99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 13

I heard his breath hitch at my outburst and threat. This would take him back, as Liam had never listened to my voice so tightly controlled.

It was as though he froze for a long moment before finally responding.

“Sweetheart… don’t do this. There is no need for violence. I just want to put this whole thing behind us. I’ll have Gamma Soren take you to Mirage.”

Finally-his surrender.

I exhaled, my rigid posture collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Good. Tell him to pick me up at the hospital.

Ten minutes.”

Not interested in speaking with him any further, I hung up and immediately tried to stand.

Shards of glass littered the floor. Liyah stared at me, wide-eyed.

In all our years of friendship, she’d never seen me like this feral. She’d also never felt my aura presence. I was destined to be a Luna, whether the Sterlings recognized it or not. It meant that I would carry a weight on my energy, and although I rarely lost control over my emotions, it was there. Waiting to come out.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Liyah said, stepping in front of me while shaking her head disapprovingly. “Look at you-you can barely stand!”

I shook my head right back at her, “I have to.

Something’s wrong, I have this dread that if he can’t be found, that it’s because they-” My voice cracked with the thought of what I hoped didn’t happen. I exhaled a deep yet shaky breath. “I need to see Mirage for myself.”

“Claire-bear, I agree. I don’t trust them as far as I can throw them. Especially after that disgusting video and Alpha shitheads justify the abuse, but you can’t go.” Liyah tried to reason, but my mind was set.

“I am going, so, are you coming or staying?”

“Girl, you know l am going where you go. I just got you back, I ain’t separating now.” She winked.

She was right. I allowed Liam to isolate me from everything in my old life, including my best friend. I am finally awake and taking it all back.

Gamma Soren Voss drove them to a crumbling warehouse by the sea. I noticed Soren was unusually quiet the entire car ride. Before the car even stopped, the stench hit me-rotting meat, thick and cloying.

I whipped toward Soren, my voice brittle. “This doesn’t feel right, Gamma Soren. You’re telling me that Mirage is here?”

“The horse is inside.” I noted that he wouldn’t meet my eyes. His voice was clipped when he spoke.

My breath hitched. No, no, no. This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t a place you kept a horse.

My body reacted to my thoughts. I was moving, sprinting across cracked concrete, the smell growing thicker with every step.

Liyah gagged, covering her nose. “God, what is that-?”

But I didn’t slow down. I couldn’t. I knew what I was going to find, I could feel it in my breaking heart, but I prayed to the Goddess that Liam wouldn’t do this.

He wouldn’t allow something like this when he knew what Mirage meant to me. When he saw how hard I cried after learning he had taken Mirage away the first time, he gave him to a good home. No, he wouldn’t do this.

In the warehouse’s darkest corner lay a still, shadowed shape.

“Mirage?” I called out, followed by a whistle-a whistle he had consistently recognized and responded to in the past.

No answer. Only the buzz of flies, rising like a black cloud.

“Save your false concerns for someone who cares to have it, cause I don’t want to be anywhere near you right now. Mirage is dead.

Are you going to stand here and pretend that Breanne didn’t tell you?”

I hung up my coat, my fingers stiff with suppressed rage.

Liam’s expression flickered-shock, then disbelief. He didn’t believe me; I could see it in his eyes.

That made zero sense, considering his own Gamma took me to where the body was waiting for me.

“No, Claire, that is impossible. Breanne said they were just-letting off steam. They wouldnt do something like that. Breanne isn’t that type of person.” He paused, coming to terms with my words. He swallowed hard. “Are you sure, Claire? Is he really gone?”

“Stop pretending. You let her torture him to death.” I shouted.

“That’s insane. Neither Breanne nor I would do something like that. There’s got to be a mistake

-” His face darkened.

I shook my head slowly in absolute disbelief.

He was still defending Breanne. He was always protecting her, even against his mate.

My throat burned. I shoved past him with as much strength as I could muster.

“This was it, Liam. We’re done. You sicken me, and I want nothing more to do with you. I can never forgive you for this. I am filing for an official rejection clause. That’s it.” I threw my hands up and turned to leave.