Curves And Claws: The Lycan King's Relentless Claim novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Roana,

I held my breath while Carl Wolfram, my mate’s supposed brother, chuckled softly at my reaction.

“Why? You didn’t expect to see his brother here?” He looked relaxed, almost deliberately so. “Follow me. You are here for a reason. Trust me.”

Trust him?

He was Cassian’s brother who had abandoned him just because he was too spoiled and jealous of Cassian. Now did I even have a reason to meet him?

Although I didn’t want to judge him without hearing his side, irritation slowly crept into my chest. I glanced at Candy, who was focusing on the soft grass beneath her feet, her fingers brushing against the blades as if trying to avoid looking at either of us.

“Let’s just go. I feel something inside that house!” Rye’s words snapped me out of my daze.

“Fine.”

Trusting Rye’s instincts and staying alert, I followed him inside. The closer I walked toward the building, the more memories of what had happened to me, to Cassian, replayed in my mind.

My heart ached, but I forced myself to steady my breathing.

Whatever was happening, I had to be prepared. Why would he be here? Did Carl aim for the throne?

Now that the brother who had taken his position had died, reclaiming it would be easy.

Doubts, wariness, and fear slowly tangled inside my thoughts. Yet something felt even stranger.

For some reason, I couldn’t smell anything. As if the entire building had been sealed shut. Not even a single person’s scent lingered in the air.

I remembered this place being full of residents. But now, nobody,

A faint chill slid along my spine.

Just as I was scanning the empty hallway, he stopped walking and turned toward me.

“Where do you want to go first? This apartment or upstairs?”

My eyes narrowed when he pointed at Keane’s apartment. A sudden, unpleasant sensation brushed against my senses. Why would he ask that?

“Upstairs. I have nothing to do with this apartment,” I said, my voice firm.

Although I didn’t understand why he asked me to choose between this or upstairs, something about the

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Chapter 165

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question itself felt wrong.

He smirked instead of answering and turned away without another word.

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“Something isn’t right. Be careful, Roana!” Rye warned, her presence tightening inside me, ready to strike.

“Don’t need to be so alert,” Carl suddenly said, making me flinch.

He turned slowly to face me, his eyes studying my expression.

“Your scent is all over the place. Even suffocating for me.” He let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head as if amused. “Indeed a Lycan’s mate. As strong as their mate.”

The last two sentences he spoke mostly to himself.

I watched him climb the stairs, my jaw tightening without my control.

Rye, however, refused to suppress herself. She let her presence spread, a silent warning.

When we reached the second floor, Carl stopped in front of a door. The entire floor had only one apartment which made me more wary. Was I acting blindly?

He didn’t open it immediately.

He stood there for a moment, his fingers curling slowly into a fist before he turned toward me.

“How much pain can you handle?” he asked suddenly, his voice colder than before.

“What?” I whispered.

“How much pain can you endure?”

I didn’t understand why he was asking this. Still, I inhaled slowly and met his gaze.

“I don’t know. I watched my mate sacrifice his life for me. If there is pain worse than this, then I don’t know.”

For a brief second, something flickered across his face.

I couldn’t read it. But it was heavy and grim as if he was calculating something.

Then he shook his head faintly and stayed silent another moment before unlocking the door.

“Come inside.”

“Why?” I finally asked. “What are you trying to do? Do you want to take his throne after killing me here? I don’t even trust that you are his brother. What do you want?”

My voice shook with restrained fury, my fingers curling into my palms.

He looked at me and laughed again, but this time the sound lacked humor, making my blood boil even more. Maybe he was expecting me to ask those questions for long time.

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“I am not joking here!” This time my voice came out sharper, edged with Rye’s anger.

He flinched visibly, taking a small step back.

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“I don’t know if you have any idea about your own strength,” he said carefully, “but I am pretty sure nobody can win against your wolf. So stop doubting me and thinking the worst. Come inside. I won’t hurt you. I am not a coward.”

“Coming from the very person who abandoned his own brother just because he couldn’t accept the fact that he wasn’t as good as him,” I scoffed.

His face fell. His jaw clenched so tightly that I could see the muscle twitch.

For a moment, he looked as if he wanted to say something.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he opened the door wider and walked in.

“Come inside or not. It’s up to you, Your Highness. But remember, you are here for a reason.”

My heart clenched painfully. Despite everything, I hadn’t meant to hurt him like that.

Still, I was too upset to take the words back. I didn’t care about the throne or politics.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about how Cassian must have felt when he was abandoned. And as his brother, he didn’t even care.

In the end, I stepped inside.

We would deal with whatever was happening.

Since Candy had brought me here, there had to be something she wanted me to know.

The moment I walked into the room, something changed.

My body suddenly felt lighter. My breathing eased as if the air itself has changed. All the pain I was feeling earlier had been vanished behind this unusual quietness.

And, To my absolute shock, Rye, who had been tense and on the edge all this time, purred excitedly inside

“What’s going on?” I asked, turning toward the door. “It feels as if we are in a different space.”

The door was still there. But the air inside felt different.

It was clearer, Warmer, and Almost unnaturally clean.

The wooden furniture, the open living space facing the ocean, the soft light filling the room strangely peaceful, like a carefully crafted illusion.

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everything felt

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Just as I was losing myself in the unfamiliar calm, a voice came from behind me, making me flinch sharply.

“Is she here? Her scent is all over the place! Suffocating.”

My attention snapped toward the sound.

A female voice- One I hated the most.

That was when I noticed her. Rosetta Estelle, the witch. She was wearing a pajama, looking exhausted and fatigued somehow. Her eyes were on Carl who was pouring water in a glass.

A chill ran down my spine. Had he collaborated with this witch to attack Cassian’s territory? Did they want to kill me first and then attack those innocent people who Cassian loved?

No.

I couldn’t let it happen.

My claws unsheathed the instant our eyes met.

“She is here,” Rosetta murmured, her voice dropping. “Why didn’t you alert me? Didn’t I tell you to warn me first?”

Her words barely reached Carl.

But my claws did. And it was quick, quiet and dangerous.

“How dare you come before me?” I snarled, lifting her into the air, my grip tightening around her throat. “Don’t you fear death?”

Her eyes widened with a loud, broken gasp as she struggled in my hold, her fingers clawing weakly at my

wrist.

It had happened too fast for her to escape.

“I will kill you.” I growled, tightening my grip around her neck more.

“Stop it,” Carl said quietly, his eyes still on the water, “She is here to help you.”

“Excuse me?”

Carl raised both hands slowly, his movements cautious, his gaze fixed on my grip.

“Let’s talk, Your Highness,” he said in a low voice. “It’s about Cassian.”

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