Chapter 79
Chapter 79
“I’m coming back.”
.97%
Kallias goes silent. I hear a sharp inhale, followed by a static crackle like he’s covering the receiver. Then his voice comes back, tight with disbelief. “Taryn, what the fuck are you talking about?”
I don’t answer. I don’t have to.
11
“You fought like hell to get out of this pack,” he presses, his tone edging toward desperation. “You worked your ass off for this job, for your future-”
“I don’t have a future here anymore.” My own voice doesn’t even sound like mine. It’s flat. Distant. Like I’ve already left.
“The hell you don’t,” Kallias snaps. “You think quitting is gonna fix anything? You think crawling back here is the answer? If you-”
“I’m fired.”
The silence this time is heavier.
Then, slower. “What?”
I drag a shaky breath in, gripping Zoe’s phone tighter. “They’re going to fire me, Kal. I just lost everything.”
“Shut up
and turn on the TV,” I cut him off, voice flat.
A pause.
Then the sound of rustling, a remote clicking. Silence.
It stretches long enough that I almost think he hung up. But then Kallias exhales sharply. “Shit.”
Yeah. No kidding.
“This is bad,” he mutters, his voice lower now, serious. “Like, really fucking bad.”
No shit, Sherlock.
I open my mouth to respond, but before I can, Zoe practically yanks me off balance. “Taryn,” she hisses, her grip tight around my wrist. “Liam’s calling.”
I shake her off. “I’m on the phone-”
“Liam. Is. Calling.”
The words sink in like a cold slap.
Fuck.
I tighten my grip on Zoe’s phone and exhale through my nose, steadying myself. “I gotta go,” I say quickly into the receiver.
He exhales hard. “Taryn, you-”
I hang up.
Zoe shoves the phone at me like it’s about to explode. “Answer it.”
Chapter 79
I do.
Zoe is vibrating with barely contained curiosity as she watches me swipe to answer. “Holy fuck, what is happening?” she whisper–screams.
I ignore her.
Press the phone to my ear.
Silence.
For a long, suffocating moment, neither of us speaks.
The tension stretches, thick and suffocating, wrapping around my throat like a noose.
The line is silent for a solid thirty seconds. I can feel Zoe’s‘ stare boring into me, her mouth half–open like she’s trying to eavesdrop through sheer willpower.
Then, finally-
Liam’s voice cuts through it, deep and even. “This is your last chance.”
The air leaves my lungs.
My grip tightens around the phone.
My breath sucks in.
“You want to stay in this company?” he continues. “You want access to the archives, to your parents‘ records?” A pause. “Find something on the Alpha King while you’re still there. Big and bad.”
My grip tightens around the phone. “What?”
“Dig up something controversial. Make it big.” His tone leaves no room for argument. “Give me something I can use, and you stay. If not…”
“B–but, I’m going to ruin his reputation…” I murmur.
“This is the media, Taryn. Get used to it.”
He doesn’t need to finish the sentence.
The call clicks off.
I stand there, frozen. My heartbeat is a deafening thud in my ears.
Zoe waves a hand in front of my face. “Taryn?”
I don’t move.
I just lost everything.`
Or-
I have one last shot.
Fuck.
I should be shaking. Screaming. Throwing something at the wall. But I’m just… numb. Staring at the phone in my hand,
2/5
Chapter 79
my mind feels like it’s buffering, stuck in a loop of what the fuck just happened?
Dig up dirt on Enoch or lose everything. My job, my shot at the truth, my entire goddamn future.
My stomach twists, bile rising in my throat.
Zoe touches my arm, snapping me out of it. “Taryn? What did Liam say?”
I blink. My mind scrambles for a response. Lying isn’t my strong suit, but panic makes me a damn professional. “I’m not fired.” My voice is too controlled. Not a lie, but definitely not the truth.
Her brows knit together. “What? But-*
Before she can push, the air shifts. A weight settles in the room, thick and suffocating. Predatory.
Then I smell him.
11
Enoch moves like a storm–silent, inevitable, all–consuming. His scent–dark woods and power–wraps around me before his arms do. His chest presses against mine, solid and unyielding, caging me against him.
I freeze.
His fingers dig into my back, his breath fanning against my neck, inhaling me like I’m the only fucking thing keeping him sane. Shit.
