99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 106

I dangled over the railing of the terrace, my life hanging by a thread.

If Lucien released his grip, I would plummet from the three stories into a jagged rock bed below like a kite with its string cut.

The Beta Cruz family’s summer house was beautiful. It overlooked a large body of water, with a beachfront just beyond the treacherous rock wall. It was intentional to create a struggle for trespassers, and a fall from this height, without a wolf to protect me, would have been potentially fatal.

“Lucien, calm down!” I instinctively glanced at the dizzying abyss, my body shaking uncontrollably.

The commotion drew Liyah, Liam, and the five Cruz brothers rushing to the terrace.

Everyone gasped at the sight.

Liyah instinctively started forward, but was yanked back by her brother, Gamma Kian.

“Lucien, are you crazy? Pull Claire back!” Liyah shouted, her voice cracking with fear.

“Lucien, stay calm! Don’t do anything stupid! I know you don’t want to hurt Claire, not like this. Take a deep breath.” Beta Ethan urged, his voice tense.

“Lucien! Let’s talk this through! Don’t act rashly!” Kian echoed, trying to reach Lucien’s rational side.

“Lucien! If you have any anger, direct it at me! Let go of Claire! Let her go!” Liam’s eyes were wild, nearly breaking free to reach Lucien, but the Cruz brothers held him back.

Kian whispered urgently to Liam, “You need to control yourself! His emotions are unstable, and getting closer will only provoke him, putting Claire in more danger!”

“Are you insane? Look at those pointed rocks below her. If she falls, she will die!” Liam shouted, veins bulging on his forehead and neck, cold sweat soaking his temples.

He fixated on me, suspended in the air, his facial features twisting painfully as he fought with his wolf to shift.

Lucien heard the rising chorus of pleas but remained unmoved.

“Lucien, you really want me dead, don’t you?” I lifted my pale face to meet Lucien’s devastating gaze.

“Yeah. Your family has brought me nothing but pain!”

“If my death could make you reconsider the past and clear my mother and your father’s names,” I forced a ghost of a smile, determination flashing in my eyes, “then I’m willing to die. Just bear in mind that once you learn the truth, don’t regret it because you will never earn my forgiveness back.”

Before I finished speaking, I closed my eyes and suddenly released my grip on the railing.

My body lost all support, plunging straight toward the abyss.

“No!” Liyah screamed, her voice breaking.

In that split second, as I began to fall, all I heard was Lucien’s gasp as he cried out my name.

In that moment, his instinct to save me seemed to overwhelm his hatred, and almost instantly, as I fell halfway, Lucien’s large hand seized my wrist.

C***k!

The force of my fall pulled him over the railing. I saw his ribs crashing against the cold metal. I suspected that the sound came from the impact.

He gritted his teeth against the tearing agony in his arm, holding onto the railing with one hand while using all his strength to grip my wrist with the other.

“Claire, reach up. Take my hand.” Lucien called out, but everything was muffled.

Both of us hung in mid-air, teetering precariously.

“Help them! Hurry!” Someone yelled out. I suspected it was Liam.

They all rushed forward, the Cruz siblings all struggled to pull Lucien back from the edge, while Liam attempted to reach me.

Lucien’s hold on my wrist was iron tight; not even sweat could pass through his hold on me.

Finally, with everyone’s combined effort, they managed to pull both of us back to safety on the terrace.

I can’t understand these men. They can’t stay away, but they all keep me at arm’s reach, telling me they don’t want or need me, yet they can’t seem to let me go.

It was beyond exhausting. It could be too exhausting to keep trying to live a normal life alone.

The adrenaline was fading away, leaving me with nothing left to stay focused on.

Darkness closes in on me, and my vision fades. I see the franticness in the people around me, but I hear nothing. I can say nothing. Was I nothing?

***LIAM POV***

I rushed forward, lifting Claire in my arms.

I saw my own life flash before my eyes when I saw Claire fall, and I was ready to take her away. We didn’t need to stay here; I didn’t need to title it. I would leave it all for her.

I’d never been that terrified of losing Claire before.

As I moved to take Claire away, Lucien, ignoring the blood streaming from his leg, suddenly stepped forward.

He shoved me aside with his Alpha wolf strength, knocking me to the other side of the terrace and snatching Claire from Liyah’s cradled grip, holding her tightly against his body protectively.

“Get away, Lucien! After that stunt, you need to stay away from her!” Lyah shouted, pounding on him with her small fists.

“Move aside or suffer worse!”

Lucien’s voice was hoarse, like a lion fiercely protecting its prey, ignoring all resistance as he held Claire, dragging his bleeding leg, stumbling but resolute, away from the chaotic terrace.

Silence fell over the terrace.

Everyone stood frozen, watching Lucien carry Claire away, their expressions a mix of confusion and bewilderment.

I was furious at his nerve and chased after them.

I fought through the curious crowd as steadily as I could, but just as he was about to catch up to them in the parking area, I watched as the door closed and Lucien’s black Lincoln drove away with a second of hesitation.

I picked up a rock from the driveway and threw it after the car in anger.

“Damn it, Lucien! Where are you taking her? One moment you want her dead, the next you can’t live without her! What do you want?”

I cursed uncontrollably.

But as I raged, a new thought struck me.

What if Lucien’s frantic behaviour actually stems from love, not hate? His behaviour towards her was nothing like the abusive hatred I knew Lucien for. He was cold, but not the same.

Could Lucien be in love with my mate, and now he is struggling with the reality of it?

That would explain a lot of his confusing behaviour since she and I separated. He was acting like a man in love one moment, and then distancing himself from her the next.

I didn’t care if he loved her, but I cared about how Claire felt, and I had also been noticing changes in her lately.

Was she falling in love with Lucien now, too?

My head was a mess. I needed to get to Claire before Lucien dared to admit to not only himself but Claire that he cared for her.

As this realization hit me, I felt a sharp tug at my heart.

The fear of losing someone I loved pushed me to take out my phone and dial my Gamma’s number immediately.

“Have our people track where Lucien took Claire, NOW!”