Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King novel Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Chapter 131

I don’t move.

I don’t blink.

I don’t fucking breathe.

There’s mud soaking into the knees of my jeans and bark grinding into my palm, and none of it matters: Not when his voice is still echoing in my head.

“I got you, baby.”

The branch. That fucking traitorous branch.

My chest hurts from holding in my breath too long. My throat burns. Every inch of me is screaming to run, now, but I’m pinned–mentally, physically, soul–deep frozen–by the sound of leaves being crushed under boots that are far too heavy to be anything but his.

Enoch.

He’s close. So close I can hear his breathing. Sharp. Controlled. That same way he used to breathe when he was barely keeping it together in front of everyone else.

Only this time he’s not hiding it.

There’s no more mask. Just obsession in its rawest, most terrifying form.

The forest around me is thick with mist and dusk–shadowed trees. It should be enough to keep me hidden. But I know him.

He’s a hunter. I’m the goddamn prey.

There’s the sound of pine needles shifting. A rock being nudged. A pause. I can feel his stare against the back of my skull. No logic behind it, just pure instinct. Like he’s already seeing me through the tree I’m hiding behind. Smirking. Patient.

I try not to tremble. Try.

“Taryn,” a voice calls out–not his.

It’s coming from somewhere in the trees. To my left. Deeper, farther. Higher up, maybe. I can’t see. My heart launches into my throat.

Jacob.

My head jerks toward the sound. Just slightly. Just enough to hate myself for reacting.

“Found her,” Jacob yells. “She’s inside. Second level security just flagged-”

“No, she’s not,” Enoch snaps, his voice dark and low. Too close. “She’s not inside. She’s here.”

Silence.

Goddamnit.

He knows. He knows..

I press my lips shut so tight they ache. My thighs are already cramping from crouching, but I’m not moving until-

“She really is inside,” Jacob insists again, louder now. Closer. “It’s her file ID. Triple confirmation.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Enoch barks, and something snaps–a sharp, visceral crack that doesn’t sound like a branch this time.

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Chapter 131

flinch.

He hit something.

“Get the fuck out of my head, Jacob.”

I don’t breathe. I don’t blink.

But I move.

While they’re arguing, I slip away. Slow at first. Quiet. One foot, then another. Careful of the twigs. Careful of the earth that wants to betray me like it already fucking did.

And then–then I’m gone.

I bolt.

I don’t wait for logic or a plan or any idea of where the hell I’m going. I just run.

My boots hit the undergrowth hard. Branches whip at my arms. My lungs burn. Every breath is jagged. My legs already feel like they’re losing blood. Doesn’t matter. I’m not stopping.

Behind me, the argument cuts off.

Then-

“Taryn.”

My name. Soft. Wicked. Too fucking calm.

Then the sound of someone running.

Fast.

Lycans don’t run like humans. They don’t sound like it, either. It’s faster. Heavier. Like the whole fucking forest is shifting just to let him pass.

“You’re not getting far on those tiny feet, baby.”

Fuck.

I push harder. I tear through brush and low branches like they’re made of paper. My foot slips on a rock and I nearly eat dirt, but I catch myself and keep moving.

I can hear him getting closer. Closer.

“You think you can outrun me?” he calls again, too fucking casually. Like we’re playing tag and not some twisted game of hunt the traitor mate in the woods.

The air tastes like metal. My arms are covered in scratches. I don’t care.

“Keep running, little Omega,” he growls, voice lower now. Feral. Closer. So fucking close I can feel the rumble of it crawling up my spine. “K me chase you. It’s only making it worse for you.”

A root catches my foot.

I trip.

aking

No-

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IVOLT, 20 vay

Chapter 131

1 crash to my knees, mud splashing up onto my face, my palms stinging from the impact.

Behind me, the footsteps pause.

Then just breathing.

His breathing.

Deep. Controlled.

Possessive.

I don’t remember running. I just remember my lungs burning, my pulse thrashing in my throat, and the sound of boots–his fucking boots–pounding behind me like war drums.

He’s faster. Always has been. But desperation makes liars of biology. And tonight, it makes me a goddamn Olympian.

The corner of my coat catches on some stupid bush as I round the curb. I don’t stop. I rip. The stitches scream and snap like my ribcage, but I don’t stop. I’m not stopping until I’m halfway across the country or dead. Whichever comes first.

I spot headlights. Taxi.

“Taxi!” I fucking shriek it like my voice could reach heaven. The little yellow car slows, blinking hazards. I dart into the street like a lunatic–probably look like one too. Pregnant, limping, blood on my sleeve, eyes wide enough to eat the night.

The taxi starts to roll toward me, then-

BANG.

I scream as a hand slams against the glass behind me.

Enoch.

He’s there. Crimson eyes, handprint fogged on the window like some twisted horror movie poster.

“GO, GO, GO!” I yell, yanking the door open and practically throwing myself inside. “DRIVE!”

The driver turns, sees the seven–foot psycho ripping the goddamn door off its hinges like it’s a wet paper towel.

He doesn’t ask questions. He slams the gas.

The tires scream. So do I.

We lurch forward. The door Enoch just mangled clangs against the asphalt behind us, sparks flying.

He’s standing in the middle of the road now, eyes glowing, chest heaving, mouth parted in a snarl I can feel in my spine.

He doesn’t chase.

He knows he’s too late.

But his stare doesn’t break.

Neither does mine.

I wipe the tears off my cheek with the back of my shaking hand and glare at him through the glass like I’m not falling apart.

I am.

Chapter 131

But he doesn’t get to see that. Not tonight.

The cab turns. He’s gone.

I don’t breathe for the next three red lights.

“I’m paying for the damage,” I mutter to the cab driver. My voice is flat. “All of it. I don’t care what it costs.”

The woman just nods like she’s seen a ghost. Or maybe become one.

“What was that?” she asks, voice small.

“Nothing human,” I say before I can stop myself.

We don’t talk the rest of the ride.

Seraphina’s building is way too quiet when I get out. The cab peels off before I even shut the door. Fair. If I were her, I’d be doing the same thing.

I limp toward the apartment, one hand cradling the curve of my stomach, even though there’s barely anything to cradle yet.

Just a secret. A heartbeat. A future that feels more like a warzone.

I punch in the door code.

Except-

The hallway’s already open.

And all my shit is on the ground.

Suitcase exploded open. My passport. The curling iron I never use. A cracked makeup palette. One of my bras is literally hanging from the goddamn railing like a sad little flag.