Chapter 10
wking beude Enoch to the infirmary feels as though I’m escorting a nuclear bomb that could detonate any second. He’s quiet, but his presence isn’t
He absorbs the air around him, pulling everyone’s attention whether they want to look or not. His steps are heavy, deliberate, as if the world bends slightly beneath him.
The infirmary door creaks as it swings
open, the smell of antiseptic hitting me like a slap in the face. It’s sharp, sterile, and at little too familiar lately. Dr. Lisa stands by the counter, her brows lifting when her eyes land on Enoch.
“Ah, the usual suspect.”
Enoch stares at her as though she’s speaking another language, tilting his head. His confusion is almost cute-if you ignore the blood staining hus shirt and that ceric calm radiating off him as if he didn’t just survive another brawl.
“If you’re trying to set a record for visits, you’re winning,” she says, her dry humor cutting through the silence.
Enoch doesn’t react. He just stands there, broad and brooding-a wall of muscle that hasn’t quite figured out it can move on
His gaze flickers to me for confirmation, like he needs permission to breathe.
“Go,” 1 nudge him, gesturing to the exam table. “She’s not going to bite.”
Dr. Lisa snorts. “I might if he keeps showing up uninvited.”
“Sit down,” she orders, pointing to the exam table. “You’ve been here so much lately I’m tempted to give you your own
room.”
I snort, brushing my hair out of my face. “Make sure it’s padded.”
Dr. Lisa arches a brow at me, but Enoch doesn’t react. He just sits, obedient as ever. It’s almost unnerving how easily he listens to me.
“Behave,” I mutter.
It’s almost comical how out of place he looks here-this mountain of a man with blood on his shirt and an otherworldly aura that screams “don’t mess with me.”
Satisfied that Dr. Lisa won’t get herself killed, I leave him in her capable hands.
When I slam the library doors open, they rebound with a loud bang, making everyone inside jump.
Heads whip in my direction, their gazes bouncing between my furious glare and Kallias, who’s still lounging in his chair.
The audacity,
I march to his table, my boots clicking sharply against the tiled floor, and slam my hand down on the wood so hard, the sound echoes.
Kallias finally lifts his eyes from his book, looking more irritated than surprised.
“We need to talk,” I snap.
“Hello to you, too,” he drawls, leaning back in his chair like the infuriating prick he is.
175
11:40 Sat, 15 Mar AND.
Chapter 10
K80%
“Don’t” Ijab a finger in his face. “Don’t start with that condescending bullshit. Why didn’t you stop them! You saw what was happening. Kallias. Your friends were harassing him, and you just sat there?”
He doesn’t flinch.
His gaze sharpens, darkening with something I can’t quite place. “You want me to stop my own pack from defending another member who’s beaten to death?
“Defending “I cut myself off, biting down on the words threatening to spill. Instead, I plant my fists on the table and glare at him, willing him to take me seriously.
“That wasn’t defense. That was an attack, and you know it.”
Kallias leans back, his jaw tightening. For a moment, he looks at me like he might actually listen, but then he smirks, his tone turning icy. “Who is he. Taryn
I blink, stunned by the question “What?”
He sits up, his gaze locking onto mine with a sudden intensity that makes my heart skip. “Who the hell is he to you?”
It feels as though the air’s been sucked out of the room. My throat tightens, but I force myself to answer. “He’s… he’s my boyfriend.”
The words feel foreign on my tongue, but they’re out now, and I can’t take them back.
Kallias’s expression shifts so fast it’s dizzying-shock, fury, disbelief.
Before I can process what’s happening, his hand wraps around my wrist, dragging me toward the shelves.
“Kallias!” I protest, yanking against his grip, but he’s stronger, and we both know it. His fingers digs into my skin just enough to sting.
He shoves me against the wall, his body blocking any chance of escape.
His hands clamp around my wrists, pinning them above my head, and I grit my teeth as pain blooms where his grip is too tight.
This motherfucker.
“You were always mine,” he growls, low and rough. “Always. You spent years trying to get me to notice you, and now what? You’re with some random stray?”
My blood boils. “Yours? You think I was yours? Don’t make me fucking laugh, Kallias.”
His jaw clenches, but I keep going, years of pent-up frustration pouring out like a dam finally breaking.
“I spent years hoping you’d give a damn, and you couldn’t even keep your hands off Seraphina long enough to notice me! Do you have any idea how pathetic that made me feel!!”
Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of him
“You didn’t accept me simply because of my status, Kallias. You’re the one who pushed me away.” I added, swallowing the lump in my throat.
His grip slackens, just slightly, and his expression falters. For a second-just a second-he looks almost… guilty.
