99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 44

“I–I thought you came here tonight to make up with Claire. After all, you grew up together. You used to carry her on your back every day,” Kian stammered.

Lucien’s gaze turned icy as they bit into his Gamma’s trembling features.

Kian audibly gulped.

I knew that Kian had grown up with Lucien, and among the six brothers, and he probably felt closest to him. They had always been the leading Beta family for the Thorne Alpha family.

As Lucien’s Gamma, he would believe that he understood Lucien better than anyone else, despite Lucien’s increasingly ruthless behaviour and dark past. That was how Gammas were; they attuned with the energy and emotions of their leading Alpha pairs.

Lucien hadn’t been close to any woman since I was run out of the Crown of Thorne pack.

Kian most likely misread the situation and had thought that I held a special place in Lucien’s heart, something forbidden.

Now that I was officially rejecting my mate and free, he was eager to reconnect with us. However, the issue was that Kian had misjudged the situation. Lucien hates my guts.

“So?” Lucien replied, his tone slow and chilling. “You keep mentioning her, like you’ve taken her in. Don’t you know she’s now the laughingstock of the town?”

That hurt, but it was meant to. Each word Lucien spoke was threatening.

Poor Kian was drenched in cold sweat. He was most likely rethinking everything he thought he knew or understood now.

He now realized that despite Lucien’s silence over the years, he had never forgotten what happened back then.

Reuniting with me was a lost cause.

My eyes shifted from a very uneasy Kian, over to Lucien, who extinguished his half–burnt cigarette in the ashtray, leaning back lazily and closing his eyes.

Everyone held their breath, afraid to move or make a sound,

I hated how he came in here and ruined everyone’s fun, and I was half convinced that this move was calculated and deliberate.

Kian sat quietly for a moment, finally confirming that Lucien had indeed fallen asleep.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he signalled to his brothers, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

The music turned back on, but at a much lower volume. It was no longer eardrum–shattering levels.

Lucien remained motionless on the couch, seemingly deeply asleep, showing no signs of being disturbed.

Lucien, even when we were young, could always sleep. It didn’t matter how loud or if we were moving in a car, he could always sleep. Nothing bothered him.

Sure, we were pretending to have fun and be happy, but again, it was all pretend. We were all guarded now, unsure what to do.

I took this opportunity to really take in Lucien’s physical features. He lounged on the sofa, his eyelids lowered, and his light blue shirt was carelessly buttoned, revealing a striking physique. The tight black belt accentuated his well–defined abs, and his features were attractive and deep–set.

He was still the handsome figure from my memories, perhaps even more striking and charismatic than before.

But his personality had changed completely, becoming someone I no longer recognized.

He exuded an aura that kept people at bay. Everyone could party, but no one dared to approach him.

Feeling a bit weary, I was about to tell Liyah that I wanted to leave when the door swung open.

A woman in a black, ultra–short dress, with an alluring figure, strutted in.

She carried herself with an air of superiority, ignoring everyone else in the room as she sauntered straight to Lucien and sat beside him.

Kian reached out to stop her, but was too late.

“Lucien, wake up! Why are you sleeping in here? We’ve all been waiting for you!” she cooed, leaning against Lucien and pulling his hand onto her shoulder.

Kian facepalmed, I’m sure he was thinking what we all were, which was that this woman had no idea what she was getting into,

Lucien, suddenly awakened by the weight of the soft body beside him, opened his eyes and glanced at the woman.

A smirk curled his lips, his blue eyes glinting with a strange amusement as he looked at her.

I watched with a mix of confusion and fascination as the unknown woman instinctively leaned into him.

Everyone has heard the rumours about Lucien’s disinterest in women, but she appeared to be confident that she would be the exception.

The woman beamed a brilliant smile of success and calculation as she tried to cuddle into Lucien.

“Lucien, you’re awake! They say you’re a devil, but I think you’re just a brooding prince.” Her voice oozed with false sweetness. I knew her type. This was another Breanne, I was willing to bet on it. “Is that so?” Lucien replied, a hint of indifference in his voice.

I watched as Kian shook his head in warning for the woman, but she ignored the expressions of everyone around her.

I almost had to admire her determination, as I watched her become bolder, placing her delicate hand on Lucien’s collarbone.

“I heard your mom was driven to suicide by a mistress. Your dad remarried the mistress then. You dropped out of school and joined the underworld rogue packs, doing all sorts of rebellious things. You have such a big, bad wolf reputation, Lucien.” She cooed, leaning in.

“I can relate. My dad’s a piece of work too. My mom has endured a lot. We’re kindred spirits, but the difference is I won’t fall apart like you. I’m determined to prove I’m daddy’s daughter, over those step–sibling bitches clawing their way up the ladder. If you’d like to learn more, I’m happy to help. I can be your confidante. I understand you.”

She took the tip of his earlobe gently between her teeth as she dragged the tips of her claws over his fabric chest teasingly.

All I could think about was what she had just said. ‘How dare she bring up the Thorne’s pack’s most traumatic history and mention Lucien’s mother?‘

I pushed it aside and quickly grabbed a large glass of ice–cold beer to calm my nerves.

Lucien’s eyes followed my movements like a predator to its prey. He leaned forward slightly, abruptly changing the subject.

“How’s your drinking?” He was staring at me, but talking to her.

The woman was taken aback. “Um, I can handle a few drinks. Do you want me to join you?”

“Is your throat deep enough?” Lucien picked up a beer bottle from the table and toyed with it in his hands.

At first, she was confused, but then realization dawned, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“Oh, you’re a bad guy!” She playfully punched his chest.

“Come here.”

Lucien locked eyes with her, suddenly tilting her chin up.

You could see that the woman thought he was about to kiss her in front of everyone and felt a thrill of excitement, instinctively closing her eyes.

The entire Cruz family stopped their chatter, exchanging glances, curious about what Lucien would do next

I watched Lucien intently, holding my breath, starting to mourn for the woman. I knew nothing good was coming from whatever he had planned. His eyes stayed locked onto mine for a moment longer before he turned his attention back to the woman before him.

“Open your mouth,” Lucien said, his voice gentle yet commanding.

Smash!

With a loud crash, Lucien slammed the beer bottle against the edge of the coffee table.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Just as the woman prepared to open her eyes to see what was happening, the jagged, broken bottleneck was thrust directly into her mouth!