Chapter 12
We didn’t get out of the market fast enough before the bruised ranger’s voice rings out behind un horse bur furious “Guards! Over there! Please stop them!”
Oh, you stalking bastard.
My heart plummets, and I can practically hear the thud of my stomach hitting the ground.
I whip my head around just in time to see him pointing toward us, his face red and blotchy from Enoch’s chokehold carber
Shit
The heavy thud of boots grows louder, and I don’t need to turn to know what’s comi
The second the guards turned our way, I knew two things: we were screwed, and this was definitely going to be my fault
somehow.
Not to mention, they’re pack warriors. Imperial pack warriors. My hand tightens on Enoch’s.
“Run!” I scream.
And we’re off
The market becomes a blur of colors and chaos as we tear through the stalls.
Vendors shout in outrage as we knock over baskets and topple displays. Apples roll across the cobblestones like marbles. sending one particularly unlucky shopper sprawling face–first into the mud.
“You little fuckers!” He yells elbow–deep on the muddy ground.
“Sorry!” I yell over my shoulder, though I’m not sure they care about my apology while we’re causing this much carnage.
Enoch stays close, his long legs eating up the distance with ease. He’s silent and focused, but I can feel that same scary aural radiating off him in waves.
A sharp whistle pierces the air, and my stomach flips.
They’re gaining on us. Oh Goddess.
“Faster!” I hiss, though my lungs are already burning, and my legs feel like they’re about to give out.
We veer into a narrow alley, the walls pressing in on either side. The cobblestones are slick with rainwater, and I nearly lose. my footing, grabbing Enoch’s arm for balance.
He steadies me without a word–his grip firm but careful.
“This way!” I yank him down another path, this one hidden by overgrown bushes and tangled vines and an oaktree I learned to love.
The rain starts to fall, light at first, then harder, soaking through my clothes and turning the ground into a muddy mess. Great fucking timing
My hair sticks to my face, my boots squelching with every step, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop.
“Stop right there!”
The shouts from the Imperial Pack warriors grow tinter, but I don’t trust it. Not yet.
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Chapter 12
We push through the underbrush, branches scraping at my arms and snagging on my clothes. My heart pounds in my chest. with each beat reminding me of what’s at stake right now.
If we’re caught, it‘ Lover
The Imperial Pack doesn’t play games. They’ll drag us back to their territory, and call our Pack Representatives. I know exactly who’ll be called to pick us up like misbehaving kids at a principal’s office–Gamma Abel.
I promised him that my so–called boyfriend here wouldn’t cause any disasters!
And if Kallas finds out about this, he’ll have Enoch kicked out of the Riverstone Pack before I can blink. He’s waiting for this. exact opportunity for us to fuck up anyway.
“Keep going.” I urge, though I’m pretty sure Enoch doesn’t need the encouragement.
The path opens up into a clearing, and my breath catches in my throat. Nostalgia hits me like a sucker punch to the
This place.
It’s been years, but I’d recognize it anywhere.
gut.
The thick underbrush, the canopy of trees that barely lets in any light, the faint scent of moss and rain–soaked earth–it’s: where Kallias and I used to sneak off to.
Back when he was just a cocky boy too afraid of his father’s wrath to misbehave in plain sight.
He used to be such a trouble maker and the Alpha, his father, would scold him to death. After all, an heir to one of the strongest packs in the continent shouldn’t be out here in the unclaimed lands aggravating vendors.
It was a great time.
A time when I was stupid enough to believe I mattered to him.
The memory is enough to send a pang of bitterness through me, but I shove it aside.
Focus, Taryn.
We press on until the rain comes down in earnest, soaking us to the bone. My boots slide on the wet ground, and I barely manage to keep myself upright.
Finally, we reach the cave. Hidden behind a curtain of ivy, it’s the same one Kallias and I used to hide in, though it feels smaller now, darker.
I push the vines aside and drag Enoch inside, collapsing against the cold, damp wall with a heaving breath,
The silence is deafening, broken only by the steady patter of rain outside.
Enoch sits beside me, his massive frame shuddering. I glance at him and my stomach twists. His lips are pale, his skin on the other hand is almost ashen..
What the hell?
“You’re freezing.” I murmur, shifting closer.
He doesn’t respond, his green eyes glassy and distant.
Panic bubbles in my chest and I reach out to him, pressing a hand to his forehead. He’s cold–too cold.
“Dammit, Enoch,” I mutter under my breath
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Without thinking. I shift into my wolf.
My wolf form takes over, my für warm and thick as I curl around 1
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It’s awkward–he’s huge, even sitting down, and I feel
like a fuzzy scarf trying to cover a boulder–but it’ll have to
Not unless we want to die that is.
“This should help,” I think, though I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince.
The rain outside grows heavier, the sound almost soothing if it weren’t for the gnawing worry in my chest.
I glance at Enoch again who is now leaning into the warmth of my fur, his breathing is slow and steady now, but his expression still unreadable.
Well, at least this man’s not going to die anytime soon‘ My wolf murmurs before she lets me take control.
“What’s wrong with you?” I mutter, my voice barely above a whisper.
He doesn’t answer, of course.
I make a mental note to ask Dr. Lisa about it later. About why he can’t shift, why his body sometimes seems to betray his strength.
If he has amnesia, that might be one of the underlying cause he can’t communicate with his wolf and shift in command.
But for now, I just keep him close, hoping my warmth is enough to chase away whatever shadows linger in his mind from
earlier.
