King Novel novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The rabbit swings in Enoch’s hand, its limp, skinned body dripping blood onto the floor as he grins at me like a kid showing off a school project. The blood smearing his face and chest though are definitely not so adorable,

I swallow hard, trying to ignore the primal edge in his tone and the wild gleam in his eyes. It’s just Enoch. The innocent. clueless guy who struggles to use a fork properly. Not… this.

He steps toward me, holding the rabbit up by its cars. “You eat it raw?”

I backpedal so fast I bump my behind onto my nightstand, sending a stack of books tumbling to the floor.

“Uh… no,” I stammer, awkwardly laughing as my brain tries to process the absolute chaos that is my this scene right now. “I only eat raw when I shift. You know, in my wolf form. Otherwise, I’m more of a ‘well–done and smothered in ketchup‘ kind of girl.”

His face softens, the intensity bleeding away as his expression slips back into that boyish innocence I’ve grown used to. Relief washes over me, though my heart’s still beating faster than a drum solo.

“Cook,” he says, nodding once as if filing that information away for later.

He’s so close now, his body towering over mine as he leans down. His scent–earthy, wild, and somehow comforting despite everything–wraps around me, and for a moment, all I can do is stare up at him.

The moment shatters when the door flies open, slamming into the wall with a force that makes me jump. Shit, who would

• open door like that?

Kallias storms in, his chest heaving as if he just ran a marathon. His eyes immediately zero in on us, and his face twists into a mask of anger the second he registers our proximity.

“What the fuck is going on here?” he snaps, his gaze darting between Enoch and me like he’s connecting dots I don’t want him to.

Before I can answer, Kallias is across the room, grabbing Enoch by the collar and yanking him back off of me.

Enoch doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t even react. He just stands there, his towering frame making Kallias look smaller despite his Alpha blood.

a

The way he stares at Kallias, calm and almost … amused? It’s like he’s the one in control, even with Kallias fuming and gripping his shirt.

“Let him go!” I shout, rushing forward to pry Kallias off.

“Leave, Taryn,” Kallias growls, not even sparing me a glance. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Like hell it doesn’t!” I snap, tugging at his arm. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” Kallias barks a humorless laugh, his grip tightening on Enoch’s collar. “I’m protecting this pack from the monster you’re sheltering.”

“Monster?” I glance at Enoch, who still hasn’t moved, with an infuriating mask of indifference. Does he also thi Enoch who did it? No, it can’t be.

“You’re out of your damn mind, Kallias. He’s been in my room this whole time!”

it was

Kallias‘ jaw clenches, his eyes narrowing at me. “Do you think I’m an idiot? I know he killed the head maid. You’re just too

blind to see it.”

Chapter 25

I step between them, planting my hands on Kallias’s chest and pushing him back with all the strength 1 can muster. “Do you have any proof? Anything at all? Or are you just pulling accusations out of your ass because you can’t stand the fact that someone else might actually give a shit about me?”

The words hit their mark. Kallias’s face darkens, his fury shifting into something else something bitter and now. So, that was fucking it. What a dick.

“This isn’t about you,” he snaps, though the flicker of guilt in his eyes says otherwise.

“Bullshit,” 1 fire back. “You don’t care about the pack. You care that someone else is finally paying attention to me after your rejection, and it’s not you.”

Kallias’s nostrils flare, his composure cracking under my words. He releases Enoch with a shove, turning his glare on me.

“You’re making a mistake, Taryn,” he says, his voice low and warning “And when it blows up in your face, don’t come running to me.”

He storms out, slamming the door behind him so hard the walls of my humble room rattle. Yeah, this thing is going to crumple if it encounters another shitty fight like that.

The silence that follows is deafening, the tension in the room thick enough to choke on.

I turn to Enoch, who’s now sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of my bed as though nothing just happened

There’s a faint red mark on his jaw where Kallias’s punch must’ve landed, and my stomach twists at the sight. I’m trying to keep him off the bullies, now it’s Kallias.

