Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King

Chapter 96

Chapter 96

The silence is the first thing that pisses me off.

No scratchy paper petals crumbling under my shoes. No sickly-sweet rot clinging to the base of my door. No reminder that someone out there has a death wish and thinks I'm dumb enough to play scared little Omega about it.

Huh.

I stare at the floor outside my quarters. Just polished marble. No bouquet of shriveled-up flowers this time.

Guess whoever's been leaving them finally got bored. Or they're cooking up something worse. Because that's what silence is here-it's not peace. It's the inhale before the scream.

I rub my eyes and glance across the hallway. His doors are still closed, like the pompous Alpha King is too fucking royal to wake up before noon. Must be nice. I mutter, "Still sleeping off that bitchy little tantrum, huh?"

No response. Of course.

I drag myself into the bathroom, splash water on my face, stare into the mirror like I'm waiting for her-the version of me that's supposed to be over this. Over him. Over the way his voice still cracks like thunder in my bones.

Yeah, she's not showing up today either.

Whatever. I've got shit to do and coffee to drink.

The dining hall is halfway across the palace, but I've walked longer stretches with

a twisted ankle and a leaking heart, so I put one foot in front of the other and try not to think about anything except how empty my stomach feels.

I'm almost at the hall when I hear them.

Maids. Whispering. Like they always do. But this time...

"Poor Lady Camille, I remember her." one says, voice low but clear enough to knife through the air. "I really thought she'd be Queen by now."

My body freezes mid-step.

Another maid scoffs, her tone heavy with regret. "They found her body in the-"

Footsteps. Heavy ones. Clean. Confident.

They all shut the fuck up at once.

I already know who it is.

Enoch enters from the far end of the dining hall, and it's like every breath in the room gets sucked out of the ceiling.

The maids practically break their spines bowing, and one of them drops a tray. Clatter. Awkward laughter. Silence again.

I step forward like nothing's wrong, even though my brain's glitching. Camille. Her name's not a ghost anymore. It's a

corpse.

And apparently... she's a real one.

Enoch doesn't look at me when I sit. He just stabs his eggs like they insulted his bloodline and chews like he's punishing

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Chapter 96

them for it.

Typical.

+50

I pick at my toast, but it's like chewing ash. My mouth's dry. My fingers won't stop twitching. And the words are clawing their way up my throat before I can even stop them.

"What happened to Camille?"

I say it quietly. Too quietly.

His fork halts mid-air. His jaw ticks once.

"Eat your food."

The way he says it-it's not a suggestion. It's an order.

I don't move. "Last time I saw her was before the Maldives. I just thought... she was still... around."

He slams his fork and knife down so hard the porcelain cracks.

"She's dead."

His voice is flat. Like he's reading it off a fucking script. Like it doesn't matter. "Her body was found in this palace after we got back from that fucking island." Everything inside me goes cold.

I don't even blink.

to me, fuck with me, and then act like I'm the problem. for not

The chair drags back with a sound that makes my ears

at me like I'm the

And maybe I did.

wasted my time there-with you-while you wrote about my life like

Then he's gone.

Just like that.

silence, and the worst fucking ache

The maybe- fiancée I never asked about. The girl I didn't hate,

head to the Dowager's wing before

against the cream-colored sheets. The room smells like lavender oil and lemon balm. I grab a bowl of cold water, dip the cloth, start wiping her arms

stronger than she looks," the healer told me last week. "She just likes pretending she's dying. Says it

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leverage."

I believe it.

an ass," I mutter

cracks one eye open. "My grandson thinks he's clever. The

me-part laugh, part disbelief. "You said it.

me laugh, girl. That's rare in this cursed house." She eyes me closely.

"No shit."

push. Just reaches out and squeezes my hand like she knows it's the only thing

turn, cloth still dripping in my

doorway.

time. No cruel smirk. Just that unreadable, unreadable

waiting for something he doesn't even believe he

Dowager pats the

"You. Come here."

in. Doesn't hesitate. Doesn't

grabs his hand and stares up at him. Her

an idiot. Don't

the back of

at her like he's five years old and just got scolded in front of the

fucking court.

"Guess she's

eyes snap

Enoch glare. It's meant to be scary.

work

his stare, toss the cloth into the bowl, and sit back

girl he left behind in the

hell won't be the

pulls at my lips as I hover in the hallway, debating whether I should wait or just

as I see Zoe's name. Zoe: "LET ME CRASH THERE FOR ONE NIGHT. I want to

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Chapter 96

the girl he told me not to worry about

my head against the

It's a palace. With

and brooding Lycans. You'll get

Beuer than attending his wedding next week and smiling like

her

No

Be there in an hour.

chance to argue before she hangs

one emotionally stunted Alpha, Might as well

goblin to

shove the phone into my back pocket and turn-straight into a

cuts through the hallway. He doesn't move. Just raises a brow

a bell?" I mutter, stepping back and rubbing my nose. His stupid

me," he

"Where?"

can't make it. You're

at him. “I'm

Take notes. Smile. Don't

dozens of other people here who'd gladly do it. Like, say, Brooke. I'm sure she'd love to be seen as the King's representative." Jacob smirks, deadpan. "Exactly. You're the only woman in this place

jaw drops. "Wow, Compliment of the year. Put that shit

your Majesty's journalist.

minutes later, I'm shoved into the back of a sleek black SUV, still

mess, my boots don't match, and I'm 90% sure there's toothpaste on

slides into the seat beside me without a

secrets,

glass.

at me.

the wall of broody rage beside me.

Wouldn't that be faster?"

driver answers instead. "It's in the city,