The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 19

< CHAPTER 19 – Hope in the Ashes

CHAPTER 19 – Hope in the Ashes

Thoren

The door clicked shut behind me, and I stood there in the hallway for a long moment–my hand will on the

frame like her warmth might somehow bleed through the wood.

But it didn’t.

All I could feel was the echo of her voice. The story she told me. The weight of it.

And the hole it tore open in my chest.

I walked slowly, steps echoing through the quiet corridor. The bulbs in the sconces flickered as paH throwing my shadow against the stone walls. I looked like a stranger even to myself

She’d married.

Of course she had.

I gave her no reason to wait for me. No promise to hold. Just silence. Absence. And a memory of rejection

so brutal I could still see it in her eyes when she looked at me across a fire.

What the hell did I expect her to do?

Curl up and wait in some tower for me to change my mind?

No.

She survived the only way she could.

And I had no right to be angry about it.

But still… gods, it was almost too good to be true.

No mark. No mating. No bond.

The Alpha she married hadn’t claimed her–not the way she deserved. Not the way she should’ve been

Not with a bite, or a vow, or even a shred of devotion.

And that bastard had the gall to live under the same roof, in the same house, pleasuring himself to her brother’s widow while Nevara faded into the wallpaper.

I stopped walking.

Pressed my hand against the cold stone.

My claws threatened to unsheathe.

If I ever see him… I won’t need a sword.

But anger wasn’t what burned the deepest.

1.5

< CHAPTER 19–Hope in the Ashes

She was walking away from my bedroom door.

My pulse kicked hard, and I crossed the stone quickly, “Nevara?

She turned fast, clearly startled, her hand still hovering near her hip like she might shift on instinct

Her blanket robe had been replaced by a fitted long–sleeve and leggings–comfortable but clean. Her hair was twisted up, and there was a focused look in her eyes.

She looked incredible.

“Oh,” she said. “You weren’t there.”

“I went for a run.”

“I figured that out.” Her arms folded loosely. “I just… came to talk.”

The breath I didn’t realize I was holding slipped out. “Everything alright?”

She hesitated. “Yeah. I just… wanted to say I’d like to stay.”

Everything in me stilled.

“You would?”

She nodded. “I’m not ready to go back to the cabin. Not yet.”

I stepped closer, unable to hide the emotion in my voice. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.

”

She gave me a crooked smile. “There’s just one condition.”

“Anything.”

“I can’t sit around doing nothing, Thoren. I need a purpose. A reason to be here besides just…. being here. I

need something to do.”

“Done. You name it, it’s yours.”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure what yet,” she said slowly, “but I thought maybe I could start with training.”

I blinked. “Training?”

“With your guards. Your warriors. Real training.”

My brows lifted, a grin pulling at the corners of my mouth. “You want to train with them?*

“I want to learn how to fight. Properly. No more baseball bats and canned soup.”

I didn’t hesitate. Not for a heartbeat. “Then you’ll train.”

“Really?”

“Really,” I said. “But fair warning, they start every morning at five a.m.”

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4 CHAPTER 19–Hope in the Ashes

Her face fell. “You’ve got to be kidding”

“Oh, but I’m not.” I let the teasing edge creep into my voice. “And if you’re training with the big boys, you

get the same treatment. No leniency. No half–speed. No soft landings?

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re enjoying this”

“A little.”

“Good.” She gave me that fiery little smirk I hadn’t seen in years. “Because I’m going to wipe that look off your face by the end of the week.”

Goddess help me–I hoped she’d try

Because watching her come alive again?

That’s the best fucking gift the moon’s given me in years.

She gave me one last look and turned, walking back toward her room, the click of her footsteps fading into the corridor. I stood there for a second, just watching her go.

Still stunned.

Still half–convinced this was all some fever dream conjured by my wolf’s desperation.

But it wasn’t.

She was here.

She’d chosen to stay.

I exhaled hard and headed toward my quarters, peeling off the sweat–soaked shirt as I went. The shower blasted hot, steam rolling over me like a baptism. I braced both hands against the tile, water beating down on the back of my neck, and let the weight of it sink in.

Phase one–complete.

She’s staying.

I hadn’t even realized I had a plan until now, but suddenly the pieces were there, laid out like strategy markers on the war table.

Phase two–get on her good side. Make her laugh. Show her she’s safe. Show her that I’ve changed… or at least, that I’m trying to.

Phase three–respark the bond. If the gods are still watching, if the threads haven’t been cut beyond repair … maybe it’s not too late.

And phase four?

Make her mine again.

Completely.

CHAPTER 20–The First Run

CHAPTER 20 – The First Run

Nevara

The knock came too early.

Way too early.

I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the pillow.

Another knock, louder this time. Followed by a voice far too alert for this hour.

“Nevara. Open up.”

I groaned again. “Gods above…”

Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled to the door in one of the sweatshirts Sabrina had stocked the closet

with. When I cracked it open, a tall male with steel–blue eyes and a jaw carved from stone stood waiting

Kael.

I recognized him from the dining hall–the one who stood behind Thoren like a shadow made of muscle.

“Good morning,” he said flatly. “I’m Kael. The king’s second–in–command. I’ll be overseeing your training.”

“Morning,” I mumbled. “Barely.”

He ignored that. “I’m here to walk you down and go over your regimen. Today’s your one and only grace period. Starting tomorrow, there will be no hand–holding. You need to absorb everything I show you. No

excuses.”

“Right,” I said, still blinking sleep from my eyes. “Totally.”

He stared at me for a long beat, then muttered, “You’re not a morning person.”

“Not before the sun, no.”

He smirked like it was mildly amusing, then gestured for me to follow. I grabbed a hair tie from the dresser and threw on a jacket before trailing after him into the dim corridor.

The castle was barely stirring. Guards were swapping shifts. Fires were still being stoked.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked as we walked.

“The training day begins with the morning run.”

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