The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 136

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Chapter 136 – Visiting Hours

Thoren

The confirmation came through just after sunrise.

Vanessa’s transfer had been completed overnight. Secure facility. Integrated holding wing. Same visitation

protocol as Bethany’s, per my request.

I read the report twice before locking my phone and setting it aside.

Promises matter more when children are involved.

The prison complex sat just beyond the outer districts, concrete and steel softened only slightly by the

treeline surrounding it. It was not designed to comfort anyone. It was designed to contain.

Jonas was quiet as we walked through security. Not frightened. Not resistant. Just watchful.

Nevara kept a steady hand on Noah’s shoulder ahead of us. He was calmer than I expected. Vanessa’s

transfer had been explained carefully. He understood this was not a punishment. It was proximity.

Still, prison corridors do not feel like proximity.

They feel like consequence.

Once cleared, we were led into the main visitation hall. The room was larger than most assume, long rows

of bolted tables and molded chairs fixed in place beneath fluorescent lighting. Conversations overlapped in low hums across the room. No glass barriers here. No phones. Just monitored distance and guarded

observation.

Bethany was already seated when we entered.

Jonas stiffened beside me.

—

She looked smaller than I remembered. Not physically presence. Whatever fire had once burned in her seemed dimmed, but not extinguished. Her eyes found Jonas immediately.

“Hi, baby,” she said softly.

Jonas glanced at me once before crossing the room.

I stayed close enough to intervene if needed, but far enough to give them space. Nevara led Noah toward the far side of the hall where Vanessa would be brought in once processed.

Jonas slid into the chair opposite Bethany, hands folded awkwardly on the table.

“I missed you,” she said,

“I know,” he answered, in that matter–of–fact way children sometimes do when they don’t know what to do

with emotion.

Their conversation unfolded quietly. Questions about food. About school. About where he was sleeping

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now. Bethany’s gaze flicked toward me more than once, but she did not address me directly. I was neither adversary nor ally in that moment.

I was simply the man sitting beside her son.

Across the hall, Vanessa had not yet been brought in. I could see Noah shifting in his seat, energy building in small restless movements. Nevara leaned close to him, speaking quietly.

Jonas’s visit concluded sooner than expected. He had said what he needed to say. Bethany had asked what she needed to ask. There was nothing dramatic. No tears. No shouting.

Just the strange stillness of separation.

As we stood, Bethany reached for his hand one last time.

“Be good,” she whispered.

“I am,” he replied.

He meant it.

We stepped away from the table, and I guided him toward the far wall where we could wait for Nevara and

Noah to finish.

Jonas looked back once over his shoulder.

Then he didn’t.

We waited.

Prison waiting is different than any other kind of waiting. It stretches. It presses. It reminds you that time is not moving equally for everyone.

Jonas leaned against the wall beside me, arms folded loosely.

“Can I ask you something?” he said after a minute.

“Yes,”

He hesitated, then asked, “What was my dad like?”

The question was inevitable.

“We had the same father,” I told him carefully. “So if you’re asking about him, you’re asking about mine too.

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He looked up at me.

“Because we’re brothers?”

“Yes.”

He absorbed that quietly.

Chapter 136 – Visiting Hours

“He died a few years ago,” I continued. “Before you were old enough to remember much.”

Jonas frowned slightly. “What was he like?”

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I did not rush the answer.

“Alright,” I said. “I’m going to be honest with you.”

He nodded once, serious.

“He was a very mean man.”

Jonas blinked, surprised by the bluntness.

“He hated wolves,” I added evenly.

Jonas’s brows pulled together.

“But aren’t Lycans wolves too?”

The question was simple. Direct. Uncomplicated.

“There are differences,” I explained. “But yes. We’re very similar. Wolves and Lycans share more than some

people like to admit.”

“Then why did he hate them?”

“Because sometimes people decide they’re better than others,” I said. “And they hold onto that idea so

tightly that they stop seeing clearly.”

Jonas considered that.

“But we’re not better,” he said after a moment.

“No,” I agreed. “We’re not.”

He glanced across the room toward where Noah sat, still waiting for Vanessa to be escorted in.

“Noah and Nevara are wolves,” I continued. “So are Nathan and Natalie.”

Jonas’s eyes widened slightly. “They are?”

“Yes.”

He thought about that for a long second.

“Well,” he said finally, “I like Noah.”

A faint smile touched my mouth.

“Good,” I said. “I’m glad.”

He shifted his weight, looking thoughtful.

“It was fun seeing the wolf.lands,” he added. “It was just like here. A city full of people with businesses and

Chapter 136–Visiting Hours

doing their jobs and protecting the city.”

“That’s right,” I said. “See? I told you we aren’t so different.”

Jonas nodded slowly, as if confirming something inside himself.

Across the hall, movement finally stirred. Vanessa was being escorted in.

Noah straightened immediately.

Nevara placed a steadying hand on his back.

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