King Novel novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Home Sweet, dysfunctional judgmental home.

The packhouse looms in the distance as we drag ourselves through the gates, looking like we’ve been chewed up and spit out by a particularly pissed–off rogue

In this place, all my flowers simply grew back as thorns.

Enoch trudges behind me, his towering frame casting a shadow that seems to swallow me whole. His emerald–green eyes are glued to me like I might vanish if he blinks.

Spoiler alert, I’m not that lucky.

I barely make it five steps toward my room before she appears.

“Did you bring the materials?” Seraphina’s sugary voice cuts through my exhaustion like nails on a chalkboard.

she’s

1 stop dead, blinking at her like asked me to recite the alphabet backward, “Seriously?” I deadpan, gesturing

vaguely at the hot mess that is me.

My hair’s a rat’s nest, my clothes are stained with god–knows–what, and I’m pretty sure there’s dried blood somewhere it shouldn’t be. “That’s your takeaway after we almost died?”

Her eyes flick nervously to Enoch, who is now standing unnervingly still, his gaze boring into her like she’s prey.

For once. I don’t blame her for looking like she wants to shrink into the floor. He may act like a clingy puppy around me, bur to everyone else, he’s a six–foot–five wrecking ball of muscle and intimidation.

Looking at him, one would think he is all the seven deadly sins.

That’s just what he is, a product of war.

I shove the bundle of materials into her arms, too tired to deal with whatever power play she’s got planned. “Here. Knock yourself out.”

She doesn’t say another word. With a final glance at Enoch–who hasn’t so much as blinked–she scurries away, clutching the bundle like it’s a lifeline.

“Coward,” I mutter under my breath, turning back to Enoch.

Before I can tell him to follow me, an omega maid sidles up, looking about as comfortable as a cat in a dog kennel. “The head maid wants to see you,” she says, her voice soft but hesitant.

My stomach drops. Of course, she does. It’s one of those days then.

1 glance at Enoch, his expression darkening instantly. “Go see Dr. Lisa,” I tell him, trying to keep my voice steady. “Make sure you’re okay.”

His eyes narrow, and for a second, I think he’s going to argue.

Instead, he leans down slightly, letting me pat his head like a damn golden retriever before stalking off toward the infirmary, His steps are slow, deliberate, like he’s daring anyone to cross him.

Upon a meter away, he turns around, stopping to see if I might change my mind and go with him. I don’t.

“Go!” 1 insist.

175

Chapter 11

And then for another meter, he turns again. This time, pouting those god–made lips, knowing exactly this is how I break.

Hut not today.

When he finally realizes I’m not caving in, he walk straight ahead until he’s gone out of sight.

“Your boyfriend’s really clingy,” the girl beside me quips, her tone trading.

I snort, exhaustion dragging my words down, “Yeah, well, it’s either that or deal with him tearing the place apart

She chuckles, “Yeah, right”

I rum to her, dead serious hoping my eyes bore exactly what I have seen Enoch do. “Im not kidding” I murmur

“That man is very, and I mean very comfortable with violence. It’s his second skin–brutality.”

She laughs nervously and didn’t press any further, leading me toward the head maid’s office. My steps grow heavier with every inch closer, dread pooling in my stomach.

The head maid stands with her back to me when we arrive, her posture stiff and close to her dark window–closed, of course. She wouldn’t want anyone seeing this,

Nonetheless, with the windows and now the door closed as the girl I’m with leaves, her presence sucks all the oxygen out of the room

This woman is poised but wrathful when provoked.

I know exactly what this is all about.

“There was a man stalking us- I start, coming out rushed and defensive.

Smack.

The slap comes out of nowhere, sharp and stinging against my cheek. I don’t flinch. Not because it doesn’t hurt, but because flinching gives her power. And fuck that.

It’s not like I get bonus points if I give a damn.

She turns slowly, her face a mask of disdain. “You brought a stray to which I had no say about and then you keep him out of trouble, Taryn. That’s what you do.” she snaps, her words venomous.

“Do you have any idea the mess you’ve caused?”

What, your salary deduction?

Her voice rises with every word, but I tune her out, my mind drifting back to Enoch.

His face, so heartbreakingly innocent as he presented me with that rogue’s severed head, flashes in my memory. Good? he’d asked, like he genuinely thought he’d done something worth a gold star.

“Are you even listening to me?”

The head maid’s voice yanks me back to the present. I nod mutely, my check still burning from the slap. It’s not the first time she’s taken her frustrations out on me. It won’t be the last.

And until now, no one will ever know the violence it took to be this gentle, fucking mute.

She steps closer, her glare sharp enough to cut glass. “Fix this,” she hisses. “I don’t care how, but you will fix this.”

2/5

11:42 Sat, 15 Mar A im

Chapter H

I nod again, my jaw tightening

“Stand there the head maid barks,

I don’t bother arguing. What’s the point? She’s already gripping a leather whip like she’s auditioning for the role of the pack’s favorite sadist. I step into place, biting the inside of my check so hard I taste blood

“All” I groan but immediately swallow it up.

The first lash lands on the back of my leg, the sting searling straight through my nerves.

It’s not the pain that gets to me. No, it’s the humiliation. The way she stands there, towering over me like she’s some divine punisher, and I’m just an omega–shaped punching bag

Thirty,” she says, her tone clipped.

I don’t flinch. Not when the whip cracks again. Not when the blood starts soaking through the hem of my skirt, dripping onto the stone floor.

My nails dig into my palms as I focus on the cool draft snaking through the room, on the faint murmur of voices outside the door. Anything but the burning pain crawling up my legs.

After what feels like a damn eternity, she steps back. “Keep your boyfriend on a leash,” she snaps, venom dripping from every word. “If you want to stay in this pack, you’ll make sure he behaves.”

I don’t respond. It’s safer that way.

Her footsteps fade, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence. My legs feel like jelly, trembling under exhaustion and pure, unfiltered rage.

Sacrifice, that’s what we do to survive.

I reach down, my fingers brushing against the torn skin on the back of my thigh. The sting makes me hiss, but I force myself to straighten.

At least the blood blends in with the dark fabric of my skirt. Small mercies.

I still need to get to the Gamma’s office as he told me to deal with whatever he has to tell me at home. Hopefully I won’t be kept long in there.

In the hallway, I catch a glimpse of myself in a tarnished mirror. The red mark on my check is impossible to miss, a glaring reminder of my status here.

Omega. Outsider. The pack’s living, breathing scapegoat.

“Perfect,” I mutter to my reflection, dripping with sarcasm. “Totally killing it at life, Taryn.”

By the time I reach Gamma Abel’s office. I’ve perfected my excuse. I tripped. Fell on some rocks. You know how it is. Not that he’ll care much either way.

Gamma Abel greets me with his usual gruffiness, barely glancing up from the papers on his desk. “The rogue,” he starts, his tone all business. “Handled himself well with that stalker.”

My stomach twists, but I keep my expression neutral

“I’m thinking of training him as a pack warrior,” he continues, tapping his pen against the desk. “He’ll be useful in battle.”

My mouth goes dry. Useful in battle? Enoch barely knows what planet he’s on most days.