The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16 – The Weight of the Crown

Thoren

I didn’t stop walking.

Not when the doors slammed shut behind me.

Not when the guards flinched at my pace.

Not even when the corridors of my own castle seemed too narrow to hold everything burning inside my

chest.

She had no fucking clue.

Nevara.

That name still tasted like home and ash at once.

She sat there–fuming, accusing, beautiful in ways she didn’t even realize–and she asked about my mate.

My mate.

You were mine, Nevara.

You are mine.

Like I could’ve ever moved on.

Like I hadn’t spent four years reliving the moment I sent her away, over and over, wondering if she hated

me enough to stay alive out of spite.

Every part of me wanted to turn around.

Grab her.

Kiss the fury off her mouth and shake her until she understood. Until she believed me when I said I didn’t

want to hurt her.

But I wasn’t a man anymore.

I was a crown wrapped in skin.

I reached the war room and slammed the door hard enough to make the iron hinges scream. The guards outside didn’t follow. Good.

The chair didn’t survive my temper.

It shattered into three uneven pieces when I hurled it against the hearth. I didn’t care. It still wasn’t enough. I wanted to break something that fought back. Something that could hurt me the way I hurt her.

But nothing in this castle had teeth.

< CHAPTER 16 – The Weight of the Crown

Nothing but the memories.

+25 Points

I sat on the edge of the map table, knuckles split open and bleeding freely, and let the silence wrap around

me like a noose.

My hand trembled where it rested on the table. Not from fear. From restraint. It was easier when she was gone. Out of reach. Out of sight.

But now?

She was here. Under my roof. In my bedchambers. Wearing clothes my maid bought. Eating food from my

table.

And I couldn’t stop imagining what it would’ve been like if I’d claimed her that night instead of shoving her

away.

I swallowed hard and tipped my head back.

“Pull yourself together,” I muttered.

A soft knock.

I didn’t answer. Didn’t need to.

The door creaked open.

Kael, my second–in–command, stepped into the room with a sharp nod and his usual storm–cloud scowl.

His presence was like a slap of cold water–efficient, silent, observant.

“You’re bleeding,” he said.

I glanced down. My palm was cut. Deep. The claws must’ve dug in.

“She’s here,” I said instead.

He didn’t ask who.

“She shouldn’t be,” I added. “It’s too dangerous.”

Kael folded his arms. “And yet, you brought her.”

I laughed once, sharp and dry. “She was going to die. I couldn’t-“I cut myself off, jaw clenched so tight it ached.

Kael didn’t speak. He waited. Like he always did.

I looked at him, eyes burning. “They were on top of her. One of them was inside the house.”

Kael’s jaw ticked. “She’s alive. Thanks to you.”

“Yeah,” I growled. “For now.”

She still smelled like another man.

<CHAPTER 16 – The Weight of the Crown

+25 Ponds

Faint, but real. Lingered in the ends of her hair. A scent that made my jaw clench and my claws itch.

Her mate.

The one she chose after I rejected her. After I was forced to.

I laughed under my breath, bitter and sharp.

Of course she moved on. What else was she supposed to do?

But still-

Still-

There was no mark on her neck.

I’d looked. Closely.

Not even a scar or faded bond. No claim visible, not where it should’ve been. Unless…

I tipped my head back, dragging a hand through my hair. Maybe it was lower. Some mates preferred

discretion–marks on the shoulder blade, near the collarbone. Hidden places.

A private thing.

The thought made me sick.

I growled under my breath, the sound vibrating low in my chest.

He better be strong, whoever he is. He better have good fucking reason to leave her in a cabin near rogue territory with nothing but canned food, a rusty truck, and a baseball bat for protection.

Because if I ever see him, I swear to the goddess-

But I cut that thought short.

Because if she asked me to take her back to him…

I would.

Even if it gutted me.

Even if it turned my insides to ash.

Because I wasn’t the same man who marked her as mine in my heart four years ago. And I didn’t deserve to be.

I stood and paced, unable to sit still. The room felt too tight. The walls too close. My wolf restless beneath my skin, pacing with me, tail lashing, scenting the air like she was still in the room.

She’s not yours anymore.

You made sure of that.

But that hadn’t stopped me from saving her.

175

* QUARTER IN – The Wood of the tig

It hadn’t stopped me from wanting to carry her back into my world, lock the door, and dare anyone to try

and take her from me again.

Except… I’d already done that once. And it destroyed us both

So what happens now?

What happens when her so–called mate comes looking

Will you fight for her, Thoren?

Or will you let her go again?

I pressed my fists to my forehead, breathing hard.

She’d only just arrived. Her scent was still soaked into the robe, the bed linens, the sweater she wore. I

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify