The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

–

Crumbs and Consequences

Nevara

+25 Points

The first alarm was a lie.

It blared like a dying animal at 4:00 a.m., shrieking from my nightstand, vibrating violently like it had something to prove. I slapped at it blindly until it went silent again.

And then, because I’m an idiot… I rolled over.

The second alarm hit harder.

4:45 a.m.

Bright screen. Angry chime.

Kael’s name written in all caps above a calendar alert:

“TRAINING DAY 14: LONG RUN. NO EXCUSES.”

—

I shot up like I’d been electrocuted. “Shit–shit, shit, shit.”

I was supposed to be downstairs fifteen minutes ago.

Kael was going to kill me.

Or worse–make me run behind him while he shouted motivational insults until I wished for death.

I scrambled out of bed, grabbing whatever was closest–a sports bra, compression leggings, a black tank

that might’ve been clean yesterday–and yanked them on while tripping over my own feet. I didn’t even

bother with matching socks. There was no time. I snatched a hair tie off the nightstand with my teeth and

haphazardly shoved it around my wrist.

Shoes. Shoes. Where the hell were my shoes?

A single sneaker was by the door. The other one was… under the chair? Of course it was. I lunged, grabbed

it, and bolted for the sitting room.

Mini muffins.

Salvation in plastic.

I snatched the half–empty package off the coffee table, ripped it open, and shoved all four into my mouth like I was a starving orphan in a bakery window. One gulp of lukewarm water from the glass beside them, and I was moving again.

Half–dressed. Half–choked. Fully panicked.

I managed to jam one foot into a shoe as I threw open my bedroom door.

The other was still flopping as I sprinted barefoot down the hall.

<CHAPTER 44 Crumbs and Consequences

“Shit–ow–come on-”

The castle was still mostly asleep, lights low, guards blinking blearily as I flew past like a woman

possessed.

+25 Points

I rounded the corner, almost slipped, finally yanked the other shoe on, and kept going. One hand was in my hair, fingers desperately scraping through the tangled mess while I tried to tame it into a bun with the

other. It was hopeless. A disaster of frizz and defiance.

“I didn’t brush my teeth,” I gasped aloud to no one. “I didn’t brush my damn teeth-”

There was no time to turn around.

And now I was going to be the feral–smelling mess who showed up late to a twenty–six mile run.

Fantastic.

As I reached the doors to the training courtyard, I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflective glass: wild

hair, flushed cheeks, crumbs on my shirt.

A walking, jogging, breathless disaster.

I blew out a single breath, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and shoved the doors open like a

girl with something to prove.

The training courtyard exploded into view–dozens of trainees already halfway through warmups or gone altogether. My heart sank.

Everyone was gone.

Except Kael.

He stood dead center in the courtyard like a stone statue, arms crossed, watching the horizon.

I skidded to a stop in front of him, panting, hair falling out of its half–assed bun. My lungs burned. My legs

were already questioning their life choices. I wiped my sleeve across my mouth, hoping it took any muffin

crumbs with it.

“You’re late,” he said, not even looking at me.

I bent at the waist, hands on my thighs. “Yeah, no shit,” I wheezed. “I tried–I ran–I didn’t even brush my

damn teeth.”

His brow ticked upward–barely. “Tragic. So, why are you still standing here?”

I blinked at him.

He finally turned to face me, all military command and zero sympathy. “They left five minutes ago, Nevara. You’ve got ground to cover. A lot of it.”

I groaned aloud. “Unbelievable.”

“Welcome to day fourteen,” he said dryly. “Hope your shoes are tied.”

< CHAPTER 44–Crumbs and Consequences

I didn’t answer.

I just ran.

+25 Points

Bolted down the path like I was being chased by regret and consequences, because honestly? I was.

The trail curved hard through the outer training field and then dipped into a dense strip of forest. My feet slapped the dirt in uneven rhythm, breath heaving, heart hammering.

Three miles.

I just had to make it three godsdamn miles.

Three miles to the shift checkpoint–after that, my wolf could take over. She was faster, stronger, tireless.

She could make up the time.

But I had to earn it first.

“I hate Kael,” I muttered to myself. “I hate muffins. I hate dragons. I hate that damn book.”

My thighs were already burning by mile one. My lungs were a shrieking mess of “why the hell are we awake,” but I didn’t slow down.

Couldn’t.

This wasn’t just about the run.

This was about everything.

About proving I could hang with wolves who’d been training since they were pups. About catching up after years of being stuck in someone else’s shadow. About not letting Kael–or anyone else–see me crack.

A squirrel darted across the path ahead of me. I didn’t even flinch.

Two miles down.

Sweat poured down my spine. My muscles screamed.

Still, I ran.

I focused on the rhythm–left, right, breathe, left, right, don’t puke.

Every step was a reminder: You were rejected. You were abandoned. You were caged. But you are still. Fucking. Here.

Checkpoint ahead.

I could see it through the trees–three instructors standing with clipboards, watching for anyone faltering. Most of the pack had already shifted and taken off in wolf form. A pile of stripped clothes sat near the edge of the clearing.

I staggered the last twenty yards, legs jelly, lungs molten.

Then I stopped.

3/51

< CHAPTER 44 – Crumbs and Consequences

Dropped to my knees.

Sucked in air like it owed me money.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify