The Human Among Wolves Chapter 97

Aurora

The canteen was louder than usual.

It was always packed around midday, but today the noise felt different—sharper, full of whispers that stopped a little too quickly when we walked in.

I kept my head down, following Mira and Lira through the maze of tables while Riven scanned the room like she was daring anyone to look twice. We found a spot near the back, away from the biggest clusters of people.

The smell of food hung heavy in the air—coffee, fried eggs, something sweet from the dessert bar—but I wasn’t hungry. Not even a little.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. Mira pushed her fries around her plate. Lira was pretending to scroll through her phone. Riven had her arms crossed, watching the crowd with that restless, sharp focus she always had when something didn’t sit right.

"For the record, I don’t care what anyone says—that picture looked hot as hell.” Mira said finally, breaking the silence.

That earned a snort out of me, weak but real. “Mira.”

“What?” she said, grinning. “If you’re going to cause a scandal, at least it’s with the Lycan Prince.”

Riven rolled her eyes. “King,” she corrected. “Soon enough.”

“Even better,” Mira said, smirking.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “You guys are impossible.”

“Yeah,” Riven said softly, nudging my knee. “But we’re on your side.”

Lira set her phone down. “Do you think Kael saw it?”

I hesitated. “Yeah. Probably.”

“And Zayn?” she asked quietly.

My throat tightened. “He saw it too.”

I poked at the untouched food on my plate, the hum of voices around us growing into a dull roar. The same words kept circling in my head, over and over.

Aurenya. Stop digging.

That name. That warning. Whoever sent it knew exactly what they were doing.

Then Lira’s head lifted suddenly. “Oh, great,” she muttered.

I turned—and saw Selene.

She was crossing the canteen fast, her usual easy expression replaced with something tight. Serious. Her eyes found mine instantly, and she didn’t slow down until she reached our table.

“What the hell happened?” she asked, her voice low but sharp.

Mira groaned. “You heard already?”

“Everyone’s heard,” Selene said flatly. She slid into the seat beside me, eyes sharp. “I left for a few hours and suddenly the whole academy’s acting like it’s mating season. Aurora, what did you do?”

I blinked. “Wow. Thanks for the support.”

Selene gave me a look—the kind that was more concern than accusation, even if it didn’t sound like it. “I mean it. What happened?”

Riven leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. “Someone took a picture of Aurora and Kael. In his car. Outside the gates.”

Selene’s brows shot up. “Oh.”

“Yeah. 'Oh',” Mira echoed, rolling her eyes.

Selene glanced at me again. “And now it’s everywhere.”

“Pretty much,” I muttered.

For a moment, she didn’t say anything. Then she sighed, pushing her hair back. “Are you okay?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “I’ve been better.”

Lira gave me a small, worried look. “That’s not even the worst part.”

Selene’s eyes flicked toward her. “What do you mean?”

Riven and Mira shared a quick glance.

Mira leaned closer, lowering her voice. “You can’t freak out, okay?”

“Why would I freak out?” Selene asked warily.

I pulled out my phone, thumb hovering over the lock screen for a second before I unlocked it and turned it toward her.

Her eyes dropped to the message.

Aurenya. Stop digging. You won’t like what you find.

The color drained from her face. “What the hell…”

“Yeah,” Riven said quietly. “That’s what we said.”

Selene looked up at me. “Where did you get this?”

“It came through an unknown number. No name, no trace,” I said. “Right after the photo went viral.”

She stared at me for a second longer, then shook her head. “You think it’s connected?”

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” I said softly. “Whoever sent it knew my real name.”

Selene leaned back, exhaling sharply. “No one outside this table should know that.”

“Exactly,” Riven said. “Which means someone’s been watching her a lot longer than just last night.”

Selene’s gaze flicked around the room—casual to anyone else, but I could tell she was assessing, scanning faces, exits, shadows.

“Alright,” she said finally. “You’re not walking around alone for a while. Not until we figure this out.”

Mira nodded. “Agreed.”

“I’m fine,” I tried, but it sounded weak even to me.

“No, you’re not,” Selene said simply. Her tone wasn’t harsh—it was final. “Someone out there knows who you are, Aurora. They want you scared. Don’t give them what they want.”

*** * ***

By the time we finished lunch, my appetite still hadn’t come back. The others were trying to pretend everything was fine—Mira cracking jokes, Lira overexplaining some random art project, Riven keeping her eyes on the door like she expected someone to walk in at any second.

Selene stayed with us for a bit, long enough to make sure I wasn’t about to fall apart. Then she got a message from Alex and had to leave.

I didn’t stop her. I knew she’d check on me later anyway.

When the table finally cleared, I told the others I wanted to walk for a bit. Fresh air, I said. They didn’t argue—just made me promise to text if anything weird happened.

Outside, the afternoon air was cool and damp, the kind that clung to your skin. The rain had stopped hours ago, but the clouds still hung low, heavy and silver. I walked without thinking about where I was going, just needing space—away from the whispers, away from the photo, away from that message that still burned in the back of my mind.

I ended up by the training fields.

Of course I did.

The sound of impact echoed from across the grass—a dull, steady rhythm of fists hitting a target.

I didn’t have to look to know who it was.

Zayn.

He was alone, shirtless again—of course—his movements sharp and controlled, but there was an edge to them. Each strike landed harder than the last. His knuckles were raw, the air around him carrying that familiar, stormy tension I’d learned to recognize.

For a second, I thought about turning back before he noticed me.

But then he looked up.

Our eyes met across the field.

He froze mid-swing, chest heaving.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved.

Then he reached for his towel, wiped his face and walked toward me.

I forced myself to stay where I was, my pulse thudding hard in my throat.

"You should really check what people are saying about you," he said, voice calm but edged.

I clenched my jaw. "Already saw it."

He nodded once, pocketing his phone. "Didn't take you long enough to move on, huh?"

"Excuse me?"

Zayn stepped closer. "You heard me."

My heartbeat kicked up. "You don't get to say that."

He tilted his head, mouth curving in something that wasn't quite a smile. "Why not? You made sure everyone knows who you belong to now."

"I don't belong to anyone." I said, the words coming out sharp.

"Really?" His tone was quiet. "Because that picture—"

"—wasn't your business," I cut in. "It never was."

He let out a short, bitter laugh. "Kael must be proud. Guess the hero finally got his reward."

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us until he had no choice but to look at me. "You don't get to act like you care," I said, my voice low but steady. "Not after what you said to me. not after you made me feel like I was nothing."

He went still—too still.

"I gave you something," I whispered. "Something I can't get back. And you broke it. You broke me. So no—you don't get to play jealous now."

For a moment, I thought I saw something crack behind his eyes—regret, guilt, something—but it was gone as quickly as it came.

Then he said, quietly. "You think this is easy for me?"

I let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "I don't care if it's easy for you, Zayn. You made your choice."

"Maybe I did," he said. "But so did you."

I didn't answer.

I just turned and walked away before I could feel any more of it—the hurt, the anger, the pull that still shouldn't have been here at all.