

Didn’t want to think about what that meant.

So I walked out. Head high, hands shaking, and Zayn’s eyes on my back the entire time.

He didn’t follow me.

Good.

Because I meant what I said.

I didn’t need anyone else getting hurt because of me.

And I definitely didn’t need Zayn thinking I was his to protect.