The silence in the cave is heavier than the rain pouring outside.
Enoch’s shivering has finally subsided, his breathing evening out as I step behind a massive boulder. I shift back into my human form, finally able to stretch myself.
Alright, we just need to get back–oh wait.
The reality of my situation slaps me in the face.
I have nothing on. Zilch. Nada,
I look down on myself and back at the exact spot I shifted to my wolf form earlier. Then back at myself.
Oh, shit.
Pieces of torn fabrics lay on the spot I shifted It was the dress and the freaking underwear I had worn carlier.
Enoch rubs his eyes and finally turns to the missing warmth he’s been laying on for the last hour.
“Stay there.” I warn as I look around for anything to cover, not bothering to peek out to see if he’s listening. The last thing I need is for him to see more than he already has.
“Hey, uh…I clear my throat, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as I glance at the boulder separating us. “Enoch?”
A soft grunt tells me he’s listening.
“Strip.” I demand.
There’s a pause.
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Oh Godda, did I just way duri
Bayn His voici lusitant, and when I peek around the boulder, he cutting his head like a contured proppe
Fuck, he’s demurely misunderstanding this
“I need your shirt That’s what I meant I mp, waving my hand in a flustered motion Crimson is rising up my face and it’s begining to feel hotter than how it should be “Take it off and throw it over here?
His brows furrow, and for a terrifying second, I think he’s going to ask why
Please don’t. The last thing I want to say is I just for my underwear shifting just so I can warm you up
Instead, he nods slowly and starts unbuttoning his shirt. The sight of his broad chest as he peels it off almost makes the Sone my train of thought, but I quickly look away before I embarrass myself. Again
“Stop right there!” I yelp as he starts walking toward the boulder with his shirt in hand to give me.
“Don’t come closer. Just toss it”
He stops mid–step, looking mildly offended but does as I say, throwing the shirt over the rock
I snatch it up, pulling it over my head and inhaling the faint scent of pine and earth that clings to the fabric,
When I emerge from behind the boulder, he’s sitting cross–legged near the cave wall, his eyes scanning me with an intensity that makes me squirm.
Taryn looks good” He mutter, voice hoarse but still as hot, Gosh, why did he have to be such a clueless amnesad?
“Thanks,” I mutter, plopping down beside him and pulling the oversized shirt tight around me. I don’t have any underwear so this will have to do.
For a moment, we sit in silence, the sound of rain filling the space between us.
Finally, I break the quiet. “What was that back there? Who was that guy?”
Enoch’s jaw tightens, his green eyes flickering with something dark and unreadable. He rubs his temples, his fingers digging into his damp hair as an animalistic groan leaves his mouth in pain.
“Don’t!” I blurt out, panicking. “Don’t try to remember. You’ll hurt yourself again.”
He freezes, his hands dropping to his lap, and he avoids my gaze. His fingers pick at the bracelet on his wrist–the one I gave him earlier–and a pang of guilt hits me.
“Enoch don’t know,” he mutters after a beat, his voice strained. “Enoch can’t remember.”
I frown, watching him closely, but I decide not to push. He’s already carrying enough baggage for a guy with amnesia
“Fine,” I sigh, leaning back against the cold cave wall. “But you owe me an explanation later.”
He nods, his gaze distant, and I let it drop. Exhaustion pulls at my limbs, and before I know it, my eyes flutter shut.
The nightmare creeps in slowly. Like always. When I’m at my most vulnerable.
Flashes of fire and chaos erupt in front of me
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Chapter 12
My father’s voice, stern and unyielding yells at the background
“I’m not leaving,” he says, his face blurred but his insistence etched into my memory
“You’ll die if you stay!” my brother shouts back, his voice cracking with desperation
“I need to protect someone-” My father’s words fade into the roar of the attack, his figue dicappearing in de domes
irin
The memory twists into something darker, suffocating me until fjolt awake. A strong arm is ripped inson me polling
I me close, and I instinctively burrow into the heat, seeking comfort.
It takes a second for reality to set in
Warmth surrounds me, and for a moment. I’m disoriented. Anyone would be with this goddamn head
My eyes flutter open to reveal a–what the fuck is this?
A bare chest met my eyes, hard as rock yet as comfortable as a pillow
I freeze, my eyes snapping up to find myself curled against Enoch. His arm is draped over me protectively, his body protecting me like a furnace against the cold cave air.
Oh. Shit.
Before I can figure out how to untangle myself without waking him up, the sound of boots crunching outside the a jolt of panic through me.
I twist around, my heart stopping when I see Kallias standing at the entrance, flanked by a handful of pack warniceL
His piercing gaze locks onto me, his blue eyes widening as they take in the scene–me in Enoch’s shirt with nothing underneath, Enoch’s bare chest and arm still loosely around me.
Oh. Fuck
Taryn, Kallias says, his voice low and dangerous.
I scramble away from Enoch, yanking the shirt down to cover as much as possible, but the damage is already done. The look on Kallias’s face is a mix of shock and barely–contained fury.
“This isn’t what it looks like!” I blurt out, my voice high–pitched and utterly unconvincing-
The corner of Kallias’s mouth twitches, but there’s no humor in it. “Really?” he drawls. “Because it looks pretty compromising from where I’m standing”
I groan inwardly, my face burning as I glance back at Enoch, who’s sitting up now, looking completely unfazed. If anything. he looks annoyed.
“Explain,” Kallias demands, his gaze flicking between the two of us.
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