Curves And Claws: The Lycan King's Relentless Claim novel Chapter 142

Chapter 142

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Roana,

In the dark room, tied up with rope, I found myself staring into the void, my lashes barely fluttering as my eyes struggled to stay open. The bleeding had slowed, sticky warmth drying against my skin, but I couldn’t feel pain anymore-only a deep, spreading numbness. The cold floor beneath me bit into my back and limbs. like frost, sharp enough to keep me conscious, sharp enough to remind me I was still alive.

A soft click echoed through the room.

My breath hitched before I could stop it. My attention snapped toward the sound, every nerve tightening. I narrowed my eyes, instinctively trying to summon my wolf’s sight to pierce the darkness, but nothing came. The edges of my vision swam, blurred and useless, my head throbbing faintly.

Then a scent reached me.

My chest rose shallowly as my ears followed the sound of approaching footsteps. They stopped close-too close. I stiffened, ropes creaking softly as my muscles tensed.

“Keane?” I whispered, the name trembling out of me, thin and unsure.

“Yes, Your Highness. How are you feeling right now?” He crouched before me, his knees bending into view faint glow reflected in his eyes, sharp against the darkness.

I didn’t answer. My gaze drifted downward as he set a first-aid box on the floor. The dull thud made me flinch despite myself.

“The antidote is still with Tyran,” he said, voice quickening. “I couldn’t find it anywhere. But I can help you if you come with me.”

My brow creased slowly. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s run away, Your Highness.” His shoulders leaned forward, urgency bleeding into every word. “I’ll keep you happy. That bastard Cassian has always been pathetic. Nobody ever wanted him. He brings bad luck.” His voice began to rush, breath uneven, as if silence itself threatened him. “Now he abandoned you too. If it were me, I would have chosen you. Who cares about that bitch?”

“That bitch is pregnant, Keane!” My voice cut sharp through the air, harsher than my weak body suggested.

“So what?” His jaw flexed. “It’s not my responsibility. It wasn’t his either. He’s always been a simp for Elle. That’s why he—”

“So you can watch a child die in front of you?” My fingers curled instinctively against the rope.

“To protect the love of my life, I can watch the world burn.”

A sound tore out of me before I could restrain it—a sharp, bitter laugh that scraped my throat raw. My head shook slowly from side to side, dizziness washing over me. “My ex-husband Alex said the same thing once when someone insulted me,” I said, breath uneven.

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Chapter 142

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“Do you think this is some romantic novel, Keane?” My gaze hardened despite the blur. “I don’t know why he chose Elle, but if he had chosen me instead, I would have slapped him. A leader with no morality, no compassion, doesn’t deserve to be a king.”

Keane’s expression fractured-anger twisting with disbelief, lips trembling. “So you’re fine with him abandoning you?” he snapped, voice cracking.

“I’m not fine,” I replied, my throat tightening. “I’m disappointed he didn’t choose me. But I won’t force him to betray innocent people just to save me. I’m a Luna too, Keane.” My shoulders strained faintly against the rope. “I’ve led a pack-people who trusted me. Whatever Elle’s intentions are, they aren’t his fault.”

My teeth clenched as emotion surged. My chest ached. It wasn’t that I felt nothing. I was heartbroken. But I wouldn’t be happy knowing that he chose selfishness over what was right.

An innocent child who was already subjected by its own parents, didn’t deserve any of this. If he chose me, I would have never been able to forgive myself.

Keane stared at me as if I were stupid, eyes narrowing. “What if he chose her for love, not charity?”

“Then I’m glad.” The words left me quietly, firmly. “If he reunited with the woman he loves, then I’m happy. We had a contract-clear and solid. Loving him was my mistake. That’s on me.”

“Do you really like him so much that you’re not even angry?” His jaw clenched tight, knuckles whitenin around the bottle of medicinal alcohol.

“I don’t “The word cut off sharply. My chest rose and fell once. It had been a good journey with Cassian. always prioritized his family and pack, and we both understood that unspoken condition.

He never knew I loved him.

I never knew if he loved me or not.

Expecting him to choose me had been nothing but stupidity.

Keane didn’t leave. He lowered himself to the floor beside me, the movement slow, deliberate. He opened the box, metal clinking softly as he prepared bandages, his hands shaking just enough to notice.

“I don’t regret betraying him,” he said suddenly.

I looked at him more carefully then. He still wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I was born into a single-parent family,” he continued. “My mother and stepfather abandoned me when I was five. I grew up in an orphanage, then joined the military.” He finally glanced up. “I didn’t know what family meant until Tyran sent me there as a spy.”

He swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing, then dropped his gaze. “I thought it would be boring. But when I arrived in the Southern Military Territory, everything changed.”

My breath caught as he let out a dry, bitter chuckle. “Lorenzo and Cassian knew I was an orphan. Not because it was on my résumé-I told them myself, desperate for attention. Carolyn once told me Cassian would do anything to keep his family together. He was terrified of losing them.” His mouth twisted. “That beast turned into a puppy whenever Carolyn’s father praised him. Every birthday, he threw grand parties for us. As outsiders, we all saw it. Cassian was chasing approval.”

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Chapter 142

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“Approval?” My voice sharpened, cutting through the air.

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“Yes. ‘I am your family,” he mocked, lips curling. “Later I learned that he’d been searching for that his whole life. Somewhere he belonged. Somewhere he could rely on.” His eyes hardened. “It’s pathetic. Why cling to family when you can survive alone?”

“So you laughed at his desperation to belong? To have a family where he can be himself?”

“Why not?” he replied flatly. “I turned out fine. Everyone without any family turns out fine. Why dig your own grave for a so-called family?”

“Is that why everyone took advantage of him?” I asked, my chest tightening. “Why they shattered his ability to trust?”

“That’s right,” he said without hesitation. “The rogue attacks, the betrayals-if he’d doubted us even once, he would’ve seen the truth. But to him, we were family. Innocent. Untouchable.” He scoffed,

“Just like I didn’t doubt you,” I said quietly. “Even when you kidnapped me. Because I trusted you.”

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