The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 60

CHAPTER 60 Into the Wild

Nevara

The wind bit harder out here–sharper, colder, untouched by the cozy glamour of the palace walls.

Our transport had dropped us off at the edge of a dense stretch of highland forest before sunrise. Fog still

clung low to the ground, curling like fingers around our boots as we stared down the first waypoint on our

map.

Hopkins was already bitching.

“This map is a joke,” he muttered, flipping it upside down and then back again. “What kind of bullshit grid

doesn’t have elevation markers?”

“Maybe the kind that assumes you can use your nose,” I snapped, pulling my pack tighter.

He shot me a look. “Did I ask your opinion, Laurent?”

“No,” I said sweetly. “But you’re lucky to get it. Usually, I charge for expert guidance.”

Jones snorted from behind us. “Damn, she’s got claws. Didn’t know the king liked ‘em mouthy.”

I didn’t flinch. Didn’t rise to it.

That was the game–they wanted a reaction. They wanted me to lose my cool and prove I didn’t belong.

Too bad for them I was stone now.

“I’m going north,” I said. “Waypoint One is three kilometers that way, if either of you feel like actually completing the mission instead of stroking your egos in the bushes.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I started walking.

They followed. Eventually.

The trail was more of a suggestion than a path–overgrown, slick with dew, and riddled with hidden roots. My calves ached, but I kept my pace steady, breathing deep, letting the forest’s rhythm sync with mine.

Hopkins made a few dumbass comments. Jones tried to egg him on. I ignored them both.

Until we reached a clearing around mid–morning.

A set of wooden beams lay across a narrow gorge–a makeshift bridge, more rope than structure. It looked like it could collapse if you so much as blinked too hard.

Hopkins stepped up beside me, arms folded. “Ladies first.”

“Cowards usually go last,” I replied, eyeing the bridge.

He smirked. “Then you should feel right at home.”

I turned, met his eyes dead–on. “You wanna keep chirping, or do you want to actually cross this thing

< CHAPTER 60- Into the Wild

before nightfall?”

He blinked, caught off guard by my tone.

Jones chuckled. “She’s got you, man.”

+25 Points

I didn’t wait for more. I adjusted my footing and took the first step–testing the tension of the ropes, the

give of the planks. It wobbled like hell, but it held.

Halfway across, I paused, heart pounding but posture calm. I turned back.

“You coming, or are we adding ‘scared of heights‘ to your long list of inadequacies?”

Hopkins growled but stepped on.

Jones followed, muttering under his breath about how this felt like a trust exercise from hell.

When we hit the other side, I crouched near the base of a tree and pulled out the map.

“There’s a creek a mile east,” I said. “That’s where we refill water and make camp. If you’re smart, you’ll help me gather firewood.”

Hopkins scoffed. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

I stood slowly, turning to face him with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Then don’t slow me down.”

And I walked.

Again.

Because I wasn’t here to make friends.

I was here to prove something–to myself, to Kael, to anyone who still whispered behind my back about whether I belonged.

They wanted to test me?

Good.

I was done being underestimated.

We reached the creek just after noon. The sky had shifted while we walked–clouds thickening, growing darker along the horizon. The wind was picking up, sharper and more insistent, rustling through the trees like whispered warnings.

I paused at the water’s edge, scanning the clearing Flat ground. Tree coverage. A nearby incline that could offer runoff protection if we picked our tents right.

“This is a good spot,” I said, already kneeling to refill my canteen.

Jones looked around, frowning “Still a lot of daylight left. Shouldn’t we push on a bit further? Less travel tomorrow that way”

I capped my bottle and stood. “If you want to go ahead, be my guest”

< CHAPTER 60- into the Wild

Hopkins crossed his arms. “If we split up, we fail. You know that, right? This is a team exercise.”

+25 Points)

“Team,” I echoed with a thick coat of sarcasm, my gaze flicking to the thickening sky. “Right. Because

we’ve been working together so well today.”

Hopkins opened his mouth, but I didn’t give him the chance.

“You see those clouds over there?” I pointed toward the southeast, where the sky was blackening at the

edges like bruised fruit. “Watch their movement. They’re headed this way. And see that curtain of rain?

Already dumping on the ridge.”

Jones squinted. “Shit. Yeah.”

“We’ve got a couple hours, max, before that storm hits us. If we don’t stop now–right now–and get

shelters up, firewood gathered, and a dry cover set for the fire, we’ll be freezing our asses off by nightfall.”

Hopkins looked skeptical. “It might pass-”

“Don’t be dense,” I cut him off. “That’s not a drizzle. That’s a full–blown highland squall with wind and

thunder, maybe even hail. You really wanna get caught trying to pitch a tent in that mess? You wanna dig

around for dry wood when everything’s already soaked?”

Neither of them answered.

I stepped closer, just enough for my voice to drop and sharpen. “Here’s your choice. You can believe what I

just said–trust that I know what I’m talking about–or you can keep playing macho moron, hike out into

that storm, and get caught pants–down with no shelter and no fire. You two can sword–fight and

naked–snuggle all night if that’s your idea of teambuilding. But I’ll be here. Dry. Warm. Fed. Ready.”

I hoisted my pack off my shoulder and dropped it with a satisfying thump onto the earth.

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