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

"He can take

as if he's daring him to make one wrong move. His

Zo," Jacob

lets go, brushing a trembling thumb over the

my cracked chest. "Rip his heart out if

and him again. Enoch. The man who could kill armies without blinking. The man who can't touch

of a fight-and in a

does something I'm

shakes the floorboards, rattles

he leans forward, his forehead presses against my thigh, and his whole body

a shaky breath. His scent slams into me-pine needles, smoke, home- and it physically

my fucking weakness?" Enoch rasps against my skin, voice raw

move. I barely

is hoarse. Raw enough to sandpaper my skin. He

me-and fuck, his eyes are wrecked. Bloodshot, glassy, like he's bleeding on the inside where no one

you pull away," he says, voice breaking down word by

chest and slowly, I feel Eris dropping her walls inside

the angry bust out I just

apart, shattering like a brittle bone. "I would

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CHAPTER 114

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

believe him. I

he doesn't try to

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

now. He's not the warrior or the weapon or the boy

out for me to either save or

chest builds and builds until it cracks something deep

me.

Ugly, living silence that feels heavier than anything Brooke or the goddamn world could throw at

suck in a breath so shaky it rattles my

then, finally-finally-my voice claws its way

it comes out

body locks up

my

next word.

whisper. "I'm scared of trusting this bond... and it not being