He has never laid any hands on Enoch bfore, aside fom letting his friends do the kicking. In the library, ansd in the training field. This man just can’t catch a break.

“Are you okay?” I ask, rushing to his side.

He doesn’t answer. Enoch just watches me with those unreadable emerald eyes as I inspect his face. The mark isn’t bad but still getting hit by Kallis who’s the strongest wolf out there beside his father and the Gamma, it’s going to be tough.

I pull myself off of his lap. It’s definitely enough to make me reach for the first aid kit on my nightstand.

“I’ll clean this up,” I mutter, more to myself than to him as I rummage through the kit. “Even with Alpha blood, it’s going to take a few days to heal, and-”

I was cut off as Enoch’s hand wraps around my wrist, stopping me mid–motion.

I turn to look at him, and the next thing I know, “Ah!” I was pulled off of my feet and I’m sitting on his lap, his arms steadying me as I try not to lose my balance.

“Enoch-”

He doesn’t let me finish. His hands settle on my waist, his grip firm but careful, and for the first time since this whole mess started, I see something in his eyes that I can’t ignore.

Possession.

His fingers trail up, brushing against my ribs, and I can’t decide if I want to shove him away or crawl closer. I try move, but his hand snakes up, guiding mine to his cheek. His skin is warm, slightly sticky with drying blood–Kallias‘ punch and the rabbit’s guts both leaving their marks on his glorious face.

He leans into my palm as if it’s the only tether holding him to this moment, his forest–green eyes fluttering shut, trying to calm down. And for a second, everything is still. No accusations, no blood, no chaos. Just him.

Chapter 25

And then he opens his eyes.

“Taryn.”

A shiver runs down my spine. It’s not a question.

It’s not even a command. It’s just my name, but it’s enough to make the room shrink until it’s just us.

“Do you think I’m a monster too?”

I freeze, my breath catching as his gaze locks onto mine, raw and unguarded. It’s the first time I’ve seen him look human. Vulnerable.

My chest tightens, and I can’t look away from him, from those piercing green eyes searching mine like the answer will save or damn him.

His expression doesn’t change, but something in his eyes shifts, like a barrier has cracked.

I shake my head, my throat tightening. My instincts scream at me to run, to create distance, but my heart and body are rooted in place. My fingers twitch against his skin, and before I know it, both of my hands are on his face, pulling him closer

I lean forward, pressing my lips to his forehead, a gesture as familiar as breathing now. His body relaxes under my touch, has eyes fluttering shut.

Next is his nose, a soft, almost playful kiss that has his lips twitching.

When I pull back slightly, our faces are inches apart, and he’s watching me with an intensity that steals the air from my lungs.

“No,” I whisper, firm despite the fear inside of me of who exactly I brought in this pack. “I don’t”

And then I kiss him.

The moment our lips meet–a dam broke.

O

Enoch’s grip tightens, one hand slipping to my lower back, pulling me flush against him. His lips are softer than I expected, but the way he kisses me is anything but.

It’s raw, consuming, as though he’s trying to claim a piece of me he didn’t know he needed.

His lips part, and I follow, my tongue brushing against his. He groans, low and deep, and it vibrates through me, making my skin tingle.

His tongue brushes against mine, and I let out a small gasp, my hands tangling in his dark hair. His growl vibrates through me, low and primal, and I feel it everywhere.

It’s too much, too fast, and yet not nearly enough.

I pull back, gasping for air, and his lips trail down my jaw as if he’s unwilling to stop.

“Enoch,” I manage to say, breathlessly. He stills, his forehead resting against mine, his hands steadying me as if I’m the one

about to crumble.

“You need a bath,” I say, my attempt at lightening the mood falling flat against the whatever it is between us right now. “And we’re cooking that rabbit, not eating it raw

His lips twitch into a ghost of a smile, and for a moment, the tension eases. Now he looks like the same innocent man I found in the woods.

Chapter 25

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