The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 137

Chapter 137 – Crossing the Gate

Nevara

The first wolves arrived just after dawn.

+25 Points

I was already awake when the message came through, standing on the balcony outside our chambers

with a cup of coffee growing cold in my hands. The capital looked different in the early morning light, the

stone streets still quiet and damp from the night air. Vendors were only beginning to unlock shutters and roll carts into position. The city was stretching awake slowly, unaware that by midday it would be hosting the largest gathering of wolves and Lycans anyone alive had ever seen.

Thoren stepped beside me a moment later, fastening the cuffs of his shirt as he glanced toward the outer

gate.

“They’re early,” he said.

“Wolves usually are.”

He gave a small, thoughtful hum at that and leaned against the railing beside me. From this height we

could see the main road that curved toward the capital’s northern entrance. At first there was nothing

unusual–just the occasional wagon, a delivery rider, a pair of early travelers.

Then I saw them.

A cluster of figures walking together along the road, their pace steady and purposeful. They didn’t look like

merchants or tourists. They moved like people who knew exactly where they were going.

My chest tightened before I even realized why.

Wolves.

Not just one or two.

Dozens.

They came in groups of families and small packs, some traveling on foot, others riding old trucks or piled into the backs of utility vehicles that had clearly made the journey from the wolf territories. Their clothing was practical–jackets, boots, travel packs slung over shoulders–but there was something unmistakable about the way they carried themselves.

Pride.

Caution.

Hope.

“They actually came,” Thoren said quietly.

I glanced at him.

< Chapter 137–Crossing the Gate

“You invited them.”

“Yes,” he said. “But invitations and trust are not the same thing.”

He wasn’t wrong.

+25 Points!

For generations, wolves had been tolerated at best inside Lycan territory. Many had never stepped inside the capital walls at all. And now they were walking through the gates not as servants, not as laborers, but

as guests.

As equals.

The guards at the entrance straightened when the first group approached. I watched closely, my fingers

tightening around the mug.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then the captain stepped forward and opened the gate.

No challenge.

No hesitation.

Just a quiet nod of acknowledgment.

The wolves passed through.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Word traveled through the city faster than any official announcement ever could. Within an hour, the streets near the square were filling with curious onlookers. Lycans lingered outside cafés and shops, pretending to go about their morning routines while watching the arrivals from the corners of their eyes.

Some expressions were welcoming.

Others were harder to read.

Down below, Noah tugged on my sleeve as we walked toward the square.

“Are those people from home?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

He craned his neck to look past the crowd as another group of wolves entered the plaza. A woman near the fountain spotted him and broke into a wide grin before waving enthusiastically.

Noah’s entire face lit up.

“I know her!” he said, immediately waving back.

I smiled, feeling something warm bloom in my chest. The simple recognition between them felt bigger than it should have. Familiarity had power in a place like this.

Jonas walked beside us, watching the wolves with open curiosity rather than suspicion.

* Chapter 137 – Crossing the Gate

“They don’t look scary,” he observed.

“They’re not,” Noah replied matter–of–factly.

Jonas considered that.

“Well,” he said after a moment, “you’re not.”

25 Points

The boys exchanged a look that seemed to confirm a private understanding neither of them needed to explain.

The square itself was already beginning to transform. Workers were assembling the ceremony platform at the far end of the plaza, reinforcing the raised stage Michelle had insisted on for visibility. Strings of lights stretched overhead between the surrounding buildings, and rows of folding chairs were being set out in careful lines that extended into the adjoining streets.

Michelle stood in the center of it all like a general directing a battlefield.

“Move those back three feet,” she was telling a pair of workers. “If the crowd spills over the street entrance

we need a clear emergency lane.”

One of the men adjusted the chairs immediately.

She turned just as we approached, clearly mid–calculation.

“Oh good,” she said, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re here.”

“You look like you’ve slept,” Thoren said.

“I have not,” she replied flatly. “But I have redesigned this square four times since midnight, so I consider

that a victory.”

Her gaze flicked briefly toward the steady stream of wolves entering the plaza.

“They’re coming faster than we expected,” she said quietly.

“That a problem?” Thoren asked.

Michelle studied the crowd for a moment.

“No,” she admitted. “Just… history.”

Across the square, wolves were mingling carefully with Lycan residents. Some conversations were tentative, polite exchanges that felt almost ceremonial in their caution. Others were easier. A few children were already chasing each other between the chairs, their laughter echoing against the stone buildings.

Noah ran toward them the moment I released his shoulder.

Jonas followed without hesitation.

Thoren watched them go.

“That might be the most important part of this entire wedding,” he murmured.

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< Chapter 137 – Crossing the Gate

I nodded.

+25 Points

Children did not inherit prejudice the way adults did. They learned it later, usually from the people who

should have known better.

The plaza continued to fill as the morning stretched toward afternoon. Vendors rolled carts into position along the outer streets, the smell of fresh bread and roasted meat drifting through the air. Music floated

faintly from somewhere near the fountain as a group of street performers tuned their instruments.

For a moment, the square looked less like a political statement and more like a festival.

But the tension never fully disappeared.

I felt it in the way some Lycans kept their distance, observing the wolves with tight expressions. I saw it in

the careful posture of the wolves themselves, shoulders squared as if ready to defend their right to stand

here.

Trust would take longer than one ceremony.

“Nevara.”

I turned as Kael approached from the edge of the plaza, scanning the crowd even as he spoke.

“All outer patrols are in place,” he said to Thoren. “We’ve integrated wolf guards into the visible rotations

like you ordered.”

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