The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 28

The Weight of Silence

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CHAPTER 28 – The Weight of Silence

Nevara

“I did look for you,” he said, quieter now. “I sent scouts. I needed to know you were okay. I needed to know

where you were.”

I stared at him, mouth parting. “You knew what pack I came from. It wouldn’t have been that hard. I went

back, Thoren. Of course I did. It was the only place I had left.”

“I know,” he murmured. “That’s how we found you.”

I blinked again. “Then… why didn’t you come?”

He dragged a hand down his jaw. “Because when my scouts returned, they said you were married. That you’d been claimed by your Alpha. That you were Luna now. And I… I wasn’t about to storm into your life and take that away. I thought… I thought you were happy. That you’d moved on.”

My breath caught, fury and disbelief twisting tight in my chest.

“So instead,” I said, voice brittle, “you let me think you didn’t care. Let me believe that the rejection was the

end. That you forgot me.”

His gaze dropped to the table.

“I would’ve rather been forgotten,” he said quietly, “than be the reason your new life burned.”

The silence that followed stretched and pulsed between us like a wound.

And I didn’t know whether I wanted to scream or sob.

My voice cracked as I whispered, “But you still chose for me.”

His eyes snapped back up.

“You didn’t even ask,” I said, a tear slipping down my cheek. “You didn’t come. You didn’t write. You just assumed that I was happy… and made the decision for me again.”

He flinched like I’d struck him.

“My whole life, Thoren,” I went on, “people have made choices for me. My brother… Tobias… you.” My throat tightened. “Even when they meant well. Even when they thought they were protecting me. No one

ever stopped to ask what I wanted.”

“I thought you were safe,” he said, his voice raw now. “That’s all I ever wanted–for you to be safe. I didn’t care if you hated me, if I had to be the villain in your story. I just needed you alive.”

“I get that,” I whispered. “I do. But you don’t get to be angry that I didn’t fall back into your arms the second

I came back.”

“I’m not angry,” he said. “I’m terrified.”

< CHAPTER 28- The Weight of Silence

That stole the breath right out of my chest.

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“I’ve loved you every day since I let you go,” he added. “I’ve regretted it every night since. But I know I don’t deserve you. I know I don’t have the right to ask you for anything.”

I folded my arms over my chest, not to block him out–but to hold myself together. My voice was quieter

this time. Honest.

“I didn’t move on, Thoren. Not really. My marriage was never… what people thought it was. We never even shared a bed. It was a political arrangement wrapped in grief and duty. And I didn’t love him.” I paused, then added with a bitter smile, “But I didn’t love myself either. Not enough to leave.”

His hand twitched on the table, like he wanted to reach for me. But he didn’t.

“Did you ever stop loving me?” he asked softly.

I looked away.

And for once, I didn’t have a ready answer.

Not one I trusted enough to say out loud.

Because love wasn’t always the question.

Sometimes the question was: can I ever trust you again?

The silence thickened between us, made heavier by everything that hadn’t been said. I could feel his eyes

on me, but I didn’t meet them. Not yet.

“I think I need some space,” I murmured finally. “Just… time. To think. To breathe. Alone.”

He nodded, but the movement was stiff. Like he wanted to fight it but knew he couldn’t.

“Of course,” he said quietly, rising from the chair near the fireplace. “I’ll go.”

He turned to leave, but before his hand touched the door, I spoke again.

“You said I didn’t have to stay here,” I said, voice soft. “That I was free to choose.”

He paused.

“You are.”

“I stayed,” I added, more to myself than to him. “I chose to train. I chose to try. And so far, you’ve let me.

You’ve respected that.”

“I meant it, Nevara,” he said, facing me now. “You get to decide. Whatever path you take, I won’t stand in

your way.”

I gave a small nod. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

That didn’t undo the past. It didn’t erase the years or the pain or the damage. But it mattered. At least it

did to me.

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