The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 63

Chapter 63 – The Clock Starts Bleeding

Thoren

“She’s what?” I growled, the words ripping out before Kael had even finished.

“Three hours late for extraction,” he repeated, jaw tense. “Her checkpoint was 0900. It’s now 1206.”

“And I’m just now hearing about it?”

“We give rookies a three–hour grace period,” he said calmly, as if that rule applied to her. “Standard

protocol. Nine out of ten times they’re just off pace and roll in late. But her sergeant checked the

extraction site and called it in the moment the window closed. I came straight to you.”

“She’s not just any fucking rookie,” I snapped.

Kael didn’t flinch. “No, she’s not.”

The growl that left my throat wasn’t human.

“Send me her route,” I said. “All of it. Starting point. Coordinates. Topography.”

Kael nodded, already pulling up the digital map. “I’ll backtrack from the endpoint. You start at the

beginning.”

C

I didn’t wait to reply. My hands were already sweeping across my desk, knocking everything to the floor- papers, books, pens–so that I didn’t anyone’s fucking throat out.

I shoved the door open so hard it slammed against the wall and rebounded. Michelle was in the hall, eye:

wide.

“What happened?”

“Nevara’s missing,” I barked, already striding past her.

Michelle fell into step beside me. “Wait–what? I’ll go with you.”

I didn’t argue. The more eyes, the better. The more claws, the better.

We cleared the front doors, and I shifted immediately, my beast seething beneath the surface.

“Where are we starting?” Michelle asked as she shifted.

“Her last known route,” I said. “First waypoint was flagged about six miles north of the split point. I’ll start

there.”

The wind roared past my ears as we sprinted into the forest. My pulse matched it–wild, erratic, desperate.

I should’ve stopped her. I should’ve never let her go.

“Why the hell did I even allow her to do this?” I muttered.

Michelle kept pace with me, panting slightly. “Because you don’t own her. And because she said this was

< Chapter 63 – The Clock Starts Bleeding

Chapter 63 – The Clock Starts Bleeding

Thoren

“She’s what?” I growled, the words ripping out before Kael had even finished.

“Three hours late for extraction,” he repeated, jaw tense. “Her checkpoint was 0900. It’s now 1206.”

“And I’m just now hearing about it?”

“We give rookies a three–hour grace period,” he said calmly, as if that rule applied to her. “Standard protocol. Nine out of ten times they’re just off pace and roll in late. But her sergeant checked the extraction site and called it in the moment the window closed. I came straight to you.”

“She’s not just any fucking rookie,” I snapped.

Kael didn’t flinch. “No, she’s not.”

The growl that left my throat wasn’t human.

“Send me her route,” I said. “All of it. Starting point. Coordinates. Topography.”

Kael nodded, already pulling up the digital map. “I’ll backtrack from the endpoint. You start at the

beginning.”

I didn’t wait to reply. My hands were already sweeping across my desk, knocking everything to the floor papers, books, pens–so that I didn’t anyone’s fucking throat out.

I shoved the door open so hard it slammed against the wall and rebounded. Michelle was in the hall, ey

wide.

“What happened?”

“Nevara’s missing,” I barked, already striding past her.

Michelle fell into step beside me. “Wait–what? I’ll go with you.”

I didn’t argue. The more eyes, the better. The more claws, the better.

We cleared the front doors, and I shifted immediately, my beast seething beneath the surface.

“Where are we starting?” Michelle asked as she shifted.

“Her last known route,” I said. “First waypoint was flagged about six miles north of the split point. I’ll start there.”

The wind roared past my ears as we sprinted into the forest. My pulse matched it–wild, erratic, desperate.

I should’ve stopped her. I should’ve never let her go.

“Why the hell did I even allow her to do this?” I muttered.

Michelle kept pace with me, panting slightly. “Because you don’t own her. And because she said this was

1/3

<Chapter 63 – The Clock Starts Bleeding

I stared at the torn remains, the way the grass had been crushed beneath padded paws. It wasn’t just

efficient–it was smart.

Claim

“She figured it out,” Michelle said, standing. “It’s not against the rules. No one ever thinks to shift to hunt.

She did.”

For a second, I couldn’t help it–I smiled.

“Good girl,” I murmured.

We kept moving, following the trail as it wove up the hill. Her pace had slowed near the top, fatigue setting

1. in. But she didn’t stop.

Then I saw it.

The campsite.

Tent partially collapsed, one side of the flap dragged open. The fire pit cold, kicked apart. Bedroll half–unzipped and tossed to the side like someone had tried to scramble out of it.

Every hair on my body stood on end.

Michelle stepped into the clearing beside me and immediately went still.

“What the hell happened here?”

I dropped to a crouch, running my fingers through the dirt. “She made camp. Ate. Slept.”

Michelle approached the tent slowly, sniffing. Then she stiffened. “Thoren…”

I was already moving to her side when she crouched down and touched something smeared near the tent

flap.

Red. Not blood.

Her nose wrinkled. “Wolfsbane.”

My blood ran cold.

“She was drugged,” Michelle said. “This wasn’t a fall. Wasn’t an accident. Someone came into her tent. Knocked her out.”

Comments

LUCK DRAW >