Curves And Claws: The Lycan King's Relentless Claim novel Chapter 2

The hooves of my favorite horse drummed against the earth with a steady rhythm, but each step made my body ache.

I left the pack that I had been calling home for the last two years. All I took was the clothes that I bought myself and my dearest horse. No car, no wealth, nothing. Only self-respect and priority.

By the time River’s Edge Pack House loomed into sight, my chest was heavy, my clothes clinging to me with travel’s wear. I wanted only a moment of quiet—my father’s strong voice, my mother’s presence. Home that always anchored me .

I wanted to throw myself in their arms and cried out loud. I was betrayed by the person who I loved so dearly.

But the moment I reached the gates, I knew something was wrong.

The servants met me at the door, heads bowed, eyes darting as though I had stepped into a secret they had all been waiting to see unfold. My stomach tightened. I hadn’t told a soul that I was returning.

“What’s happening here?” I whispered, but no one answered.

The walls of the Pack House swallowed me whole, familiar yet stifling. I pushed into the living room, and the instant I saw them, my body froze.

My mother—Luna Milestones—rose to her feet, eyes narrowing at me, disappointment already burning like fire. My father sat stiff, arms folded across his chest, his gaze unreadable but heavy. His imposing authority was there, raw and palpable.

And there. Standing with that smug curl to his lips—Alexander.

My husband. He came before me. He might have taken the car to arrive first since I refused to use his vehicle.

“Roana!” my mother’s voice cracked like a whip.

I glared at her, then at Alex. The smirk on his face made my blood boil.

“What’s going on?” My voice trembled with rage. “ Why is this bastard here?”

“Roana!” my mother snapped again before I could say more. “Just because you had an argument with your husband doesn’t mean you can abandon your Pack. As Luna, you have a responsibility to fulfill. You can’t run every time things don’t go your way.” She snarled,

I laughed bitterly, though the sound hurt. “Argument? That’s what you think this is?” I was disappointed. She didn't even care about my side of the story.

She waved me off. “Don’t exaggerate.”

But my gaze snapped to him, my voice a snarl. “What are you doing here, Alexander? You dare step into my father’s house to twist the truth?”

“Luna,” he said smoothly, voice dripping with false sweetness. His eyes shone with false innocence, his lips parting as though every word he spoke was sacred. “I don’t understand this behavior. We are fine. All marriages require adjustment. Everyone adjusts. That doesn't mean you can give up on our marriage, On us?”

My wolf growled in me, a howl breaking through my chest. “Enough! Get out!”

But my mother’s hand cut through the air like a blade. “That is enough, Roana! Don’t speak to your husband like that. You should worship him for still caring about someone like you!”

Someone like me? The room spun. My breath caught. “Worship him? Worship a cheater?”

They both flinched, but Alexander only tilted his head with a sly smile, letting me dig my grave.

I spat the words, my voice breaking, “ You didn't tell them about the woman? The woman you crawl into bed with— her belly full with your child. She’s about to give birth, Alexander! Don’t you dare stand there and pretend!”

The silence that fell was suffocating.

My father’s jaw flexed, but he did not deny it. He did not turn on Alexander. He turned on me.

“Even if this is true,” he said, voice steady, cold, “he is still your husband. He has given this Pack what you could not.”

The words slammed into me like a punch.

“What—?” I choked, my heart thundering. " I couldn't give him a child?"

My mother stepped forward, her gaze hard. “You’ve been married for years, Roana. Years. And not a single child. Do you think people haven’t noticed? A Luna who cannot give her Alpha an heir? You’ve failed your most basic duty.”

Tears blurred my vision, hot trails down my cheeks. “You think this is my fault?”

“What else should we think?” she snapped. “You’ve never been like the other girls. You carry weight, Look at you, you carry temper, you carry pride—but not a child. Alexander, at least, has proven he can give life to his Pack. That is more than you’ve done.”

My vision blurred, rage and grief tangling until I could barely stand. My parents’ faces, cold and firm. My husband was smirk, cruel and triumphant.

I had never felt so utterly alone.

Yet somewhere inside, through the cracks of my breaking, my wolf whispered defiance.

If they thought I would bow, if they thought I would raise his betrayal as though it were my salvation—they were wrong.

I turned from them, trembling but standing. “You can force me into silence. But you cannot force me into love. And one day, when the truth burns through all your lies, remember this moment. Remember how you chained me with a child that was never mine.” I took a deep breath and looked straight to my parents,

" Now I know why Moon Goddess didn't give you another child. Because she knows, you don't deserve us. Not even me."

Their gasps silenced the room. My body was shaking at this point.

“ What did you just say?” My mother's eyes glistened with tears,

“ I said, I am happy that you have no other children and from today onward, Mom and Dad, I refuse to acknowledge you as my parents either. Thank Goddess that she didn't allow you to bring another soul into this family! You are selfish, cruel and terrible parents! I loathe you!”

My parents froze there as I stormed out of the house. They always wanted to have a child but couldn't. Sometimes they blamed each other and it had turned into a sore topic for them.

I didn't want to say those words but today, their words wounded me. I loved them, I trusted them, but not anymore.

The heavy air of River’s Edge crushed me still, but within my chest, defiance flickered.

If they would not stand with me, I would stand alone. I was done feeling pathetic just because I was ugly and overweight. If nobody could love me, I would love myself.

And when the time came, I would not bow. Even if nobody wanted someone like me, a fatty, unattractive and useless woman, I wouldn't let them use me.

" What are you going to do with? Roana!" My Wolf purred inside in pain and disappointment.

" Divorce and then I will leave this Pack and everyone behind!" I gritted my teeth. " I will live my life with pride!”