The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 90

Chapter 90 You Don’t Have to Trust Me

Chapter 90 – You Don’t Have to Trust Me

Nevara

425 Points

We had only made it as far as the garden path when I heard footsteps. Quick ones. Urgent.

Thoren turned his head slightly just before the voice reached us.

“There you are!” Michelle’s voice rang out from across the lawn, a little breathless, a little too

relieved.

I felt it before I even realized I’d reacted-my fingers curled tight around Thoren’s hand, like a reflex bracing for impact.

He felt it too.

Without a word, he ran his thumb over the back of my hand and gave it a gentle pat. A silent breathe, love. I’m here.

I didn’t let go.

Michelle jogged the last few steps, her face bright with nervous excitement. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Do you-” She paused, glancing between us. “Do you have a moment? I wanted to show Nevara something.”

I didn’t answer right away. My body didn’t move.

Instead, I tilted my head slightly and looked up at Thoren. My message was crystal clear: I don’t want to go.

He didn’t hesitate.

“How about I come too?” he said casually, still holding my hand.

Relief rushed through me, subtle but deep. My spine eased. My heart slowed.

Michelle nodded quickly. “Yes, of course. It involves both of you, actually. Absolutely.”

I took a slow breath, grounding myself. Then I looked at her directly, without flinching.

“Michelle,” I said, my voice steady but low, “I need to say something before we take even one more step.”

Her smile flickered, but she nodded, “Okay.”

“I’ve been through a lot. And it’s probably irrational. It’s definitely trauma-based. But I’m still

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not fully trusting of what I see. Or hear. Or even what I think I understand. Because I can’t tell what’s real. I can’t always tell what’s being twisted, or taken out of context. And I’m not going to lie and pretend I’m past that just because things make sense on paper.”

Michelle didn’t interrupt.

I went on.

“So what I’m going to need from you,” I said clearly, “is zero secrets. Zero surprises. No whispering. No weird glances. If something’s happening, I need to know. Not because I need control. But because if I don’t know, I start spiraling. And once that starts, it’s really damn hard to stop.”

She swallowed, face serious now.

I continued. “The only reason I’m even standing here without breaking apart is because I can feel everything Thoren feels through our bond. Every intention. Every emotion. And that’s the only way I know I can trust him right now.”

Thoren’s hand tightened gently around mine.

I took another breath.

“And for the record-it’s not just you. I don’t trust anyone else around here.”

Michelle nodded slowly. “I understand,” she said softly. “And I take no offense to any of that. Truly. If I had gone through even half of what you did, I don’t think I’d be standing at all-let alone trusting anyone. You’re doing better than most would.”

I held her gaze, trying to read her. But there was nothing false in her tone. No defensiveness.

No insult taken.

Only acceptance.

“Thank you for saying that,” I said after a beat.

Michelle smiled-smaller this time. Gentler. “Come on. It’s not far. And I think you’ll be glad to

see it.”

I didn’t move until Thoren gave the faintest squeeze of my hand, his voice low beside me.

Your call, love,”

I nodded once. “Let’s go.”

Michelle led us back through the east corridor and down a smaller hall I didn’t recognize. Thoren stayed close, not hovering, but always within reach. The gesture was simple, but it

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grounded me.

“I set everything up in one of the sunrooms,” Michelle said over her shoulder. “It gets the best light and I figured… well, if you hated it, at least the view would soften the blow.”

She pushed open a glass-paned door.

The room inside had been transformed.

What was once a quiet nook filled with ivy and plush chairs was now a planning warzone. There were stacks of color-coded folders, poster boards pinned with fabric swatches and photos, and a long table littered with binders, tablets, and sketches. A second table near the window held a rolling rack of dresses in soft garment bags.

Michelle motioned us in with a sweep of her hand. “Okay. So. Full transparency now.”

She gestured to the table. “First of all, I don’t think I ever told you this, but the original date l had locked in for the engagement party was this coming Saturday.”

I blinked. “Wait-what day is it today?”

“Monday,” Thoren and Michelle both said in unison.

I stared at them. “So… we have less than a week?”

Michelle winced. “We did. But now that the surprise is out, we can shift things however you want. Or cancel. Or scale down. I just figured… if you liked the plans, we might as well still

use them.”

I exhaled slowly. “Okay. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Michelle perked up and began flipping through a binder with labeled tabs.

“Here’s the current guest list, along with who’s RSVP’d and who we still haven’t heard from yet. Most of the council confirmed already. And your parents obviously.”

She handed me a printed copy and moved on.

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