The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 139

< Chapter 139 – The Morning of the Wedding

Chapter 139 – The Morning of the Wedding

Thoren

By midmorning the city had stopped pretending this was an ordinary day.

+25 Points

The square outside the palace had transformed into something closer to a festival than a royal ceremony. Every street feeding into the plaza was crowded, the flow of people steady enough that the outer patrols had long since stopped trying to keep the walkways perfectly clear. Instead they simply guided the movement, allowing the gathering to expand naturally into the adjoining roads.

From the balcony outside the council chamber, I could see nearly the entire square.

And it was full.

Wolves and Lycans stood shoulder to shoulder in a way that would have been unthinkable only months

ago. Some groups mixed easily, laughing over cups of coffee or food purchased from the vendor carts

lining the streets. Others kept a more cautious distance, studying one another with the quiet curiosity of

strangers unsure how much familiarity was appropriate.

The sound of the crowd rolled upward like ocean surf.

Conversation layered over music drifting from the far side of the fountain. The clatter of dishes from the

temporary food stalls. The occasional burst of laughter rising above everything else.

And beneath it all, the restless hum of a city watching history unfold.

Children, as usual, seemed to understand none of the tension.

Two boys tore across the open area near the fountain, weaving recklessly between adults who stepped

aside just in time to avoid being bowled over. One clearly carried the scent of wolf, the other unmistakably

Lycan,

Noah and Jonas.

I recognized them immediately.

Jonas tripped on one of the temporary cables stretched across the stone and nearly wiped out. Noah grabbed the back of his jacket and hauled him upright before either boy lost momentum.

They kept running, already arguing about something neither of them seemed willing to explain.

I felt myself smile despite the steady pressure tightening quietly in my chest.

“Michelle has threatened three different workers with bodily harm this morning.”

Kael’s voice came from behind me.

I didn’t turn.

“That sounds restrained compared to last night.”

< Chapter 139–The Moining of the Wedding

“She’s currently reorganizing the entire seating section again.”

“That was finished.”

“So she was informed.”

I glanced back over my shoulder.

+25 Points

Kael stood just inside the doorway, arms crossed loosely as he watched the crowd with the same quiet intensity he always carried during public gatherings. His uniform was crisp, but the faint shadows under his eyes suggested he had slept even less than usual.

“How bad?” I asked.

“She says the guest estimates were optimistic.”

I turned back toward the square.

Optimistic was a generous word.

The plaza itself was completely packed now. People stood along the surrounding streets, filled the balconies of nearby buildings, and leaned against every available railing that offered a view of the ceremony platform.

Many of them had clearly arrived hours earlier.

They weren’t leaving.

“Do we have room for everyone?” I asked.

“Technically.”

That answer did not inspire confidence.

“What about security?”

Kael stepped forward beside me, resting one hand lightly against the stone railing.

“All outer patrols are holding their lines. Joint rotations between wolf guards and Lycan units are

functioning smoothly. Most of the visible security is spread through the crowd rather than concentrated around the platform.”

That had been deliberate.

Barricades and visible fortification would have turned the wedding into a political spectacle rather than a genuine invitation. If this alliance was meant to last, it needed to begin in the open.

Even if openness carried risk.

“Rooftops?” I asked.

“Covered.”

His gaze drifted across the surrounding buildings.

Chapter 139 – The Morning of the Wedding

+25 Points

“Archers are in place. Observation teams are rotating every fifteen minutes. Emergency routes through the

south and west streets remain clear.”

I nodded slowly.

Below us, a group of wolves had gathered near one of the food carts while a pair of Lycan guards chatted

easily with them. One of the wolves gestured animatedly while describing something that made the

guards laugh.

Not tense.

Not guarded.

Just people talking.

For generations, wolves had been allowed inside the capital only under strict oversight–laborers, merchants, messengers. Visitors who were expected to leave once their business concluded.

Guests had been a different matter entirely.

Guests were treated as equals.

Watching them stand here openly now, laughing beneath the same strings of lights Michelle had insisted on hanging across the plaza, I felt the weight of the moment settle more firmly across my shoulders.

“You think this actually changes things?” I asked quietly.

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

He studied the crowd for a long moment before speaking.

“I think people want it to.”

That might have been the most honest assessment anyone had given me since we announced the

wedding.

Across the plaza, Michelle suddenly appeared near the stage platform, directing a group of workers who were attempting to move one of the decorative archways.

“Is she shouting from here,” I asked, “or am I imagining that?”

“Both.”

One of the workers tried to explain something.

Michelle cut him off halfway through the sentence and pointed emphatically three feet to the left.

The archway moved.

“She hasn’t slept,” Kael added.

“That seems dangerous.”

“Mostly for the furniture.”

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* Chapter 139 – The Morning of the Wedding

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