Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King

CHAPTER 113 The maid is breathless as she grapes her knees from the marathon she's ran and we wait for her to tell us what was going on.

"She's awake," the maid blurts out and it's as though the entire room stops breathing.

Enoch stiffens so hard I hear the crack of his knuckles. Jacob immediately shifts his stance closer to me, as though he already knows I'm gonna do something fucking stupid. Which, yeah. I am.

I push off the couch, heart jackhammering in my chest.

"Who?" I snap, even though I already fucking know. I already fucking feel it.

How did she wake up so fast when she wasn't even moving when she was on the floor? The maid swallows. "Lady Brooke. She's awake," the maid trails off before rubbing the back of her neck. "And?" I snap, she's got more to say than what she's laid out. "She-" "Spill it the fuck out," Zoe interferes, her own aptience is wading. The maid's eyes widened and she's shaking as she mutters, "She's not... right in the uh-" she points to her temples.

Brooke's out of her mind, she says.

"No shit," I mutter, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans.

"She's been babbling nonsense. Laughing. Crying. We were gonna sedate her again but-" the maid cuts herself off, glancing at Enoch as though she's waiting for permission to keep talking.

"She's not your problem anymore," Enoch cuts in, voice like cold steel. His hand clamps around my wrist when I try to sidestep him. "Taryn, no." I yank my arm free. "I have to." "You don't." His growl is low enough to make the walls hum. "Whatever she says will be a mindfuck. You're better than this." I laugh. It sounds cracked.

"I don't wanna be better. I want fucking answers, Enoch." I grit my teeth, pulling my wrist off of his tight grip. "I'm gonna rip her mouth off if I have to." I stare straight at him. Zoe takes my hands in hers, smiling at the determination that's slipping out ofin waves.

She doesn't even know hat's gonna happen down there or who she's dealing with in this room right now, packed with wolves that could snap her neck. But that's not something she should have to know right now.

A snort slips out of the tense silence and we all turn to Beta Jacob, those brown eyes glinting with mischief. "The fuck you're onto?" I scrunch my brows, annoyed at him being so unserious about this situation right now.

1/4 CHAPTER 113 He shrugs his shoulders and smirks at me, "You know, queen like behavior." He murmurs. "Fuck you, Jacob. Don't encourage her." Enich butts in with a snarl at his own Beta and Jacob raises both hands in surrender before stepping back.

I turn to Enoch in disbelief, "No one is encouraging me. I'm going down there and I'm gonna make sure she's gonna talk to me." I bite my lips.

For whatever reason, I know I'm not satisfied with the answers I got from Brooke the last twhen she accidentally fell down the stairs. I want to know who really is behind this.

She can't just be obsessed with Enoch and that's it. It can't be.

Enoch's jaw flexes. His eyes flick to Jacob, to Zoe, as though he's weighing if he should just knockout and carryaway caveman style.

Finally, he hisses under his breath, "You're fucking insane." "Thank you for noticing," I chirp sweetly, even as my stomach threatens to turn itself inside out.

He mutters something that sounds suspiciously like a death threat toward Brooke, then jerks his head toward the door.

"Two guards. We go down together. You breathe wrong, I'm dragging you the fuck out." My heart leaps to my throat. "Deal," I say, even though we both know I'm lying.

The dungeon smells like copper and wet stone. The kind of damp that crawls under your skin and stays there. I rub my arms, wishing I brought a goddamn jacket-or a flamethrower.

Brooke's chained to the farthest wall, a silver collar digging into her neck. Her hair's a rat's nest. Bloodshot eyes wide, darting, gleaming like an animal's in the dark.

She seesand her lips stretch into a grin so wide it looks like it hurts.

"Well, fuck," she drawls, voice raspy from disuse. "You actually came." I plant my feet shoulder-width apart, ignoring the way my knees wanna buckle.

"I want the truth." Brooke cocks her head, chains rattling as she tugs against them like she's forgotten. she's even shackled. "You think it's over?" she sings, voice syrupy and cracked all at once.

She leans forward, and even the guards flinch back.

"If I can't have him," she whispers, "no one will." Something cold slithers down my spine. I glance at Enoch. His whole body is tense, one hand flexing at his side, barely holding it together.

2/4 CHAPTER 113 "You're done, Brooke," I snarl. "You're going to rot down here." She laughs. A broken, jagged sound that rattles my fucking teeth.

"You think I was the worst thing coming for you?" she hisses, voice rising. "You're such a sweet little idiot, Taryn. It's already in motion. Someone's already coming. Someone you'd never expect." My hands fist at my sides.

"Who?!" She giggles like a schoolgirl, leans her forehead against the silver bars, humming under her breath. It's off-key. Creepy as shit.

"You'll see. You'll see," she croons.

I lose it.

My hands slam onto the silver bars before my brain can stop me.

Pain explodes through my palms instantly, the metal burning into my skin like molten knives.

"Taryn!" Enoch barks behind me.

"WHO, YOU PSYCHO BITCH?!" I scream into Brooke's face, gripping the bars harder even as the flesh of my palms sizzles. The stench of burning skin punches up my nose but I don't fucking care. I need to know. I need her to say it.

Brooke just cackles harder, louder, until it's all I can hear.

She drops her head and starts humming again. A slow, broken tune.

And then- "Lancaster... Lancaster... Lancaster..." My blood ices over.

"What-what the fuck is Lancaster?!" I choke out, my body trembling from pain and adrenaline.

She doesn't answer. Just keeps humming that goddamn word over and over like it's a prayer.

Enoch curses so violently I think the walls shake. Next second, he's there, ripping my hands off the bars so hard I stumble back into him. Brooke's head snaps up at the movement-and her eyes lock onto Enoch.

A second later, she's crawling. Scrambling like a fucking insect, hands clawing the ground to reach him.

"Please!" she sobs, grabbing for the hem of his pants. "Lloyed youb love you still Please, please, just once, just look at me-" Enoch's face twists into something savage and disgusted. He kicks her away so hard 3/4 CHAPTER 113 she slams into the back wall with a sickening thud.

I stagger back, heart hammering.

Everything's spinning. My handsm throb, shredded and bloody, and I can't seem to pull air into my lungs. "You stupid, stubborn fucking idiot," Enoch growls, whirling on me. His face is thunderous, terrifying.

Good. Maybe he'll killand I won't have to deal with this shit anymore.

He grabsby the waist and haulsup so fast the world tilts sideways. Then he slamsdown on the nearest cot, hovering overlike a pissed-off storm cloud.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" he snarls into my face. His eyes are glowing. Forest green, furious and wild.

I stare up at him, my mind weirdly empty. Numb.

I feel like a wrung-out dishrag, soaked in pain and exhaustion and too much everything.

Enoch's hands are shaking where he's braced on either side of me. His chest heaves. His jaw ticks.

"You're gonna fucking listen tothis time, Taryn," he growls low, voice shaking.

He leans in so close I can feel his breath on my skin, the wild heat of him, the absolute unhinged fury he's barely holding back.

I don't move.

I don't breathe.

And then- 4/4