Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King

CHAPTER 114

The walls of Enoch tilt, the ceiling stretches out like it's trying to crush me, and my hands... fuck, I can't even feel my hands anymore.

I can't hear anything.

Not Enoch shouting, not the pounding of my own goddamn heart. Nothing but this high-pitched ringing that scrapes the inside of my skull raw.

My wolf slams her walls up so fast it sucker punches me in the ribs. Cuts me off. Leaves me choking on this panic with no way to shift, no way to fight, no way to scream. Just frozen. Burning from the inside out.

Across the room, Enoch's chest heaves like he's about to break something-me, the walls, himself, maybe all of it—but he doesn't move toward me. Maybe he knows if he does, I'll shatter. Maybe he doesn't give a shit.

I can't fucking tell anymore.

Then-

Bang.

The door swings so hard it bounces off the wall.

Zoe barrels through first, hair a wild mess, cheeks flushed like she sprinted up five flights of stairs just to get here. Jacob's right behind her, way calmer, but the tension snapping off him could slice a damn jugular.

"Taryn!" Zoe shrieks, her voice slicing through the fog clouding my brain.

I blink. Once. Twice.

I must look bad because Zoe's whole face crumples as she runs to me, grabbing my hands-to which I immediately hisses to as she looks down on it. It's burnt crisp. "Holy

shit, how did this happen?"

1 flinch. My fingers twitch. That's about all I can manage. "H-how..." She turns to Enoch. "She must have touched something far too hot." Jacob answers in his stead. We can't afford Zoe knowing about our species.

"Hey. Hey. Look at me," she says, voice low and sharp enough to slice me out of the freeze. Her brown eyes are wild, scared, furious. "It's okay to be mad. It's okay to be messy. Just say it. Say what's choking you."

I try.

I swear, I fucking try.

But my throat closes up. I can't even make a sound. My lip trembles instead- pathetic and furious all at once. Who did Brooke put to ruin us again? Why is she so adamant? Just why can't we live peacefully?

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in until I can smell her goddamn perfume, cheap vanilla. and panic. "He

tightens. She leans in, voice dropping low and fierce. "He can take it. You hear

as if he's daring him to make

Jacob

brushing a trembling thumb over the back

not before she leans in one last time, her whisper punching straight through my cracked chest. "Rip his heart out if you have to. Just don't stay silent." The door shuts

Enoch. The man who could kill armies without blinking. The man who can't

just got out of a fight-and in

Then he does something I'm

shakes the floorboards, rattles something

forward, his forehead presses against my thigh, and his whole body shudders as though he's fighting not to fall apart right

slams into me-pine needles,

my fucking weakness?" Enoch rasps against my skin,

don't move.

enough to sandpaper my skin. He doesn't wait for me to answer. "It's you. It's always been you. It's

eyes are wrecked. Bloodshot, glassy, like he's bleeding on the inside

he says, voice breaking down word by word. "It fucking dies when you shut me

and slowly,

calming down from the angry bust

die, Taryn." His voice finally snaps apart, shattering like a brittle

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palms up as if he's baring himself for an execution, as though I'm the one

the worst part is I believe

goddamn crown." His voice cracks, and for once, he doesn't try to hide it. "I'm scared of losing you. So

up, wide open. Vulnerable in a way that's so unlike him it makes my

right now. He's not the warrior or the weapon or the boy I nursed back to health in

laid out for me to either

my chest builds and builds until it cracks

me.

heavier than anything Brooke or the goddamn world could throw

a breath so shaky it rattles

finally-finally-my voice claws

too." it

His whole body locks up like a loaded

my

next word.

scared she will wreck us again," I whisper. "I'm scared of trusting this bond... and it not being