Zoe shifts uncomfortably beside me. “Uh-”
She doesn’t finish her sentence. Just awkwardly inches toward the door like she’s escaping a crime scene. “I’ll… just go.”
Enoch doesn’t acknowledge her. He’s too busy branding me with his touch.
The second the door clicks shut, his grip tightens. “No one will hurt you again,” he breathes against my skin, his voice low and edged with something primal. Promise or threat?
I shudder, the sheer weight of his authority pressing against me like a second skin. “Enoch,” I murmur, pulling back enough to see his face. Big mistake.
His eyes are dark–too dark. No hint of gold, just obsessive, all–consuming hunger.
“What did you do?” I whisper.
His fingers tighten on my shoulders. “Should we just leave?”
I freeze. My heartbeat stutters. Leave? As in–fuck off into the sunset and pretend none of this ever happened?
His gaze is unhinged. Determined. Like he’s already decided. Like nothing else matters except me.
And that’s dangerous.
“No,” I say firmly, reaching up to cup his face, forcing his eyes to stay on mine. He stiffens under my touch, muscles taut like a wire about to snap. “You’re a King now, Enoch. And a King has a duty.”
Something flickers in his eyes. Guilt. Blame. Frustration.
His jaw clenches. “You think I give a fuck about that?” His voice is a low growl. “You think any of this fucking matters if it means you suffer?”
I swallow hard. “Enoch-”
Chapter 79
53
His grip on me tightens, like he’s trying to keep himself from breaking something.
“No, Taryn. You don’t get it.” His voice is rough, frayed at the edges. “It’s because I’m King that you’re going through this shit. If I wasn’t-” His breath shudders. “I would burn this whole fucking world down if it meant keeping you safe.”
Fuck.
I have to think fast. This man–this wolf–would rip apart everything for me, and that is not a safe fucking thought.
I force a small, shaky smirk. “How about we don’t set the world on fire and take a vacation instead?”
The shift is instant. The tension in his shoulders eases just a fraction, his eyes narrowing like he’s trying to figure out if I’m fucking with him.
“A vacation?”
“Yeah.” I nod, keeping my expression as nonchalant as possible, even though I feel like I’m playing Russian Roulette with a loaded gun. “You’re King. I’m unemployed. Why not?”
A long, heavy silence.
Then-
His lips twitch. Just slightly. “Where?”
Shit. I didn’t think that far. “Uh… Maldives?”
He exhales through his nose. Almost a laugh. But the way he’s still looking at me? As though I just handed him a lifeline?
It makes my chest ache.
“You want to go to the Maldives?”
“Yeah.” I force a smirk. “Sun. Sand. Overpriced drinks. Sounds like a fucking dream.”
He stares at me for a long, suffocating moment. Then he nods.
“Fine.”
Fuck. What did I just do?
Four days later, I’m regretting everything.
I stare out at the private jet in front of me, the ridiculous extravagance making my brain short–circuit.
A private fucking jet. For a “casual” vacation. Because of course the Lycan King doesn’t do economy.
“Still breathing?”
I jolt as Enoch’s arms wrap around me from behind, pulling me flush against his chest. His breath is warm against my neck, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he inhales me again.
I shiver. Goddamn him.
“Ticklish?” he murmurs, amusement lacing his voice.
“Personal space, asshole.”
10:17 Wed, 26 Mar
Chapter 79
His arms tighten. “No.”
I huff, but there’s no real heat behind it. Because, truthfully? The weight of him is grounding me. Keeping me from spiraling.
He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. “We just need to board.”
I hesitate. The reality of what’s happening finally fucking hitting me.
I’m leaving. With Enoch. Just like that.
I swallow, forcing my voice to stay even. “Can Zoe come too?”
His gaze sharpens, and for a moment, I think he’ll say no. But then his lips curl into something softer. Something dangerous.
“I’ll give you whatever you want, Taryn.” His voice is low, absolute. “Anything.“.
Shit.
I nod slowly, feeling my stomach coil with something dangerously close to panic.
Then–before I can think–his grip tightens, his lips ghost over my pulse, and he whispers-
“You’re mine.”
I stop breathing.
My heart slams against my ribs.
And as we step onto the jet, my
mind screams-
What the fuck have I done?
