The Human Among Wolves Chapter 54

Aurora

I hadn’t expected Zayn to stay with me—not the whole day, at least. Honestly, I thought he’d let me sit in his room for a while, maybe in silence, and then go about his own plans. But he didn’t.

He stayed.

At first, it was quiet between us. He made tea, handed me a steaming mug, and sat down on the edge of his bed like it was the most natural thing in the world. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable—it was steady, grounding. Eventually, we found something to watch on his laptop, some random movie we didn’t even pay that much attention to, but it was enough to fill the space.

Somewhere between the first and second movie, we started talking. Not about anything heavy, not about the things weighing on my chest, but about little things—our classes, professors we didn’t like, and his strange habit of eating cereal at midnight.

Hours slipped by faster than I expected.

When my stomach growled, he smirked, grabbed his keys, and dragged me down to the canteen with him.

And then dinner came, and somehow we ended up eating together again.

I hate to admit it, but for the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel like I was barely holding myself together. I actually felt… good. Safe, even. Like the world outside his room, outside this little bubble we’d built today, couldn’t quite touch me.

After dinner, I ended up back in his room like it was the most natural thing in the world. At some point, Zayn had casually told me to use his bathroom if I wanted, and I surprised myself by actually doing it.

The hot shower washed away the heaviness of the day, at least a little, and by the time I’d brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas, I felt softer, calmer — like maybe I could breathe again.

When I stepped back into his room, the lights were dimmed and Zayn was already stretched out on his bed, one arm behind his head, his other hand lazily scrolling through his phone. The glow of the screen lit up his face, sharp lines softened by the shadows of the room.

He looked up as soon as I came in, and for some reason, that simple motion made my stomach flip.

I hesitated near the foot of his bed, clutching the hem of my shirt like it might anchor me. “So…” I started, feeling ridiculously self-conscious. “Should I… uh…” My eyes darted toward the bed and then back to him. “Should I sleep here again? Like last night? Or…?”

One corner of his mouth curved into a smirk, slow and deliberate. “Do you want to?” he asked, his voice low, almost teasing.

My face went hot, and I looked away, suddenly fascinated by the floor. “I mean… I don’t know. I just didn’t want to assume.”

“You worry too much,” he said simply, shifting over to make space for me. “Get in before you overthink yourself into sleeping on the floor.”

I hesitated for a moment longer, staring at the space he’d made for me, my heart thudding in my chest. Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I climbed onto the bed, careful to keep some distance between us.

The sheets were warm, carrying his faint scent, and it felt strangely comforting. He set his phone aside, the room falling into a deeper, softer quiet as he turned slightly toward me.

“You’re tense,” he said after a moment, his voice low, almost lazy.

“I’m fine,” I lied, staring at the ceiling.

“You’re not.”

I finally glanced at him, and he was watching me with that steady, unreadable gaze that somehow made me feel both seen and exposed.

“Zayn…” I whispered, though I wasn’t even sure what I was going to say after that.

Something shifted in the air between us—slow, subtle, but enough to make my breath catch. He reached out, brushing his fingers against my jaw like he was testing whether I’d pull away. When I didn’t, he moved closer, his face just a few inches from mine now.

“You can tell me to stop,” he murmured.

I didn’t. I couldn’t.

Instead, I stayed perfectly still, heart hammering, as he closed the remaining space and pressed his lips to mine.

It was soft at first, hesitant—like he was giving me time to decide if I wanted this. But the moment I kissed him back, the moment my fingers curled lightly into the fabric of his hoodie, something in him deepened the kiss, slow but certain, until I could barely remember why I’d been tense at all.

Before I could catch my breath, Zayn’s hands moved to my waist, firm but careful, and in one smooth motion he pulled me toward him.

A surprised sound escaped my throat as I ended up straddling his lap, knees sinking into the mattress on either side of him. His lips never left mine, the kiss deepening until it felt like the rest of the world had fallen away.

I could feel the heat radiating off him, the steady rhythm of his breathing mixing with mine. One of his hands stayed at my hip, holding me there as if to make sure I wouldn’t run, while the other slid up my spine slowly—so slowly I shivered—before curling into the ends of my hair.

When he finally broke the kiss, it wasn’t to pull away. His lips just moved lower, brushing along my jaw in lazy, deliberate strokes that made my pulse trip over itself.

“Zayn…” I breathed, my voice sounding far away, almost unrecognizable.

He hummed against my skin like he’d heard me but wasn’t planning on stopping. His mouth found that spot just below my ear, and I had to fight not to melt completely.

Every kiss he left down my neck was slow and unhurried, like he had all the time in the world—and like he wanted me to feel every single one of them.

His mouth was still on my neck when I felt his hand slip beneath the hem of my sleep shirt, his fingertips warm against my bare skin. My breath hitched as he traced slow, careful patterns up my stomach, moving higher, closer—

I caught his wrist, my fingers tightening instinctively around him.

“Wait, Zayn…”

He immediately froze, pulling back just enough to look at me. His brows drew together, concern flickering in his dark eyes as he gently withdrew his hand, placing it back on my hip.

“You want me to stop?” His voice was quiet now, almost hesitant.

I shook my head quickly, my pulse hammering in my ears. “No, that’s not—” I swallowed hard, gathering the courage I didn’t even know I had. “I just… I’ve never done this before.”

He blinked, not quite understanding.

“I’m a virgin,” I blurted out, the words spilling from my lips before I could think twice.

For a moment, the room went utterly silent. His expression softened, his thumb brushing along my hip as if to ground me.

“Why didn’t you just say so?” he said gently, his voice free of judgment, full of something that almost sounded like admiration.

I looked down, embarrassed, my fingers still resting against his wrist. “Because I didn’t want you to think I was some… I don’t know, scared little girl or something.”

He tilted my chin up with his free hand, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Aurora, I would never think that.” His words were calm, steady. “You tell me where your line is, and I’ll never cross it. Ever.”