“Taryn…
I don’t waste the opening. I wrench my wrists free and shove past him, storming out of the library without looking back.
2/5
Chapter 10.
By the time I reach the infirmary, my hands are trembling, and my vision blurs with unshed tears:
4 stop outside the door, pressing my palms against the wall as I try to steady my breathing.
Enoch is inside. Waiting
I press my palms against my cheeks, willing the tears to stay down. I can’t walk in there.
He’s already dealing with enough of his amnesia without me dumping my emotional baggage on him, too.
I press the heels of my hands into my eyes, forcing the tears back. I can’t fall apart here. Not in front of him.
Not when I’ve already leaned on him more than I should.
And that scares the hell out of me.
I’m heading back to the meeting instead.
The hallway feels longer than usual, every step dragging as if I’m wading through quicksand.
My jaw is tight, my fists clenched at my sides, the sting of Kallias’s words still simmering in the back of my mind. But I push it all down, swallowing the lump rising in my throat.
This isn’t the time for another breakdown.
As I near the double doors, muffled voices filter through the wood. I pause, fingers hovering over the handle, and strain to hear. The tone isn’t chaotic-it’s organized. Too organized. My gut churns.
I push the door open, the sound louder than I intended. The voices stop abruptly, and every pair of eyes in the room turns
to me.
There she is, standing at the head of the table as though she owns the place-Seraphina fucking Grimaldi.
Her glossy blonde hair falls perfectly over her shoulders, not a strand out of place, and she’s wearing a dress that somehow looks both casual and straight out of a designer catalog.
She’s holding court, calm and authoritative as she points to a chart on the board.
“I’m planning to change the color scheme and…”
The headmaid is next to her, nodding along like a proud mother hen.
A pang shoots through my chest, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep my face neutral.
Ap
For years-years, I was the one standing in that spot, leading this team.
And not once did the headmaid look at me with even a shred of the approval she’s showering on Seraphina right now.
1 step forward, but before I can say a word, the headmaid catches my arm and pulls me back.
Her grip is firm, as she whispers with warning,
“Don’t ruin the meeting, Taryn. They’ve already come up with a great plan.”
W-what?
Don’t ruin the meeting? As if I’m some reckless ch who doesn’t know better. A lump forms in my throat, thick and heavy,
3/5
Chapter 10
but I force it down.
I straighten my shoulders and step into the room anyway, my gaze locked on Seraphina. She notices me immediately, her lips curving into a smile that’s almost kind. Almost.
“Taryn,” she says brightly, as if we’re old friends catching up. “There you are. We were just
finalizing the plans. You’re the leader, after all”
Her tone is sweet, but her eyes glint with something sharp. I know better than to take her words at face value.
I glance at the board, taking in the meticulous notes and diagrams. It’s good.
It’s good. Damn it, it’s really good. The plans are polished, precise, and honestly, better than what I had drafted last week.
This is Seraphina Grimaldi. Daughter of Gamma Abel.
My chest tightens, but I keep my face neutral. I’ll be damned if I let her see me break.
“It’s great,” I say, the words tasting bitter as they leave my mouth.
g that since
She picks up a list from the table, her manicured nails glinting under the fluorescent lights. “I was just saying t you’re so familiar with the unclaimed lands’ markets, you’d be the perfect person to handle the supplies.”
She holds the list out to me, her smile so radiant it’s practically blinding.
My fingers twitch, but I take the paper anyway. It’s crisp, neat, and filled with her immaculate handwriting Of course, it’s perfect.
“Sure,” I say, my voice clipped.
Her smile widens, and she places a hand on my arm. “We knew we could count on you.”
I resist the urge to snatch my arm away and plaster on my own fake smile. “Always a pleasure.”
The words is twisting in my gut, but I nod and turn to leave before the lump in my throat gets any bigger.
As I step into the hallway, the door closing behind me, I let out a shaky breath. My fingers tighten around the list, crumpling the edges, but I don’t care.
For years, I’ve poured everything I had into this team, into this pack, and for what?
To be overshadowed by someone who waltzed in with her perfect hair and perfect smile and perfect everything?
The worst part is, I can’t even hate her. Not completely.
She’s smart, capable, and beautiful. She’s everything I’m not, and that thought stings more than I’d like to admit.
Kallias chose her. Everyone else did too, apparently.
I square my shoulders and take a deep breath. Fine. Let them have their perfect plans and their perfect leader.
Damn it, they gave me the task given to the lowest member too.
“Wanna come with me?” I mutter to Enoch.
Right, I need to get out of this pack anyway. What’s better than being in the unclaimed lands?
4/5
11:41 Sat, 15 Mar AD •
Chapter 11
