Curves And Claws: The Lycan King's Relentless Claim novel Chapter 30

**Fireflies in Winter Rain — Neil A. Varma**
**Chapter 30**

Cassian,

After a relentless day filled with back-to-back meetings, dining with various influential business owners, and patrolling the dungeons to mete out justice to those who had wronged, I finally trudged home, my body aching with fatigue and my mind clouded with irritation.

All I desired was a peaceful night in my own sanctuary, a respite from the burdens of leadership. I didn’t even require Roana’s presence to find solace; the very essence of her scent lingering in the air was enough to offer me a semblance of comfort.

As I crossed the threshold around six in the evening, the weariness of the day pressed heavily upon me, and a sour mood enveloped me like a dark shroud. My footsteps echoed in the quiet hall, each step a reminder of my exhaustion, and the servants instinctively kept their distance, their breaths shallow and hurried, as if my mere presence cast a shadow of impending storm over them.

Butler Mathew entered my chamber with the utmost caution, bearing a tray adorned with damp towels and juice. His hands trembled slightly, and his pallor spoke volumes of the anxiety that gripped him. It was as if fear had siphoned the color from his face, leaving him a ghost of his former self.

As I took a sip of the juice, my gaze drifted toward the bed. It lay untouched, the sheets smooth and pristine, as if no one had dared to disturb them. The scent in the room was faint—too faint. A chill slithered down my spine, and my jaw clenched tightly, a dull ache forming as I fought to suppress my growing unease.

“Where is Roana?” I demanded, placing my glass down with a controlled click that reverberated through the stillness, making the air feel thick with tension.

Mathew’s expression shifted from confusion to a cautious wariness, as though he were weighing each word with the utmost care. “She went for a ride shortly after you left. I assumed she would return by now.” His fingers tightened around the tray, and I could see beads of sweat forming at his collar.

“You mean to say she didn’t even stop for lunch? You haven’t seen her at all?” My voice dropped low, slicing through the air with an edge that could cut glass. Mathew’s face drained of color, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, struggling to articulate an apology that felt more like a feeble defense.

Suspicion darkened my gaze. I had departed this morning, and she hadn’t returned since then. My guard had informed me she had ventured into the woods earlier.

I narrowed my eyes slowly, a dangerous pressure coiling behind them. “Are you telling me you don’t even know if your Luna has eaten today?”

Mathew flinched, his eyes glued to the floor as if it were the source of his shame.

“What did I order you?” I snapped, the words falling from my lips like ice shards. “You will treat her with the same care you show me!” Each syllable was precise, clipped, and sharp, suffocating the air around us.

“I… I’m sorry, Your Majesty! But Miss Carolyn specifically instructed us not to—” He stammered, the mention of her name igniting a cold fire within me.

“Who is the master here?” My hand moved almost instinctively, deliberate and unforgiving. I grasped his collar between my fingers, lifting him just enough to make my intentions clear. “Since when do you defy my orders and place hers above mine? Are you courting death?” My lips curled in contempt, the twitch at the corner of my mouth barely a semblance of a smile.

Mathew whimpered under my intense scrutiny; his body went slack, and the tray clattered to the floor, the sound harsh and jarring in the stillness.

“She runs the household, but that doesn’t mean she owns this place. Here, my word is law. Did you forget that?” I growled, barely managing to contain the fury simmering within.

“Your Majesty!” Butler Taylor’s voice sliced through the charged atmosphere, thin and panicked. “Two guards are here to see you. It’s about Her Highness!” I released Mathew’s collar as Taylor hurried in, Mathew collapsing to the floor, gasping for breath, his eyes wide with desperation.

“Send them in!” I commanded coldly, turning towards my study, my voice a chilling decree that allowed no room for hesitation. I dispatched men to track Roana’s whereabouts. They would find her.

“Say that again,” I snarled, my voice barely human. My shadow loomed over them like a dark threat. Their knees hit the floor, apologies spilling out in frantic, desperate waves. Heat coursed through my veins, but it was cold, precise. I tasted iron and the sharp scent of resolve.

Cyrus intervened, his voice calm yet firm. “It’s silver. It will paralyze her and stop her heart within hours if we don’t find her now. Instead of rage, we need action. Let’s move.” His steady demeanor anchored me, and I felt him stirring inside, eager to break free.

His mate was in peril. He didn’t want me wasting a single second here.

“Right.” I moved with deliberate speed. “Take more guards and find her immediately. Do not return without her.” The order fell like a stone—law, not a plea. I slammed the door behind me, the sound sharp enough to sting anyone who heard it.

Cyrus stirred within me, ready to shift. The air around me crackled with tension, sharp like iron filings trembling on the edge of an approaching storm. My presence bore down on the men who followed, making their breaths quicken, their chests tightening with unease.

“My King, dinner is ready! Please join me!” Carolyn stepped forward, her smile bright yet utterly misplaced in this moment of peril. She reached for my hand, but I brushed past her as if she were nothing but a whisper in the wind. Her smile faltered, confusion giving way to a flicker of petulant anger.

“Cassian! Where are you going?” she called softly, her voice cold and small. I didn’t look back.

Stay alive, Roana. You cannot perish while you are under my protection. I clenched my jaw tightly—she must survive.

Outside, the night enveloped us in a heavy, suffocating silence. My aura tightened like a clenched fist; fear curled and shrank in the guards trailing behind. I stepped into the darkness with the determination of a man who would not rest until he had undone whatever threat had taken her.

“Shift, Cyrus. Find her.” I commanded, feeling Cyrus break free from my bones, transforming into the Lycan whose very presence could suffocate the world.