99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 154

LIAM POV

On the road, my phone buzzed.

I had to mute it all night, and saw that I had missed dozens of calls from my Gamma, a few from my Beta Cole and another seventeen calls from Breanne.

With a heavy sigh, I answered the call on my Bluetooth. Soren’s panicked voice came through.

“Alpha, where did you go? You weren’t in the hospital room! Luna Breanne has been ringing my phone nonstop as well. She said she is lonely and missing you.”

My face darkened.

I rubbed my aching knee, replying offhandedly, “Forget Breanne for now. As for the hospital, the bed was too hard. Since I couldn’t sleep, I decided to go back to the hotel. Soren, the design award gala tonight-is everything still on schedule?”

I paused, lowering my voice. “Keep a close watch on everything, Soren. I miscalculated their family bond once; I won’t do that again. The Reese family must not find out that Seere is actually Claire. I don’t want them interfering.”

Soren hesitated and reminded me, “But-Ms. Reese said before that her affairs had nothing to do with you anymore. She will be upset if she discovers your interference.”

A song suddenly blared from the car’s speakers.

‘Yeah, I know, I could do it on my own, but I want that real full moon black magic and it takes two. Problem is, when I’m with you, I’m an addict. And I need some relief, my skin in your teeth… Got me down on my knees, darling, please, oh I lose control’

The lyrics struck my chest like a needle.

Without realizing it, I sang along with the music.

Lowering my head, I caught sight of my torn designer suit and dirt-stained body. A wave of grief and stubborn resolve surged to my head.

In the past, I had never listened to such tacky pop songs. I always hated music with lyrics, but now it felt like poison I couldn’t resist.

“Forgive my outburst, Alpha. I understand. I’ll make the arrangements right away.” Soren finally spoke again, realizing I had ignored his warning prior.

Good. Everyone needs to understand that I won’t allow Claire to leave me.

We’re mates! You can’t just leave. It’s a forever bond!

***CLAIRE POV***

I woke up by the lake shore as night slowly gave way to dawn.

The sports car’s seats were snug, the temperature inside pleasantly warm.

As I shifted, I realized there was now a thick, soft blanket covering me.

It was a peaceful sleep. There was no uneasiness or nightmares, which I have been tolerating a great deal of since the rejection ceremony-the haunting memories of life with Liam and his horrible family.

“Lucien,” I stretched lazily, rubbing my eyes as I turned toward the driver’s seat. “Will someone come to fix the tires now?”

Lucien picked up a bottle of water, tilting it back in one long gulp. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he answered, “Yes. John’s coming with the team already.”

“Oh..” I murmured, but a thought flashed in my mind. Wait-John was his twenty-four-hour personal assistant. Why did it slip my mind? Lucien could have had an auto service run to us at any hour of the day or night. We never needed to wait until morning.

So, does that mean that Lucien delayed the repair on purpose to spend the night in the car with me? The realization made me prop my chin in my hand, my gaze unconsciously glued to his face.

Out of nowhere, a cookie was shoved into my slightly parted lips.

“I know I’m handsome, but it’s too early for you to be drooling.” Lucien teased. The faint sweetness lingered on his fingertips.

Caught completely off guard, I froze. Only then did I realize how openly I had been staring. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I quickly nodded and then dropped my head, chewing the delicious chocolate chip cookie to cover my embarrassment.

“You had cookies all along-and didn’t offer them sooner? I was starving, you know!” I muttered defensively.

Lucien raised a brow. “In the middle of the night? Weren’t you afraid of ballooning into a sphere?”

I pouted under my breath. “I’m already too thin. So what if I gain a little weight?”

He suddenly leaned closer, his breath tinged with mint and cookie as his long fingers pinched my still-round cheeks. “But I don’t like curves on my females. I prefer- bones.”

My head snapped up, and my eyes collided with Lucien’s half-smiling, unreadable gaze. My mind went blank.

Was he hinting at something? Who was he to body shame me?

A strange flutter ran across my heart. Before I could think further, his thumb tilted my chin upward, I brushing across my lips. His voice was low, almost intimate.

“Right now, you’re just perfect. Any thicker-and you wouldn’t suit my preference.”

The blatant implication was even stronger than before.

I froze, stunned for several seconds before I blurted out in muffled protest, “Who cares about your preference? Us being romantic will never be possible, anyway!”

“Never be possible?” That expression hit Lucien’s nerve. His grip on my chin tightened sharply, his knuckles whitening. “What makes you say that?”

His eyes burned with a fury that looked ready to devour me whole.

My whole body went rigid, my voice trembling. “We-”

The word siblings hovered at the edge of my tongue, but stuck in my throat. After all, my mother and Emeric had never truly mated.

Without a mating certificate submitted to the council, we had never been a real family in the eyes of the law. Which meant, technically, there was no barrier between us. But technicalities didn’t matter. I needed to stand firm on this. Lucien was too much of a wild card.

My eyes widened, my heartbeat hammering wildly against my ribs, threatening to break free.

Lucien’s gaze locked onto me.

“Claire, has anyone ever told you-” Lucien’s Adam’s apple bobbed as his voice turned husky and dangerous, “that your face is lethal?”

His palm slid over my cheek, his eyes sinking into a haze of desire.

“I-I want to-”

His body moved on instinct, leaning down as if to taste me, hard and deep.

I lay pinned against the seat with my breath growing thin under the press of his weight and the stifling air.

That devastatingly handsome face drew closer and closer. My mind went utterly blank, every nerve stretched taut.

‘What do I do? He’s going to kiss me. I should push him away!’

But his hands clamped my wrists firmly, leaving me no escape-like prey caught on the chopping block.

‘No, no, no-this can’t happen. What would people think once it got out that I fell for another of Lucien’s tricks?’

I thought he hated me? How did it turn into this?

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head desperately, praying it was all just a dream.

But the familiar, crisp scent of pine enveloped my nose again.

I thought of the countless times he had saved me from the brink. I thought of all the tangled bonds tying us together through the years.

Logic screamed at me to stay clear-headed, but my body has seemingly long betrayed me, inching closer and closer.

‘Wait. Why couldn’t I feel his lips?’