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.

who lie to me, fuck with me, and then act like I'm the problem. for

a

down at me like I'm the thing that

And maybe I did.

you-while you wrote about my life

Then he's gone.

Just like that.

nothing but cold toast, broken silence, and the worst fucking ache I've ever felt that doesn't come

for another full minute. Maybe two. Staring. Breathing. Not breathing. Thinking of her. Camille. The maybe- fiancée I never asked about. The girl I didn't hate, but probably would've if I met her. Now she's dead.

the food untouched and head to the Dowager's

in bed, eyes closed, skin pale against the cream-colored sheets. The room smells like lavender oil and

week.

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450

leverage."

I believe it.

ass," I mutter as I wring

Dowager cracks one eye open. "My grandson

laugh, part

girl. That's rare in this cursed house." She eyes

"No shit."

hand like she knows it's the only thing holding me together right now. Then the air shifts. I feel

turn, cloth still dripping in my hand,

the doorway. Silent. Arms

this time. No cruel smirk. Just that unreadable, unreadable face of

waiting for something he doesn't even believe he

pats the bed beside

"You. Come here."

walks in. Doesn't hesitate. Doesn't

hand and stares up at him. Her voice is

idiot.

back of his

five years old and just got scolded in front of the

fucking court.

snort. "Guess she's on

eyes snap

Enoch glare. It's meant to be scary.

doesn't work

into the bowl, and sit back like I'm not dying

he left behind

sure as hell won't be the

smug grin pulls at my lips as I hover in the hallway, debating whether I should wait or just disappear into the nearest broom closet and hope

pull it out and sigh as I see Zoe's name. Zoe: "LET ME CRASH THERE FOR ONE NIGHT. I want

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Chapter 96

not to worry about

my head against the

it's not a sleepover. It's a

Lycans. You'll get

than attending his wedding next week and smiling like

her in my laundry

No chaos.

"No promises. Be there

even get a chance to argue

already babysitting one emotionally stunted Alpha, Might

chaos goblin

pocket and turn-straight into a wall of muscle

voice cuts through the hallway.

back and rubbing my nose. His stupid lapel pin poked

me," he says without

"Where?"

can't make

him. “I'm sorry,

a journalist, right? Take notes.

be seen as the King's representative." Jacob smirks, deadpan. "Exactly. You're the

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

your Majesty's journalist. You've

shoved into the back of a

a mess, my boots don't match, and I'm 90%

slides into the seat beside me without

like secrets, jaw tight like

glass.

at me. Not

rage beside me. "Why aren't we just

Wouldn't that be faster?"

"It's