99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 21

I lay down but couldn’t sleep.

Now, not just the man next to felt filthy, the bed under me did as well. No matter how I shifted, I felt uncomfortable lying here next to him, in this tainted room.

I needed to leave this room.

I got up and spent the night curled on the living room sofa. By morning, I had regained enough strength to make my own breakfast.

Liam came downstairs to find me eating a toasted bagel breakfast sandwich. I watched him closely as he noted that I had only made one portion. He frowned, but said nothing.

“Rest up these next two days. This weekend, just us–I’ll take you to the island.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss on my temple affectionately.

I hummed noncommittally as I scrolled through my phone.

Two days later, when the weekend came, as expected, Liam was nowhere to be found. He had broken yet another promise.

After the sneaking out, the hickey, the silence hanging over us, I wasn’t surprised. But noted that I felt nothing. His presence–or absence–no longer mattered.

Refusing to waste time, I threw myself into more equestrian training with fierce focus.

This was something I needed to do because, besides competing in Liyah’s place, I needed to see him there.

As a seasoned equestrian, I knew he would most likely be judging or watching. Either way, he would show.

I knew he despised me. Probably wished I would simply vanish forever.

But I had to see him, I needed to smooth things over enough to get inside that house.

Hidden within those forbidden walls, there was something incredibly precious to me. And it was time that I retrieved it.

For four days straight, I trained at the stables until late each night.

Liam came home daily. We saw each other nightly. But between us, a cold wall had risen. Things would never be the same.

That evening, again, I cooked dinner for myself only.

Liam, poking at a tub of near–expired instant noodles, finally broke the heavy silence.

“I stood you up because Breanne kept relapsing.” He paused, then added pointedly, “If you hadn’t been so rough with her that day, she’d be discharged by now.”

Gaslighting at its finest. Liam Sterling is a master at blaming others for his own shortcomings.

“Oh? Anything else?” I stirred my soup listlessly.

“Locking yourself in the dungeon showed remorse, sure. But if you want this mating to last, I strongly suggest that you visit Breanne. Patch things up instead of ignoring her. I spoke to her, and she is willing to forgive you, Claire.”

“Oh? That’s so incredibly generous of her.” I rolled my eyes.

“Claire, have you noticed how… suffocating you’ve become lately?” Liam’s frown deepened.

I stood, a bitter smile twisting my lips.

Suffocating?

Eight more days. I chanted in my head.

I got up in silence and headed towards the stairs to go to my room.

As I walked up the stairs, I watched Liam reach over and pull the remaining portion of my meal and start eating it himself. This must truly bother him.

I used to eat his leftovers. Now it was reversed.

I heard him sigh and mumble, ‘Women were impossible.‘

Suffocated? Me? Breanne clung to him constantly–playing sick, demanding kisses, hugs, and being carried. I was pulling away, freezing him out of my life. I refused to cook him any meals, and I refused to allow any touching. But I was the suffering mate?

Liam stormed upstairs, yanking me into his arms, his touch rough with anger.

I felt his wolf’s frustration under the surface as I continued to refuse him.

When he tightened his grip, determined to get me to submit, I kneed him in the groin–hard.

He hissed in pain. You don’t call me suffocating and then storm up here and demand contact.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Claire? So what if I care for Breanne a little more right now? You nearly killed her!”

“Killed her? A wolfless female nearly killed a Beta female with her wolf clawing at me? I find that hard to believe, but you continue to fall prey to her glorious performances every time.”

“I am getting tired of this, Claire? How long has it been since we shared a meal? When was the last time you let me hold you? You are my mate! You’d best start acting like it!” Liam growled through clenched teeth.

“How convenient it is to remember you have a mate when it is just the two of us? Are you sure your mistress understands that? Just reject me, Liam. I am done with this yo–yo bullshit you keep doing.

You can’t have us both.” I sighed in annoyance. I was over the arguing and back and forth with him.

Why can’t he see we are not going to work out?

Liam scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Reject you? What do you have without me, Claire? No family. No support. You have nowhere else to go. You have nothing without me. Drop the idea, it’s not happening!”

The fact that he dismissed me so easily irked me more. He believed he held all the cards. All the power.

Maybe I wasn’t the fool here; maybe it was Liam. Not me. I had more than he realized.

We slept back–to–back tonight–our problems stirring under the surface, stiff and unresolved.

Early the next morning, I packed every pot, pan, and dish I had ever bought, hauling them to my new apartment. Liam wasn’t aware of the kitchen inventory, so he wouldn’t notice the absence of my items.

It was a lot of work travelling back and forth between places, but doing it myself kept Liam unaware. He would know if others came to the house, not that I was coming and going. I always parked in the attached garage, so no one saw me loading boxes in and out. was filling my new home, and it filled me with a sense of hope and excitement.

Slowly, I was .

When I returned to the manor Liam and I shared, I was exhausted and just about to brew coffee when Stephanie–who’d never called me–rang.

I paused, then answered. “Luna Sterling.”

The formal address stiffened Stephanie’s voice. “This is about your rejection by Liam, Meet me. We’ll discuss terms.”

‘Fine”

Meet at the cafe in town. Half an hour.”

“Done” Claire agreed flatly .

At the Cafe, I arrived early and ordered my latte, waiting for my monster–in–law at the far corner table.

Stephanie arrived, sunglasses hiding her eyes. This was our first meeting outside the Packhouse in five years. Awkwardness hung thick.

I wore a simple black dress, her hair loosely clipped, with minimal makeup, just a touch of lipstick.

Yet I looked more striking than ever–natural, elegant. It was intentional.

Stephanie couldn’t help staring, unnerved by my beauty. I knew she wanted to see the bruises and cuts on me. What she realized was that Liam fed me a bit of his Alpha blood to revive me.

I sipped my latte confidently while letting Stephanie continue, watching with a silent smugness.

Stephanie received her tea order before beginning to speak. “I’ll agree to the twenty–five million dollars. But how do I know you’ll actually reject him?”

My eyebrow arched. I hadn’t expected Stephanie’s quick surrender. The woman was notoriously cheap, always haggling over Omega’s wages.

“Within the month. Transfer the money, I’ll sign whatever guarantee you need.” I sipped my latte.

Stephanie’s lips thinned. She pulled a document from her bag and slapped it on the table.

“Then sign this. I’ll have the money wired immediately. But you will leave Liam. Fast. The sooner, the better.”