The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 36

Second Guesses and First Impressions

Nevara

+25 Points

His head turned.

Our eyes met.

And the weight in my chest doubled–then halved–then did something strange and unnamable as his expression softened.

He smiled.

Not awkwardly. Not guiltily. Just… gently.

Like there was no reason at all for my heart to be pounding. Like I hadn’t just walked in on a moment I

didn’t understand.

“Come here,” he said, voice even, inviting. “I want you to meet someone.”

I swallowed hard. The lump in my throat didn’t budge.

Still, my feet moved.

One step. Two. Each one slower than the last. The closer I got, the more ridiculous I felt. The warmth of

my revelation from earlier still clung to me like static, but it fizzled a little with every echo of the woman’s laugh and the memory of her hands on his back.

By the time I reached them, I was flushed for all the wrong reasons.

“Nevara,” he said, motioning between us. “This is my cousin–Michelle.”

The woman beamed.

And before I could react, she pulled me into a full hug, arms wrapping tight around me like we were old friends instead of complete strangers.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, pulling back and holding me at arm’s length. “I’m a hugger. I should’ve

asked first.”

I blinked, stunned by the warmth of it. “No, it’s okay. I was just… startled.”

Michelle’s smile deepened, crinkling the corners of her eyes. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

My brows lifted. “I can’t say the same, I’m afraid.”

She shrugged. “Eh, no biggie. Most people don’t go around talking about their extended relatives. I’m usually just the weird cousin who shows up at inconvenient times.”

Thoren gave a small, pointed glance. “Chelle, don’t smother her.”

“I’m doing nothing of the sort,” she said indignantly–then turned to me, slightly panicked. “Wait–am I?”

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< CHAPTER 36 – Second Guesses and First Impressions

+25 Points

The way her voice pitched up, like she might spiral into an apology loop at any second, broke the tension like a pin to a balloon.

I laughed–really laughed–and shook my head. “No. You’re fine. Really.”

Her shoulders relaxed instantly. “Phew. He had me second–guessing myself for a second.”

Thoren just shook his head. “You always second–guess yourself. That’s half the problem.”

“Excuse you,” Michelle said, lifting a brow. “It’s called being socially aware. Some of us were raised with empathy.”

“Some of us were raised to read the room,” he muttered, then looked at me with a dry smile. “And some of us walk in on conversations two seconds before they’re properly introduced and think the worst.”

“Hey,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “In my defense… the door was open.”

“Barely.”

Michelle looked between us, head tilted. “Okay, wow. This is fun. Are we bantering? Is this what bantering looks like? Because I feel like I’ve walked in on the first ten minutes of a very slow–burn romance movie

and I am so here for it.”

Thoren sighed. “Ignore her.”

“I will not be ignored,” she said dramatically. “Especially not after driving six hours on forest roads with no

signal and a half–broken GPS. I earned my screen time.”

“Why did you come through the forest roads again?” he asked, deadpan.

“Because they were scenic,” she said, then immediately scowled. “And full of potholes and wild turkeys.”

A laugh slipped from my lips again, unfiltered this time.

Michelle turned to me with a grin. “See? You get it.”

I nodded. “Unfortunately… yes.”

Thoren glanced between us like he wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or concerned by how quickly the two of us clicked.

Michelle leaned in a little and whispered–not quietly at all-“So, just to be clear, you’re the Nevara?”

I blinked. “I’m not sure what that means.”

Thoren groaned. “Don’t start.”

“Oh, I will start,” she said cheerfully. “You’re the girl who turned my grumpy cousin into an actual human being. The one who made him write letters. The one he didn’t shut up about for months before everything went sideways. That Nevara.”

I looked at Thoren.

< CHAPTER 36- Second Guesses and First Impressions

He looked at the floor.

Michelle bumped my shoulder. “Yup. That’s what I thought.”

+25 Pants

Warmth prickled in my chest. And for the first time since stepping into that room, I didn’t feel caught off guard anymore.

I felt… curious.

He wrote about me?

Michelle noticed the look and gave me a knowing wink. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you all the embarrassing cousin secrets if you let me stay long enough.”

Thoren cut her a look. “You’re staying because you’re family. Not because you’re planning a gossip campaign.”

“Oh, I’m always planning a gossip campaign,” she said smugly.

Then she turned her full attention back on me with a dazzling grin. “Okay. I want to know everything there is to know about you.”

My eyes widened. “That’s… a lot.”

“Perfect,” she said, already firing off questions. “Where are you from? You’re not a Lycan, obviously, so I assume it’s somewhere warm. How old are you? What’s your favorite color? Favorite flower? Favorite

genre of music? And song–ooh, no, wait. Top three songs. And are you close with your family? Because I

cannot wait to meet them-”

“Michelle,” Thoren interrupted, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What’s with the twenty questions? You sound like you’re trying to plan a wedding.”

She winked. “One can never know too much about the people they care about.”

He rolled his eyes.

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