The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 138

Chapter 138 – Security Lines

Kael

From the rooftops, the celebration looked almost orderly.

+25 Points

The town square spread beneath me in a careful arrangement of movement and color. Workers finished positioning the last rows of chairs near the stage while vendors rolled carts into place along the bordering streets. Strings of lights stretched overhead between lampposts and balconies, and a small group of musicians near the fountain was already warming up their instruments. The sound of it drifted upward in

loose bursts of laughter and tuning notes that carried across the stone.

But celebrations never looked the same from above.

From this vantage point, the city resolved into angles and distances rather than music and decoration. I could see the flow of people through each entry point, the shifting density of the crowd, the narrow corridors where a panic could form if movement stalled.

The stage stood near the center of the plaza, elevated just enough to give visibility to the surrounding streets. Michelle had insisted on that height, arguing that if this wedding represented unity, the people needed to feel part of it rather than held behind barricades.

She was right.

It was also a logistical nightmare.

I crouched near the edge of the roof and studied the line of sight from the eastern street while one of the guards beside me adjusted the scope on his rifle.

“You’ve got a clear view of the platform,” he said.

“That’s not the part you’re worried about,” I replied, keeping my eyes on the square below. “The stage will be obvious. Watch the crowd entries instead.”

He shifted his scope toward the southern street where people were beginning to gather more densely.

“Anyone approaching from those corridors has the best angle to close distance before we can respond,” 1 continued. “If something starts there, I want eyes on it before it finishes moving.”

The guard nodded once and settled into position again.

Across the plaza, another rooftop team acknowledged us with a brief signal before returning their attention to the street. Every high point surrounding the square had a similar presence now–snipers positioned carefully along parapets and balconies, their rifles angled downward with quiet patience.

The rooftops were secure.

The ground was another matter.

I rose from the ledge and moved toward the fire stairs, mentally tracing the next section of the grid before

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* Chapter 138 – Security Lines

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my boots even touched the metal steps. Security planning always followed the same rhythm. Establish the perimeter. Control the high ground. Integrate visible patrols. Layer the invisible ones beneath them.

The joint patrol units were the newest variable.

When I reached the street, I spotted one immediately–two guards moving along the edge of the plaza with measured steps, their uniforms identical except for the small insignia at the shoulder marking one as Lycan and the other as wolf. The integration had been deliberate. The king wanted the message visible.

If wolves were now equals in this kingdom, then the city would see them standing guard beside Lycans.

The two patrol officers paused when they saw me approach.

“Captain,” the Lycan greeted.

“Any issues?” I asked.

“Crowd density is building faster on the southern side,” the wolf replied. “Food vendors are pulling people

in.”

That made sense. The smell of roasted meat and fresh bread drifted through the air even from here.

“Keep the walkways open,” I said. “If the crowd presses too tight near the stalls, redirect them toward the

outer street.”

They acknowledged the order and moved on.

I continued toward the center of the plaza, letting the rhythm of the gathering crowd surround me while I studied its movement. Wolves arrived in clusters from the northern streets, some greeting each other with the easy familiarity of old pack ties while others stood quietly taking in the unfamiliar city. Lycans lingered near storefronts and cafés, watching with expressions that ranged from curiosity to careful neutrality.

It was peaceful enough on the surface.

But large gatherings rarely stayed that way if someone intended to disrupt them.

The undercover teams were already in place. I spotted one of them near a vendor cart pretending to debate between two drink options while his eyes scanned the passing crowd. Another leaned casually against a wall across the street, his phone angled just enough that he could watch reflections in the

screen while appearing distracted.

Most people would never notice them.

That was the point.

I walked the perimeter of the square slowly, checking each entry corridor as I went. The northern street was already filling with arriving wolves. Families stepped through the gate carrying travel bags and folding chairs, pausing to look around the plaza before moving deeper into the crowd.

It struck me again how unusual this scene would have been only a year ago.

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Chapter 138 – Security Lines.

Wolves standing openly in the capital.

Not as workers.

Not as petitioners.

As guests.

As equals.

That alone was enough to make certain factions uncomfortable.

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I reached the western street and paused briefly beside one of the wolf patrol officers stationed there.

“Anything unusual come through?” I asked.

The guard considered the question. “Three traveling performers. Two journalists. One man who insisted he needed to bring his goat to the ceremony.”

I almost smiled.

“Anyone studying patrol routes?”

The wolf shook his head. “Not that I noticed.”

I nodded and continued walking, but something about the square had shifted. The feeling was faint, barely

more than an instinct, yet it tugged at my attention all the same.

I slowed my pace near the northern corner of the plaza and turned slightly, scanning the crowd with more

focus.

That was when I saw him.

A man standing across the street near a row of closed storefronts held his phone up as though

photographing the decorations strung overhead. But the angle of the device changed slowly as he moved it, drifting from the lights toward the patrol units walking along the plaza.

Not taking pictures.

Observing movement.

I started toward him immediately.

The man lowered his phone and stepped into the crowd before I could close the distance. Within seconds he disappeared into the shifting mass of bodies moving between the vendor stalls and seating rows.

By the time I reached the spot where he had been standing, there was nothing left but an empty patch of sidewalk.

I scanned the street carefully. Too many exits. Too many directions he could have gone.

An undercover guard leaned against the nearby wall, watching the musicians with deliberate boredom.

“You see a man filming patrol routes?” I asked quietly.

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He frowned slightly. “No one like that.”

I described the figure quickly.

The guard shook his head.

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