The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17 – Midnight Wanderings

Nevara

+25 Points

I paced the length of the chamber like a caged animal, bare feet whispering across the stone floor. The fire had burned low in the hearth. Shadows stretched long against the walls, flickering with each dying flame.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the dinner.

The argument.

His voice–raw, furious–echoed through me as vividly as if he were still standing in front of me.

“My father is dead. I don’t have a fucking mate!”

It rang in my skull with every step.

Why did it matter to me so much? Why did it feel like I’d been sucker punched when he said it–when he

demanded to know about mine?

I didn’t owe him answers.

He had his chance. Years ago. And he threw it away like it meant nothing.

And still… the way he looked at me tonight… it made everything harder.

I rubbed my arms, trying to soothe the nervous tension under my skin. I’d expected Sabrina to return with food after I’d stormed away from the dining hall, but hours had passed and there was no knock at the

door, no soft voice announcing a tray.

I was starving.

And restless.

Screw it.

I grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and wrapped it around my shoulders, padding across the room and quietly pulling the door open. The hall outside was empty, lit only by flickering bulbs in the

sconces.

The castle was quiet, humming with the kind of stillness that comes just before dawn.

I walked slowly, fingers trailing the smooth stone wall, trying to remember the way we’d taken from the dining hall. Eventually I passed the corridor that looked familiar and followed it, trying doors as I went.

Storage,

Study.

Something that smelled like cedar and wine.

No kitchen.

< CHAPTER 17 – Midnight Wanderings

I turned a corner and nearly collided with someone.

“Sabrina!” I gasped, clutching the blanket tighter.

+25 Pames

Her eyes widened. “My lady–I’m so sorry! I got pulled away to help with preparations for tomorrow’s council arrival. I completely lost track of time.”

“It’s alright,” I said quickly, even though my stomach growled in protest. “I was just trying to find the

kitchen.”

Her face flushed with embarrassment. “That’s on me. It won’t happen again. Come–I’ll take you there right

now.”

She turned and led the way down a narrower hallway I hadn’t noticed before.

“You must be starving,” she added. “You haven’t eaten since… well, dinner. And that wasn’t exactly

peaceful.”

“No,” I said softly, “it really wasn’t.”

The kitchen door was tucked behind a curved archway. Warm light and the scent of rosemary and garlic hit me immediately. Inside, it was cozy and clean, copper pots hanging overhead, a fire still glowing in the

hearth.

A woman–older, wiry, hair pinned under a kerchief–was wiping down a large wooden cutting board. She

glanced up, surprised.

“Oh! You’re the guest.”

“I was just hoping to maybe steal a granola bar or something,” I said sheepishly. “Cheez–Its? Crackers?”

She looked absolutely horrified. “What kind of monster do you think we are?”

I blinked. “Uh-”

“Nonsense. You’re not eating from a box in my kitchen. Sit down.”

I obeyed without protest, sliding onto a wooden stool at the butcher block island. Sabrina stood nearby.

smiling faintly like she’d seen this exact scenario unfold before.

The cook–Elna, she later introduced herself–whipped open the pantry and refrigerator with surgical efficiency.

“Something simple,” she muttered. “You need protein. Something warm. Something comforting.”

“You really don’t have to-”

“Breakfast for dinner it is.”

Ten minutes later, a fluffy omelet landed in front of me, stuffed with herbs and cheese and something spicy that smelled divine. A hunk of buttered toast followed.

I didn’t even pretend to be polite. I dove in.

COUPERT Underg

I shifted my weight, blanket still wrapped tightly. “I was going to head back to my room.”

“T’ll walk you”

“I can find it-

$25 Pontis

“Let me walk you”

It wasn’t a suggestion.

I fell into step beside him.

The castle was mostly silent save for the wind brushing the windows and the soft thud of our footfalls on stone. The air between us stretched tight like a thread waiting to snap.

I wanted to say something. I wanted to scream at him again. Or ask him how many other women he’s given personal tours to. Or how long it took him to stop seeing my face every time he closed his eyes.

But I said none of it.

The silence said too much already.

When we reached my door, I paused, turning the handle.

“Goodnight,” I said.

But his hand landed lightly on the wood above mine, holding the door shut.

My breath caught.

He leaned close–too close–and his voice was barely a rasp.

“You’re not a hostage here, Nevara. If you’d like to return to your mate I will take you.”

I opened my mouth to speak but he continued before I could say anything. “However, I will not leave you in the cabin alone. I will send a member of my guard to wait until your mate returns and then I will take you back. Until then you will stay here where I can be sure you’re protected.”

I looked up at him and sighed. “I don’t have a mate anymore, well I never did if you want to be technical

about it.”

Comments

LUCK DRAW >

ន

Vote

420

CHAPTER 16–Mate in Name Only