The Human Among Wolves Chapter 92

Aurora

After we finished eating, the kitchen fell into a quiet sort of rhythm — plates clinking softly, the faint sound of running water, the steady rain still drumming against the windows. Kael had insisted on cleaning up, waving off my attempt to help with a simple, “You cooked? No. You didn’t. So let me.”

So I let him.

While he moved around the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, focused in that effortless way of his, I packed my things back into my backpack. My phone charger, the small pouch with my skincare stuff, the clothes I’d worn last night—all shoved in neatly, though my hands felt heavier than they should.

The apartment smelled faintly of coffee and rain. Outside, the world was gray and slow, and part of me didn’t quite want to leave yet.

Kael finished wiping down the counter and turned just as I zipped my bag closed. “You ready?” he asked, grabbing his keys from the bowl by the door.

I nodded, slinging the strap over my shoulder. “Yeah. As ready as I’ll ever be.”

He disappeared into the small hallway closet for a second, then came back holding an umbrella and—of course—his black leather jacket. The same one he’d thrown at me last night in the car. He held it out toward me without a word.

I blinked at it. “Again?”

“Rain’s worse now,” he said, glancing toward the window where the droplets were sliding down in heavy sheets. “And I’m not dealing with you freezing and blaming me for it later.”

I rolled my eyes but took it anyway, slipping my arms into the sleeves. It was warm and soft and still smelled faintly like him

“Thanks,” I said quietly, looking down at the zipper I fiddled with instead of his face.

Kael just nodded and opened the door. “Come on, Princess. Elevator’s faster than the stairs.”

We stepped out into the hallway, the soft hum of the building filling the space between us. The elevator doors opened with a low chime, and as we stepped inside, the reflection of the two of us appeared in the mirrored wall—me, drowning in his jacket, clutching my backpack, and him standing beside me, calm and unreadable, eyes fixed on the floor numbers as they began to drop.

When the doors slid open on the ground floor, the chill from outside crept in, sharp and damp. Kael opened the umbrella with a soft snap and tilted it slightly over me as we stepped out of the building, his free hand brushing lightly against mine to guide me toward the car.

We slid into the car, the sound of rain pattering softly against the roof filling the quiet between us. Kael started the engine, and the low hum mixed with the muffled rhythm of the storm outside. For a while, neither of us spoke. The wipers brushed back and forth across the windshield, clearing streaks of water that instantly reappeared.

The city blurred past in muted shades of gray and silver, reflections of traffic lights smearing across the wet pavement. I sat with my hands folded in my lap, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass, my thoughts scattered and heavy.

We hadn’t talked about any of it since last night—about the witch, about what she said, about my mother, my father, or the terrifying truth that I was half witch, half werewolf. Every time I thought about it, my chest tightened, like the air itself grew thinner.

After a few minutes, Kael’s voice cut through the quiet, calm but curious. “Are you gonna… you know… look for her?”

I turned my head toward him, caught off guard. His eyes stayed on the road, but there was something different in his tone—gentler, almost careful, like he didn’t want to push but couldn’t help asking.

“My real mother?” I asked softly.

He nodded once. “Yeah.”

I looked back out the window, watching the world slide by in streaks of rain. For a few seconds, I didn’t answer. The question echoed in my head, colliding with everything Seraphina had told me—my mother’s name, her coven, her search for me. All those years she’d been out there, looking for a daughter who didn’t even know she existed.

“Yes,” I finally said, my voice quiet but certain. “I don’t know when exactly… but soon.”

Kael didn’t say anything right away. The only sound was the rain, soft and steady, like it was trying to fill the silence for us. When I finally glanced at him, his jaw was tight, his expression unreadable.

“Good,” he said after a moment, still looking straight ahead. “You should.”

Yeah,” I said softly, the words almost getting lost under the steady hum of the engine. “Thank you, Kael… for everything.”

He glanced at me, one corner of his mouth lifting into that familiar smirk—but this time it wasn’t teasing, not really. “You already said that,” he murmured, his voice low, almost amused.

“I know,” I admitted, smiling faintly as I looked down at my hands. “But I meant it.”

For a while, the car fell into silence again. The rain had softened into a drizzle, streaking faintly across the windows, and the gray morning light was just beginning to stretch over the horizon. Everything outside looked hazy—quiet and washed-out, like the world was still half asleep.

Kael’s hand rested loosely on the wheel, his fingers tapping absently against it as he drove, and I found myself watching him out of the corner of my eye. He looked… calm. Focused. There was something steady about him that made the chaos inside me slow down a little. I didn’t want to admit it—not even to myself—but I really liked his company. The silence between us didn’t feel awkward anymore; it just was.

The roads leading to the academy were nearly empty at this hour, lined with tall pines still dripping from the rain. Every few minutes, Kael would glance my way, just a quick check, like he was making sure I was still okay. Each time, I’d catch his eyes, and he’d look away again, pretending he wasn’t doing it.

Fifteen minutes later, the academy gates came into view through the mist. The old iron bars looked almost black against the soft morning light, the stone walls slick from the rain. Kael slowed the car and pulled up to the curb, parking just outside. The engine hummed quietly, the only sound between us for a moment.

I turned in my seat to face him, my fingers fidgeting with the strap of my backpack. I opened my mouth, trying to find the right words—to thank him for the ride, for everything he’d done, for not leaving me when things got weird and dangerous and way too real. But nothing came out.

Kael was watching me, his expression unreadable, eyes flicking from mine to my lips and back again. The silence between us thickened, humming with something I couldn’t quite name. I felt my pulse quicken, my breath catching in my throat.

“Kael, I—” I started, but the words barely made it past my lips.

Before I could finish, he leaned in. His hand came up slowly, deliberately, his fingers brushing against my jaw, warm and steady. He cupped my cheek, and for a heartbeat, we just… stayed there. Close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from him, to see the faint flecks of gold in his eyes.

Then he closed the distance.

His lips pressed against mine—firm, certain, and far gentler than I expected. My thoughts scattered instantly, melting into static. The world outside the car—the rain, the academy gates, the entire damn city—seemed to fade out, leaving only the soft thud of my heartbeat in my ears and the warmth of his mouth on mine.

It wasn’t rushed or rough. It was quiet. Careful. Like he’d been thinking about doing it for a while but didn’t want to scare me away.

When he finally pulled back, his hand lingered on my cheek for a second longer before he dropped it, his thumb brushing once against my skin as if to say something he didn’t have the words for.