The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 120

Nevara

They took David in cuffs.

Not loudly. Not violently.

Just firmly.

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Kael didn’t say a word when he cuffed him–only nodded once to the guards who stepped forward to escort him out of the lab. David didn’t fight. Didn’t beg. He just looked smaller than he had five minutes earlier.

Like a man who finally understood the weight of the mess he’d helped create.

Thoren didn’t even watch him leave.

He stood rigid beside me, jaw tight, eyes distant. Processing. Calculating.

King.

We didn’t go to the hotel.

We could have.

We probably should have.

But storming in on Bethany without a plan would only give her room to twist it again. And Thoren doesn’t

move without strategy–not when it comes to war.

And this?

This was war.

The ride back to the castle was quiet. Not strained. Heavy.

When we reached our chambers, Thoren shut the door and stood there for a long moment, palms braced against the wood like he was holding the entire kingdom up with his hands.

Then he turned to me.

“Kael’s taking David to holding,” he said. “He’ll be transferred to the main Jail within the hour.”

I nodded.

“And Bethany?” I asked.

“She’ll be arrested tonight.”

No hesitation. No doubt.

But his gaze softened when he looked at me.

< Chapter 120 – The Boy Between Us

“There’s something we need to decide first.”

I already knew.

“Jonas.”

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He exhaled slowly. “Bethany goes down, she goes down hard. Fraud. Conspiracy. Tampering with royal records. Attempted political manipulation.” His mouth flattened. “She won’t be seeing daylight for a long time.”

“And he’s five,” I said quietly.

“Yes.”

The word carried more than agreement. It carried responsibility.

He moved closer, running a hand through his hair. “He’s innocent in this. Entirely. Used from the moment

he was born.””

My chest tightened.

“He lost his father before he ever knew him,” I said. “And now he’s about to lose his mother.”

Thoren’s jaw clenched. “She lost him the moment she weaponized him.”

“Maybe,” I said gently. “But he didn’t.”

Silence stretched between us.

He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“He’s my half brother.”

The words still sounded strange. Wrong. Twisted.

“And that makes him your blood,” I said. “Whether you asked for that or not.”

Thoren studied me carefully. “I want your input.”

That alone made my throat tighten.

“You don’t have to carry this alone,” he continued. “If he stays here… If he’s raised in this castle… that

affects you as much as it affects me.”

I walked to the window, staring out at the courtyard below where guards rotated shifts and lampposts flickered in the fading light.

“He’s a child,” I said finally. “And he didn’t ask for any of this.”

Thoren stayed quiet.

“He’s watched his mother lie. Manipulate. Scheme. That’s the example he’s had.”

I turned to face him.

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< Chapter 120 – The Boy Between Us

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“If he goes somewhere else–some distant relative, some state–appointed guardian–we lose control of

what he becomes.”

Thoren’s eyes sharpened slightly. “Control?”

“Guidance,” I corrected softly. “Influence. Stability.”

I stepped closer.

“There’s room here. My parents are here. Noah is here. They’re only a year apart.” I gave him a small smile.

“They could grow up together. Learn together. Train together.”

His expression shifted–something thoughtful behind it.

“And if he stays,” I continued, “he grows up knowing truth. Not lies. Not secrets.”

Thoren searched my face. “You’d be willing to raise him?”

“Yes.”

The answer surprised neither of us.

“He’s not just a pawn,” I said. “He’s a little boy who laughs too loud and runs too fast and still asks questions like the world hasn’t already taken too much from him.”

Thoren swallowed.

“If he’s here,” I added quietly, “we can make sure he grows with a good heart. Strong. Grounded.”

I hesitated.

“And in the event that we don’t have children of our own… he would be fit to sit on that throne one day.”

The words landed between us with weight.

Not expectation.

Possibility.

Thoren stared at me like I’d just said something monumental.

“You’re thinking about succession.”

“I’m thinking about the kingdom,” I said simply. “And about the future. We don’t know what life will bring. We don’t know what’s guaranteed.”

He stepped into my space then, hands settling on my hips.

“You think we won’t have children?”

I lifted a shoulder slightly. “I think life has surprised me more than once.”

His gaze darkened slowly.

“Oh, you’ll be having my child,” he said lowly.

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Chapter 120–The Boy Between Us

I blinked.

“Thoren-”

“If I have to unload in you every day to make it happen, I will.”

My mouth fell open.

He smirked faintly, thumb brushing my hip.

“This isn’t a question of if,” he continued, voice dropping deeper. “It’s a question of when.”

Heat climbed up my neck despite the gravity of the conversation we were having.

“You’re impossible,” I muttered.

“No,” he said softly, forehead brushing mine. “I’m determined.”

Then he sobered.

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“But whether we have ten children or none,” he continued, “Jonas will not pay for the sins of his mother.”

Relief flooded through me.

“So he stays?” I asked.

Thoren nodded once.

“He stays,” he confirmed. “Under my protection. Under our guidance.”

Our.

The word wrapped around my heart like a promise.

He pulled back slightly, eyes turning colder.

“Bethany gets arrested tonight,” he said evenly. “And when she does, she won’t have time to prepare him

for it.”

I inhaled sharply.

“I’ll speak to him first,” I said. “He deserves honesty. Not another lie.”

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