99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 34

Breanne erupted into laughter, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. She laughed so hard she could barely stand.

“Claire, look at you! What can you do? As a wolfless nobody without parents or support, what kind of revenge can you take?”

“You once had the Thorne family backing you, but now you are nothing more than a stain in their past–a mistake they made by taking you and your worthless mother in when no one else would.”

My fingers dug deep into my own flesh, so hard that my fingertips were turning white.

Just then, Liam pushed open the door to the guest room.

“What are you two talking about? You seem to be having a blast! I’m glad to see that Claire is welcoming you into our home, Brea–Brea.” he asked with a fond smile.

The sight of their shared smiles made me want to gag.

“We’re just sharing a few laughs. Isn’t that what you wanted to see, Liam? You said I needed to make her feel comfortable and adjust to her being here now, right?“I forced a smile.

Liam beamed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders while clasping his hand around Breanne’s, linking their fingers..

“I knew having Breanne move in was the right call. You gave a little push back, but you always see things my way, Claire. What can’t a family solve behind closed doors, right?”

Both Breanne and I nodded, but while Breanne wore a smug smile, my expression turned icy.

I couldn’t wait to show all of this. Neither of them realized I was leading and baiting the conversations, or what they were acknowledging out loud.

After dinner, I retreated to my bedroom.

Liam, unlike our typical routine, didn’t follow me upstairs but stayed in the living room to play games with Breanne.

The sounds of their laughter drifted up the stairs, so I tuned them out by putting on my headphones and returning to one of my audiobooks.

It was juicy. The betrayed wife chopped up her cheating husband’s mistress and fed it to him. He devoured the ground–brenda burgers his dutiful wife prepared on the BBQ.

Tempting. I’m not even going to lie.

It was around nine pm when Liam finally came upstairs. He hopped into the shower and then tried to cuddle with me after he crawled into bed. His featherlite kisses trailed along the length of my neck, sending repulsed shivers down my spine.

I shrugged him off and pulled away, telling him I was on my period and not in the mood.

With an annoyed huff, Liam turned to face the opposite side and mumbled, “Fine.”

We both lay there, our backs to one another, on our phones, ignoring each other.

When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw that Liam was chatting with Breanne. Her contact name was filled with emojis of winky faces and pink hearts. It was clear that Breanne herself changed it to this, but the fact that he didn’t change it back and was lost in smiles during the chat right now was revealing on his end.

The silence between us was not something that should exist between a mated pair, but even now in the silence, it was as if Breanne was lying between us, keeping us separated.

Liam’s phone rang.

“Lee–Lee, I ordered pizza with all your favourite toppings. Come down and eat. I’m lonely. Ask Claire if she wants some.” She hung up after a cute giggle followed her words.

It was Breanne. Of course it was.

“No thanks,” I quickly interjected before Liam could respond.

His face fell. “You and Breanne are the same age. Why aren’t you as fun and up for anything like she is? It’s fun to be spontaneous and less stuffy, you know. I’m going downstairs to hang out for a bit. If you want something, just come down.”

Liam jumped up and rushed to dress and head down without a second glance back.

I stared at the closed door, a faint smile creeping onto my lips as I instinctively glanced at the starry sky outside.

The night sky reminded me of when I was eight years old.

One sleepless night, I snuck out to knock on Lucien’s door. We quietly joined hands and climbed to the rooftop to watch the meteor shower.

“Seriously, Claire–bear, you should be all tucked into bed and fast asleep. You’re going to be exhausted tomorrow,” said Lucien. He was the one who started calling me Claire–bear first, then the Cruz Beta siblings joined in on it.

“Lucien, the weather report said there’s a Leonid meteor shower tonight! You’re a Leo. Your wish will surely come true. What do you want to wish for?”

“My wish is simple. I hope that my adorable Claire–bear stays happy forever,” Lucien smiled.

I watched eagerly as Lucian immediately clasped his hands together, sincerely wishing for my happiness.

But I never laughed like that again. I missed the days when Lucien offered me love and kindness.

He was the last person to do so, other than Liyah, but even then, Liam divided us for years. It wasn’t the same.

And I never had anyone who wished for my happiness like that.

I unconsciously moved to the window, gazing up at the dark sky. I would give it all up to have those simple days over again. To be safe by Lucien’s side once again.

My eyes drifted to the clock on the nightstand. It was after eleven pm and Liam was still downstairs with Breanne. But the thing was, I could no longer hear them. I suspected that they moved to her bedroom instead of the living room.

Showtime!

Sitting on the bed, I opened the camera app on my phone calmly.

As the camera activated, I braced myself, but the scene that unfolded was still shocking.

In front of my eyes was Breanne, clad only in a black tank top and leggings, straddling Liam on the bed they had just bought. My mate was literally lying there with another female on top of him.

Liam was lying carefree with his hands behind his head, relaxed and comfortable. There was a big goofy smile on his face as he watched Breanne trail her fingers along the contours of his stomach and chest, seemingly unfazed by the situation.

“Liam, I want more pizza,” said Breanne.

“Sure,” Liam answered, and Liam reached to the side into the box and lifted the slice to her mouth, feeding her.

“Liam, can you grab a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet. Let’s celebrate my moving in!” Breanne urged.

“Of course!” Liam agreed and rushed out and back with a bottle, but no glasses were available. It was clear they would drink together from the bottle instead.

Breanne ran her hands over the toned muscles of Liam’s arms, “Liam, do you like having me here? Am I making things more fun for you? I know things can get really boring here for you,” said Breanne.

Yeah.” Liam nodded, took a big swig of the whiskey and passed it to Breanne with a grin. “It’s so much better with you here, Brea.”

“Liam, let’s play a game. The loser drinks, and if you can’t drink, you can choose a dare or truth. What do you think?” Breanne continued.

“Sounds good. Let’s do it!” said Liam.

It was just before three in the morning now, and I watched as their drink game turned from light–hearted fun to wild and inappropriate. Because I didn’t have a wolf, I didn’t feel the sexualized and teasing touch Breanne was giving and Liam was allowing as intensely as a wolf would, but it did cause subtle, sharp spikes to the heart nonetheless.

Their raucous laughter and playful banter echoed through the monitor. The subtle implications of attraction, but Liam being a mated man hurt, but I shouldn’t be surprised.

The more I watched all of this happening with little care that I was sleeping upstairs, the more my mind buzzed with anger, and I trembled with rage as I desperately recorded their most outrageous moments.

I wiped away my tears, reminding myself that crying for people like them wasn’t worth it.

Enduring the dull pain of my mate being inappropriate with another woman, I stepped out of my room and quietly made my way downstairs.

Standing outside the guest room, I listened intently. Taking a deep breath, I finally grasped the doorknob, twisted it, and pushed the door open.

The laughter inside stopped abruptly.

“Ah! What the f**k! Get out!” Breanne screamed, startled.

Wrapped in a sheet, she was sprawled on Liam, and my sudden entrance had genuinely frightened her.

Liam’s smile vanished, and he instinctively shoved Breanne away, sitting up while avoiding my gaze.