The Lycan King’s Mark (Nevara) by Tiffanie L. Campbell novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73 – The Lion Wakes

Thoren

I woke to sunlight bleeding through the narrow windows.

Too bright. Too calm.

Too wrong.

Claim

My body felt heavy, but not in the way exhaustion draped over you. No, this was a false weight–sedated. Artificial. My limbs hummed with energy and rest, but my mind snapped to attention like a whip cracking

through fog.

I was still on the couch in my office.

Still in yesterday’s clothes.

Still–sleeping.

And then I remembered.

The tea. The window. Michelle’s voice.

Michelle.

I was on my feet in seconds, the blanket sloughing off like dead skin. Fury blazed through me faster than

my claws could shift.

I didn’t have to go far to find her. She was standing by the war table overlooking the map.

“What did you do?” I growled.

She didn’t flinch.

Didn’t even look up from the map she was annotating on the war table.

“I helped you sleep.”

My jaw clenched. “I didn’t need sleep.”

Michelle finally looked at me, calm as ever. “Yes. You did.”

I stalked closer, every step vibrating with restrained rage. “You drugged me.”

“I gave you a sedative,” she corrected. “A mild one. You were safe. Monitored. No one disturbed you. The world didn’t end because you took one damn night off.”

“I don’t have nights off!” I snapped. “Not while she’s still out there!”

“And you weren’t going to be any use to her dead on your feet,” she fired back. “You haven’t eaten. You haven’t slept. You’ve been living off adrenaline and anger for two weeks. Even lycan kings burn out.”

< Chapter 73 – The Lion Wakes

Then I turned toward the window, eyes scanning the horizon like I could will her back with a single

command.

“Good,” I said quietly. “Now let’s find her.”

“Didn’t stop.” Her tone turned businesslike again. “We’ve cleared half the high–density woodland inside the three–hour radius. The eastern scouts found two unmapped structures–we’ll check them this morning. No signs of movement, but one had fresh animal bones outside. Could be a hunting site or a safehouse.

Either way, we’re on it.”

I studied her.

Efficient. Ruthless. Loyal.

And absolutely impossible to argue with when she’d already done the damn thing better than I had.

She turned back to the map. “Now that I’ve forced you to rest, am I going to need to force–feed you next?

Because rest is only half of what you need to stay strong and alert.”

I groaned and rubbed a hand over my face. “You’re really not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Michelle…”

She rounded on me. “You’re not betraying her by keeping yourself alive, Thoren. This isn’t a vacation. No

one’s asking you to take a weekend off at a spa.”

Her voice softened, just a notch.

“You can eat a damn sandwich while barking orders and taking intel. You don’t have to be a martyr to be a

leader.”

I dropped heavily into the chair across from her, the anger burning low now–just embers under my ribs.

“I’ve always hated admitting you’re right,” I muttered. “Even when we were kids.”

She smirked, victorious. “I know. You’ve always been a stubborn oaf like that.”

I sighed. “Fine. Feed me.”

“Already ahead of you.” She walked to the corner sideboard and opened a drawer. A wrapped sandwich appeared–roast meat, herbs, still warm. “I had Sabrina make it the moment I saw signs of the sedative

wearing off.”

I took it without comment and bit in.

Silence stretched between us as I chewed, my senses sharpening with every second. The flavor hit hard spicy, earthy, just enough salt to wake my system.

“Better?” she asked after a minute.

“Still hate you,” I grumbled.

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