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.

don't fall apart for men who lie to me, fuck with me, and

stands. The chair drags back with a sound that makes my

at me like I'm

And maybe I did.

my time there-with you-while you wrote about my life like I was your next fucking exposé, I could've stopped it. I

Then he's gone.

Just like that.

leaves me at the table with nothing but cold toast, broken silence, and the worst fucking ache I've ever felt that doesn't

I never asked about. The

Dowager's wing before I can

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

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

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450

leverage."

I believe it.

an ass," I mutter as

one eye open. "My grandson

breath escapes me-part laugh, part

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

"No shit."

and squeezes my hand like she knows it's the only thing holding me together right now. Then the

still dripping in my hand, and there he

In the doorway. Silent. Arms crossed.

cruel smirk. Just that unreadable, unreadable face

waiting for something he

Dowager pats the

"You. Come here."

walks in. Doesn't hesitate. Doesn't challenge

up at him. Her

an idiot. Don't

back of

old and just got scolded in front of the

fucking court.

she's on

snap

to be scary. It's meant to shut me

doesn't work

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

he left behind in

be the one

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 no one

Zoe's name. Zoe: "LET ME CRASH THERE FOR ONE NIGHT. I want to experience royal chaos. Please. I just

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Chapter 96

the girl he told me not to

my head against

it's not a sleepover. It's a palace. With guards. And paychotic

Lycans. You'll get

fine. Beuer than attending his wedding

her in my laundry

No drama. No chaos. No lingerie, 1

there

get a chance to

already babysitting one emotionally stunted Alpha,

chaos goblin

phone into my back pocket and turn-straight into a wall of muscle wrapped in a suit.

cuts through the hallway.

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

coming, with me,"

"Where?"

make it.

at him.

a journalist, right? Take notes. Smile. Don't say

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

"Wow, Compliment of the

journalist.

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

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

beside me without a

glinting like secrets, jaw tight like

glass.

doesn't look at me. Not

broody rage beside me. "Why aren't we

Wouldn't that be faster?"

"It's