King Novel novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50

ENOCH

It all started in the woods.

The smell of damp earth, the sting of my own blood, the way my body felt like it had been ripped apart and sewn back together with barbed wire. I should’ve died there. Probably would’ve, if not for her.

Taryn Sinclair.

This stubborn, infuriating, reckless little Omega who should’ve run the second she saw me but didn’t. She pulled me out of the dirt instead, dragged me into her world, and for the first time in my cursed life. I let myself believe in something other than vengeance.

But I remember now.

I remember everything. Who I am. Who she is. Who the fuck is coming for her.

And if I don’t leave–she dies

I fucking hate it. Every part of me rebels against it, against the thought of walking away, but I don’t have a choice.

Even if it destroys her.

Even if it destroys me.

Even if-

“You’re lying to me.”

She hisses, sharp enough to cut skin. I barely have time to brace myself before she turns on me, eyes blazing, betrayal bleeding into every sharp breath.

My fingers curl into fists at my sides, but I don’t say a word.

Not because I don’t want to.

But because if I do, I’ll fucking break.

“You knew,” she accuses, shoving at my chest. I don’t move. She does it again, harder this time, her voice cracking. “You knew this whole time, didn’t you? You fucking remembered-*

“Taryn,” Kallias warns, stepping forward, thinking he can calm her down. Idiot.

“Shut the fuck up!” she snaps at him, turning on him so fast he actually takes a step back. I’d laugh if this wasn’t a goddamn nightmare. “You knew, too, didn’t you? Both of you-”

“He did it to protect you,” Kallias says evenly.

“Bullshit.”

Her voice shakes. Her whole fucking body shakes, as though she’s holding herself together with nothing but anger and desperation. And I let her believe that’s all jt is. I let her rage, let her shove me again, let her think I don’t fucking care. Because the truth…

The truth would fucking kill her.

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“You’re taking him from me,” she whispers, and that’s the part that shatters me. Not the anger. Not the fists.

This.

“You’re ripping him away, and you think that’s protection?”

1 barely see her move before she lunges at Kallias. He catches her wrists easily, blocking every wild swing, his face an unreadable mask. But she’s not stopping. She’s blind with fury, with heartbreak, and for one second, I let her fight. I let her burn.

Then I catch her.

Her body slams into mine, thrashing, fists beating against my chest. But I don’t let go. I wrap my arms around her like a steel fucking cage, like I can hold her together through sheer force alone.

“Let me go!” she screams. “You lied to me!”

I don’t say anything. I just hold her tighter.

“You fucking lied-”

Her voice cracks, and then suddenly, she’s not fighting anymore. She sags against me, her breaths ragged and uneven. Her hands curl into my shirt, and when she speaks again, it’s barely a whisper.

“Please… don’t leave me.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. My whole fucking chest caves in.

I could stay.

I could tell her the truth. I could tell her I’d rather die than leave her, that I don’t give a fuck about my throne, my past, anything other than her.

But she’d be dead within the week.

So instead, I let my forehead drop against hers, let my breath mingle with hers, let myself take this one last moment before I rip us apart.

“I have to,” I murmur. “To keep you safe.”

A sob escapes her lips.

“I don’t care.” Her fingers tighten in my shirt, like she can keep me here if she just holds on tight enough. “I don’t care about the danger. I care about you.”

Fuck.

I break.

My grip loosens, my head tilts, and I kiss her. Not her lips–I’m not that strong. But her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth, every part of her I can still claim before I walk away.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, voice fucking wrecked.

Her breath shudders. “Enoch, please—”

I don’t hear the footsteps until it’s too late.

Kallias moves fast. Faster than I expect. By the time I realize what he’s doing, it’s already ove

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Taryn jerks in my arms, a sharp inhale escaping her lips. And then her body wilts.

I catch her before she falls, my brain barely processing what the fuck just happened before I see the cloth in Kallias’s hand.

“You motherfucker-”

“It was the only way,” he says grimly. “She would’ve never let you leave.”

I look down at her. Her breathing is slow, steady. Her face is peaceful, even though everything inside her is about to shatter when she wakes up.

I press my forehead to hers one last time, memorizing the feel of her, the warmth, the way she smells like home.

“Forgive me,” I murmur.

It’s been three hours.

I should get the fuck up and leave.

Every fucking instinct in me screams to run before she wakes up. But I don’t move.

Taryn is still in my arms, her body limp from whatever the hell Kallias drugged her with. Her breath is slow, steady. Deceptively peaceful. She looks like she’s dreaming of something soft, something safe. Something I’ll never fucking be.

My fingers tighten around her, unwilling to let go even though I know I have to. This is the last time I’ll hold her like this, and the thought burns through me like acid.

I don’t deserve this. Her. The way her lips part ever so slightly in her sleep, the way she trusts me even after what I did. She should hate me. She will.

And I’m a selfish, possessive bastard because even now, I want to chain her to me so she never can.

“I’m not strong enough to protect you… not yet.”

The words grind through my teeth, a confession I’ll never give her while she’s awake.

Taryn is my mate.

I knew it the moment I’ve reversed back to my wolf.

No, I knew it the first time she found me in the forest—my wolf reacted to her.

She’s the soon to be Queen. And with that, comes the burden of being targeted by people I’ve ruined, I’ve killed.

And fuck me if I let them touch a piece of her.

My fingers brush a stray tear from her cheek, and I barely hold back from pressing my mouth against her skin, from tasting the salt and claiming her one last time.

I lean down instead, my lips hovering over her forehead, and I breathe her in like I’ll never get another chance. Because I

won’t.

“You’re my light… and I’m about to walk into the dark.”

Her fingers twitch against my chest.

I freeze.

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Her eyes flutter open, just barely, pupils unfocused, hazy from the drug. Her fingers find my cheek, a barely there touch that scorches me to my fucking core.

She’s looking at me. Seeing me.

Her lips part, but sleep drags her back under before she can say anything

It feels like a fucking mercy and a punishment all at once.

I pull away, every muscle in my body screaming to stay, to let her wake up and scream at me, punch me, curse my fucking name. At least then I’d know she still felt something. But I can’t.

I force myself to my feet, setting her down gently on the bed. She doesn’t stir. I swear, if Kallias overdosed her. I’m going to rip his fucking head off.

My jaw clenches as I turn away, but not before I do something weak.

I memorize her. Every inch of her face. The way her lashes rest against her cheeks, the faint furrow in her brow like she already knows I’m about to destroy her world.

Her fingers twitch again, curling slightly, like she’s reaching for something.

For me.

I can’t fucking breathe.