Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King

Chapter 79

Chapter 79

"I'm coming back."

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Kallias goes silent. I hear a sharp inhale, followed by a static crackle like he's covering the receiver. Then his voice comes back, tight with disbelief. "Taryn, what the fuck are you talking about?"

I don't answer. I don't have to.

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"You fought like hell to get out of this pack," he presses, his tone edging toward desperation. "You worked your ass off for this job, for your future-"

"I don't have a future here anymore." My own voice doesn't even sound like mine. It's flat. Distant. Like I've already left.

"The hell you don't," Kallias snaps. "You think quitting is gonna fix anything? You think crawling back here is the answer? If you-"

"I'm fired."

The silence this time is heavier.

Then, slower. "What?"

I drag a shaky breath in, gripping Zoe's phone tighter. "They're going to fire me, Kal. I just lost everything."

"Shut up

and turn on the TV," I cut him off, voice flat.

A pause.

Then the sound of rustling, a remote clicking. Silence.

It stretches long enough that I almost think he hung up. But then Kallias exhales sharply. "Shit."

Yeah. No kidding.

"This is bad," he mutters, his voice lower now, serious. "Like, really fucking bad." No shit, Sherlock.

open my mouth to respond, but before I can, Zoe practically yanks me off balance. "Taryn," she hisses, her grip tight around my wrist. "Liam's calling."

I shake her off. "I'm on the phone-"

"Liam. Is. Calling."

The words sink in like a cold slap.

Fuck.

I tighten my grip on Zoe's phone and exhale through my nose, steadying myself. "I gotta go," I say quickly into the receiver.

He exhales hard. "Taryn, you-"

I hang up.

Zoe shoves the phone at me like it's about to explode. "Answer it." Chapter 79

I do.

Zoe is vibrating with barely contained curiosity as she watches me swipe to answer. "Holy fuck, what is happening?" she whisper-screams.

I ignore her.

Press the phone to my ear.

Silence.

For a long, suffocating moment, neither of us speaks.

The tension stretches, thick and suffocating, wrapping around my throat like a noose.

The line is silent for a solid thirty seconds. I can feel Zoe's' stare boring into me, her mouth half-open like she's trying to eavesdrop through sheer willpower.

Then, finally-

cuts through it, deep and even. "This is your last

leaves my

grip tightens

My breath sucks in.

stay in this company?" he continues. "You want access to the archives, to your parents' records?" A pause. "Find something on the Alpha

grip tightens around

it big."

I can use,

I'm going to ruin his reputation..."

media, Taryn. Get

doesn't need to finish

The call clicks off.

frozen. My heartbeat is a deafening

in

I don't move.

I just lost everything.`

Or-

have one

Fuck.

at the wall. But I'm just... numb. Staring at

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Chapter 79

like it's buffering, stuck in a loop of

everything. My job, my shot at the

twists, bile

my arm, snapping me out of it. "Taryn? What

response. Lying isn't

a damn professional. "I'm not fired." My voice is too controlled. Not a lie, but definitely not

knit together. "What?

air shifts. A weight settles

Then I smell him.

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me before his arms do. His chest presses against mine, solid and unyielding, caging me against

I freeze.

breath fanning against my neck,

only fucking thing keeping him

uncomfortably

finish her sentence. Just awkwardly inches toward the door like she's escaping a crime

too busy branding me

the door clicks shut, his grip tightens. "No one will hurt you again," he breathes against my

the sheer weight of his authority pressing against me like a second skin. "Enoch," I murmur, pulling back enough to see his face.

dark. No hint of

you

on my

As in-fuck off into the sunset and pretend none of

unhinged. Determined. Like he's already decided.

And that's dangerous.

say firmly, reaching up to cup his face, forcing his eyes to stay on mine. He stiffens under my touch, muscles taut

in his eyes. Guilt. Blame.

jaw clenches. "You think I give a fuck about

any of this fucking matters if it

I swallow hard. "Enoch-"

Chapter 79

53

like he's trying

get it." His voice is rough, frayed

this shit. If I wasn't-" His breath shudders. "I would burn this whole fucking

Fuck.

fast. This man-this wolf-would rip apart everything for me,

a

small, shaky smirk. "How about we don't set the world on fire and

in his shoulders eases just a fraction, his eyes narrowing like he's

"A vacation?"

nod, keeping my expression as nonchalant as possible, even

Russian Roulette with a loaded

unemployed. Why not?"

A long, heavy silence.

Then-