99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 119

BREANNE POV

In a lavish VIP suite within the Fairmont Hotel, a dozen shifter elites lounged lazily on a ring of leather sofas.

I stepped gracefully onto the stage in stiletto heels.

“Distinguished Alphas and esteemed ranked members, thank you all for taking the time to join us tonight.” I gave a mischievous smirk to the men before I continued. “We have specially invited the Gold Prize winner, Ms. Claire Reese, to bring you a one-of-a-kind private performance.”

The audience broke into knowing laughter and heated applause.

“Before the show begins, allow me to introduce this talented young lady’s background.” My eyes glinted with mischief. “Her mother was Helen Monroe, as I am sure that many of you have heard the name before.”

As I embellished my fabricated tales with vivid details, the vibe in the suite grew increasingly heated.

Fueled by alcohol and salacious gossip, the men dropped their façades. Some even rapped impatiently on their glasses to hurry things along.

“And now, let’s welcome-”

Before I could announce the name, a hired warrior rushed onto the stage, his face stricken with panic and fear.

“Ms. Telder!” he hissed urgently. Claire has been taken!”

“What?” I nearly screamed, but swallowed it down. “You useless trash! You can’t even keep an eye on one drugged female!”

“What’s going on? Where is she?” One of the Alphas shouted impatiently.

“I came here just for this!” Another said, adjusting himself in preparation for the promised show. “Hurry up and bring the w***e out!”

Sweat beaded across my temples. Forcing a brittle smile, I said, “Please, everyone, calm down. Ms. Reese isn’t feeling well tonight, suddenly.”

“Are you kidding me?” Alpha Reynolds of the Breaking Dawn Pack from Grande Prairie slammed the table. “We waited this long for nothing?”

My face drained of colour.

Considering the exorbitant cost of hosting the suite, desperation set in.

Worse yet, if this got back to Alpha Henry, he’d think me a further embarrassment than he already did, and this could risk more damage to packs allied to us.

“Why don’t I-uhhh, give you a performance first?” I forced my tone to be hopeful.

Without waiting for approval, I staggered to the pole at center stage. The very pole I envisioned Claire working in her drug-induced state.

My wolf felt ashamed for me; this was how far I had fallen, and I didn’t know how to climb out of the pit.

Boos rained down.

“Is this a joke?”

“My erection has gone soft, you suck!” Another Alpha hurdled his empty glass of whiskey to the stage.

“Refund! We want our money back, or I will end my contracts with the Sterling Moon pack the moment I leave here!”

Amid the jeers, someone shouted, “Why doesn’t Ms. Telder give us a strip show to make up for it?”

Humiliation like I had never felt before scorched my pride.

But with the crushing expense hanging over me, and the risk of Alpha Henry finally throwing me out of the pack with Liam’s support, I could only bite my lip and tremblingly tug down the strap of my gown.

With a final gulp, I pushed forward and crawled across the floor, kneeling to all the Alphas and their ranked members naked. Forced to repeat shameful sentences about being filthy and vile, my words echoed not only in my head but also in my heart.

After the crowd dispersed, I hurled empty bottles in a frenzy with a shriek.

“Claire! This is all your fault!”

Suddenly, three men dressed in all black stormed into the hotel suite. A drug-soaked cloth smothered my mouth and nose. The last thing I remembered was one saying that I would regret wronging their Alpha, and let the hunt begin.

When I came to, I realized I was lying on a cold metal slab.

Blinding white light forced my eyes shut. I tried to move, only to find my wrists and ankles locked tight.

Before panic could fully register, a massive black wolf lunged into my vision, its jaws bared as it sprang toward me. This was the largest wolf I had ever seen, and that includes Alpha Henry and Liam’s alpha wolves.

The sight wrenched a blood-curdling scream from my throat.

But the rabid beast halted his advance on me.

A tall, lean figure appeared at my side. The wolf crouched obediently at his heel, golden eyes flickering with bloodthirst.

“Alpha Thorne,” I stuttered. I recognized Lucien instantly-the most feared Alpha of the Crown of Thornes pack.

The man’s thin lips curved into a dangerous smile. “Welcome to my private torture chamber, Ms. Telder.” Before his words faded, the platform beneath me gave way. I was suddenly plunged downward, the wind roaring past as my consciousness nearly tore apart.

“Aaahhh!”

When awareness returned, I was in a damp, pitch-dark cavern.

Horror struck-giant centipedes crawled from every direction, swarming across my body.

“No! No, please!” I thrashed wildly, shackles cutting into my wrists until blood welled. The chamber was lined with silver. I couldn’t access my wolf. I was helpless and weakened like a human. “Alpha Thorne, I was wrong! I only wanted to embarrass Claire-I never meant to-”

At last, I understood.

The one who had been shielding Claire in the shadows all along was Alpha Lucien Thorne.

But now it was too late to tell myself to tread carefully.

Hissss-

A giant python slithered closer, scales rasping against the stone. My sobs broke into hysterical screams as I struggled against the restraints.

My wails echoed through the cavern, feeding straight into a hidden observation room.

***CLAIRE POV***

I jerked awake from the noise.

I blinked around at the strange chamber filled with gleaming weapons and complex machinery. A black wolf sat nearby, tilting its head as if studying me.

“You’re awake?”

Lucien stood before a massive screen, where live footage was displayed of a woman’s torment in stark detail.

“Lucien? What is all of this?” I tried to rise, but the wolf’s warning growl pinned me back to the couch.

On screen, the close-up shots made me shudder violently.

This wasn’t a movie that Lucien had decided to watch in the creepy room with a dozen television monitors. It was a live feed.

And the woman shackled there was Breanne.

Lucien stroked the wolf’s fur with languid fingers, “I am simply teaching you what true retribution looks like, Claire.”

Any lingering haze in my mind was ripped away by the shrieks spilling from the speakers.

I stared at the screen, trembling, just as the python unhinged its jaws, ready to start swallowing Breanne whole.

“You’re-avenging me?”

My fingernails dug into the sofa armrest. Memories from last night surged back-the sudden dizziness, Lucien driving me away, and everything that followed, including nearly telling Lucien my hidden feelings for him.

My body jolted upright.

Breanne had always been pampered and had never had to face the consequences of her actions before, so I also knew that she had never known fear like this. I could see her body trembling from head to toe; she fainted outright at the approach of the monstrous snake.

Yet just as the python closed in, Lucien pressed a button.

The metal slab tilted, dropping Breanne further into the abyss.

The feed showed her plunging into a writhing pit of snakes, the rock walls alive with slithering shadows.

The grotesque sight made my stomach lurch. I staggered to Lucien’s side and clutched his sleeve in panic.

“Lucien, stop! This is too cruel. Breanne doesn’t deserve death!”