The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 148

Chapter 148 – What They Didn’t Take

Nevara

The palace felt too quiet.

Not peaceful quiet. The kind that comes after a celebration ends and everyone drifts home.

This was the heavy quiet that follows chaos.

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Outside the tall windows of the council corridor, the palace courtyard was lit by floodlights and security lamps. Guards moved constantly across the grounds in rotating patrols, their radios crackling softly as

they checked in with one another.

The entire compound was on alert.

It had been since the shot rang out at the wedding.

Since Noah disappeared.

I stood near the window with my arms folded, watching the movement below without really seeing it. Every time a vehicle drove through the outer gates or a group of guards changed patrol routes, my mind immediately jumped to the same desperate hope.

Maybe they found him.

Maybe someone saw something.

Maybe-

The door behind me opened.

I turned before I even heard the footsteps.

Thoren stepped into the room and closed the door quietly behind him.

The moment our eyes met, the tension in my chest tightened.

“Tell me you have something,” I said.

He crossed the room slowly, his expression serious but controlled.

“We interrogated the man who fired the shot.”

My heart thudded harder.

“And?”

He stopped in front of me.

“The good news,” he said carefully, “is that they don’t intend to hurt Noah.”

The breath I’d been holding left my lungs in a rush.

< Chapter 148 – What They Didn’t Take

Relief hit first.

Then fear followed immediately after.

“If they don’t want to hurt him,” I said slowly, “then why take him?”

Thoren’s jaw tightened.

“That’s the bad news.”

His voice lowered.

“They want to use him for something.”

The words landed like a stone in my stomach.

Of course they did.

Noah wasn’t just a child.

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He was the former beta’s son. My nephew. A symbol of the fragile balance we had been trying to build

between wolves and Lycans.

Leverage.

My fingers curled against my arms.

“Did he say what they plan to do with him?” I asked.

Thoren shook his head.

“No. But he made one thing very clear.”

His eyes hardened slightly.

“This was planned.”

I nodded slowly.

“I figured.”

The diversion. The timing. The way Noah had been taken in the middle of the confusion.

None of it had been random.

For a moment the room fell silent.

Beyond the windows, a pair of security vehicles rolled through the front gate while guards checked the perimeter.

The sight made my chest ache.

“I should have been watching him,” I murmured.

Thoren’s head snapped toward me.

< Chapter 140 – What They Didn’t Take

“No.”

His voice was firm enough that I looked up.

“This wasn’t your fault.”

“But he was right there,” I said quietly. “He was ten feet away from me when the ceremony started.”

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“And you were walking down the aisle,” Thoren replied. “You were focused on the moment you were supposed to have.”

His gaze softened slightly.

“The moment we were supposed to have.”

My throat tightened.

I looked down at the dress I was still wearing.

The ivory fabric spilled around my feet in soft layers, the intricate stitching along the bodice catching the light from the overhead fixtures. Earlier tonight the gown had felt perfect.

Now it just felt out of place.

Like something from a celebration that had never actually happened.

Thoren followed my gaze.

For a moment he didn’t say anything.

Then he exhaled quietly.

“I know this isn’t exactly the best time to say this.”

I frowned slightly.

“To say what?”

His eyes lifted to mine again.

“You were beautiful tonight.”

The words caught me off guard.

“When you walked down the aisle,” he continued, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”

A sad smile touched my lips.

“That moment didn’t last very long.”

“No,” he admitted.

His jaw tightened briefly before he stepped closer.

“But we’ll get it back.”

< Chapter 148 – What They Didn’t Take

I searched his face.

“You’re sure about that?”

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation in his voice.

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“Whether it happens next week, next month, or after we’ve crushed every northern wolf who thinks they

can threaten this kingdom.”

His hand lifted and brushed lightly along my cheek.

“That moment wasn’t stolen forever.”

His thumb traced gently along my jaw.

“It was just delayed.”

Before I could respond, he leaned down and kissed me.

The warmth of his mouth against mine was sudden and grounding all at once. My hands lifted instinctively, gripping the front of his jacket as I leaned into the kiss for a moment.

Then reality came rushing back.

I pulled away.

Thoren blinked slightly in surprise.

“Nevara-”

“We can’t,” I said quietly.

His brow furrowed.

“Why not?”

I gestured toward the window.

“My nephew has been kidnapped and we might be walking into a war.”

Thoren studied me for a long moment.

Then something stubborn flickered across his expression.

“They already stole our wedding from us,” he said calmly.

“Don’t let them steal this too.”

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