99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 168

A sudden, powerful pull sent me stumbling backward, right into a solid embrace.

The crisp, familiar scent of pine enveloped me, making my pulse leap out of my chest with excitement. My head jerked up, and I found myself drowning in the fathomless dark eyes of Lucien.

Before I could steady myself, the arm around my waist tightened like a vice, pulling me deeper against him with a possessive force. A possessiveness, I wasn’t sure I disliked experiencing.

Then his icy voice sliced through the air from above my head, sharp as a blade and aimed squarely at Ethan across the table.

“A woman scorned by someone unworthy naturally needs more care and affection. As for her career, since when does it conflict with love? Ethan, I am warning you only this once out of respect for Claire and you being my Beta, you are crossing a line.”

The unspoken threat in his words hung heavy in the air.

Ethan’s face reddened, yet he met Lucien’s intimidating glare head-on with a startling boldness.

“With all due respect, Alpha. That would be your opinion on the matter, not Claire’s. She has her own path to walk. Her choices should be hers alone, not dictated by anyone else. I want her next chapter to be free, shaped by her own hands, not forced into compromise.”

The usually reserved man now stood his ground with unexpected ferocity.

Lucien’s expression darkened, his jaw clenched tight with barely contained fury.

“Stay in your lane, Beta!”

Yet Ethan remained unwavering, his spine straight and his eyes clear and defiant.

My breath caught in my throat. I had grown up alongside the Cruz brothers, but my interactions with Ethan had always been casual, never deep.

I had never imagined that one of them would understand me so profoundly, voicing the longing I had kept hidden. To be understood so deeply left me reeling. I could only stare at Ethan, utterly stunned.

“Ethan!” Liyah sprang up in alarm, clearly understanding the uncomfortable predicament I was in. She grabbed her brother’s arm to pull him down.

“What has gotten into you? I invited you for late-night snacks, not to play love conqueror! Sit down already, the barbecue is getting cold!”

She tugged insistently, her anxious gaze darting between the two men locked in their standoff. Under her persistent pulling, Ethan’s rigid posture gradually eased.

His eyes met mine for a weighted moment, before the flicker of quiet concern vanished behind his usual gentle demeanour. With a polite nod, he acquiesced and settled back into his seat.

He reached casually for the chicken.Lucien’s hand came down atop his with deliberate force. Ethan’s head snapped up, meeting eyes sharp enough to freeze fire.

“My apologies,” Lucien said, his voice ice-cold. “But this dish was not meant for you.”

Before another word could be spoken, the smoked chicken had been plopped unceremoniously onto my plate.

I stared at the abrupt offering, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. When my gaze lifted to Lucien, all I found was his clenched jaw. Pressing my lips together, I dropped my eyes without comment.

Ethan barked a disbelieving laugh. Shaking his head, he pivoted toward the beef brisket, only for Lucien to snatch the entire dish and slide it in front of Liyah.

“Seriously, Lucien?” Ethan tossed his utensils onto the table with a scoff. “What has gotten into you tonight? Can you grow the f**k up? Fine, continue acting like a trantuming child. I won’t eat anything here. Are you happy now?”

Lucien merely arched a brow, “Count yourself lucky, Beta. If anyone else had said what you did, they would be fed to my pets by now.”

Was it wrong of me to miss my little sliver of darkness, otherwise known as Lucien?

***LUCIEN POV***

I had not gone far. They expected me to have stormed out without a second glance back, but I didn’t.

I was seated in a private booth deeper inside the grill house. I swished the amber liquid in my glass with a calm ease.

My gaze burned through the glass partition, locked onto the terrace outside. I saw Liyah’s animated gestures and my Beta’s effortless grace as he served Claire. I saw the way her lips curved into a genuine and radiant smile, the kind I rarely witnessed. But I wanted to.

A cold feeling seemed to fill my veins as I sipped my drink, but the liquor sting did nothing to quell the turmoil inside. With a low growl, I threw my head back, swallowing the remainder of the scotch.

My head snapped back just in time to see Ethan pop open a soda can with effortless charm and hand it to Claire, her face lighting up with genuine delight.

The sight of their easy intimacy sent a sharp pang through my chest. What does he have that I don’t?

‘Lucien-you do actually like her, don’t you?’

The moment the thought fully formed, it hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. The festering bitterness I had clung to had completely dissolved without my notice.

For the first time in my life, I felt my heart dancing to someone else’s tune. Ethan’s words cut through me like a revelation, leaving my thoughts in complete disarray.

I tore a frustrated hand through my hair before spinning on my heel. My hurried footsteps echoed the turmoil inside me as I vanished into the night.