The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67 – False Comforts

Nevara

The bath had helped.

Or maybe it was the food.

Or maybe it was just the exhaustion that came with pretending everything made sense when it didn’t

Whatever it was, I felt heavy by the time Tobias guided me back to the couch, urging me to lie down a

“You’re still recovering,” he said, brushing damp strands of hair away from my face. “If you were in a hospital, they’d make you rest. No walking, no thinking, no stress. Just sleep, hydration, and light food

I nodded faintly. “Makes sense.”

“Exactly. So I’m just following doctor’s orders,” he said with a teasing wink.

I gave him a weak smile and let my head fall back against the cushions. The fire still burned low, casti everything in a soft golden hue that made the cabin feel smaller… safer.

But I still couldn’t shake the sense that I was watching myself from outside my body.

“Come on,” he said after a while, snapping his fingers like we were old friends sharing a lazy Saturday.” Let’s watch a movie. Pick something cozy. You always say I go for too much action.”

He stood and moved to the small DVD rack near the fireplace. I blinked slowly, as if trying to summon preferences I couldn’t find.

“I trust you to pick,” I said.

He chuckled. “You always say that too.”

Ten minutes later, the opening credits of some romantic comedy were flickering across the small TV screen. Tobias returned from the kitchen with a big bowl of popcorn and a throw blanket over one arm

He dropped the blanket onto the couch, sat down, and held out an arm. “Come on, love. Cuddle up.”

I hesitated only a second.

Then I slid across the couch and tucked myself beneath his arm, head resting lightly on his shoulder. His other hand settled on my knee, and I told myself it was fine.

This was normal.

This was familiar.

Even if it didn’t feel like mine.

The popcorn sat untouched between us. My stomach was full, and my head was still swimming a little. The movie played on–banter, kisses, slow–motion laughter–but my focus drifted in and out.

1/3

< Chapter 67 – False Comforts

Still, I stayed curled against him. Because that’s what a wife would do, right?

Ch

Any time I moved or adjusted my body he would check to make sure I was ok asking what he could do make me more comfortable. It felt very odd and almost like he was just trying too hard. But I am hurt a people take care of people they love when they are hurt.

Midway through the film, Tobias stood and disappeared into the kitchen again. A few minutes later, he returned with another steaming mug of tea. The same floral–bitter scent drifted up from the rim as he

handed it to me.

“You’re making sure I’m hydrated, huh?” I said, trying to sound amused.

“You know me,” he said with a grin. “Can’t help but take care of you.”

I sipped it slowly, the warmth curling through me. I tried not to notice the aftertaste. Tried not to dwell c the strange flatness in my chest where my wolf should be stirring.

When the movie ended, Tobias stretched, kissed the top of my head, and said, “Lunch time.”

He moved around the tiny kitchen like he knew it by heart. Chopping, stirring, humming quietly. He made grilled cheese with tomato soup–comfort food, he said. Easy on the stomach.

It was good. Too good.

Like everything else, it hit a little too perfectly.

He watched me closely as I ate, pleased with my appetite.

“See?” he said. “Told you you’d bounce back fast.”

I smiled, but didn’t answer.

Later, he cleaned up, made more tea, and started dinner almost as soon as lunch had settled. Roasted potatoes, buttered green beans, seasoned chicken. I couldn’t tell if it was the cooking or the company tha

left a strange coil of pressure under my ribs.

When we sat down to eat, he filled my plate like he’d done it a hundred times. No asking. Just assuming.

Like he knew everything about me–even when I didn’t.

And maybe he did.

Because my memory was a shadow right now, and he was the only thing standing in the light.

I ate slowly, nodding when he told me stories I didn’t remember. Jokes from our past. Traditions, he said.

Little rituals we had.

He leaned in halfway through the meal and wiped a smudge of sauce from my cheek with his thumb. The gesture made my chest pull tight, but I smiled through it. Because I was trying.

Trying to remember.

Trying to fit.

< Chapter 67 – False Comforts

Afterward, he cleaned the dishes and brought me one last mug of tea before bed.

“You’ve always loved this flavor,” he said. “Said it helped you sleep.”

I sipped it without thinking. Warm. Bitter. Familiar.

And for the first time all day… I felt tired.

Not foggy. Not dizzy.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify