99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 51

Claire’s POV

A banging sound from first class was heard, but when I tried to peek, I couldn’t see anything. I was lost in my thoughts when Liyah returned from the restroom, looking anxious.

She pointed discreetly toward first class, lowering her voice to gossip.

“Claire, you’re not going to believe this, but Lucien is on this flight? I don’t know what his assistant said to piss him off, but he actually forced him into a wall! The flight attendants are whispering about how brutal he is!”

My eyes widened in surprise. That explained the banging noise a few moments ago.

“Wait, so he’s on this flight? That must mean that he is really coming to the equestrian competition!”

Liyah hesitated for a moment, then said, “Claire, I know you want to get closer to Lucien by competing, but what if he doesn’t recognize you when you step in as my substitute? Maybe I should talk to the organizers and just cancel my entry for you.”

I interrupted her before she could finish, “No way! This competition is too important for you. If you don’t win, you and I both know that your dad will pressure you into an arranged mating. I must help you win, Liyah!”

“But…” Liyah furrowed, “If I’m listed as the competitor, but you’re the one riding, what if Lucien doesn’t realize it’s you?”

“Liyah, he taught me everything about riding. He’ll recognize me.”

I firmly grasped Liyah’s hand, her eyes shining in the dim cabin light.

The plane landed in British Columbia only an hour and a half after we took off from Alberta. We landed in Langley, to be exact. It was located at the Thunderbird Show Park. I still couldn’t believe that we were here.

Langley was gorgeous. It was the place to be if you loved farming, wine and the equisteria lifestyle.

If I could relocate anywhere, it would be here. The gentle calm of the nature surrounding each day would be a gift from the Goddess.

Perhaps when I’ve completed my mission, I will consider moving here. It’d be a great place to disappear and start fresh.

As soon as I turned on my phone, it was bombarded with missed calls and texts.

Liyah glanced over, rolling her eyes dramatically.

“Ugh! It’s a little late for him to be doing all this extra bull crap, don’t you think? You have literally officially rejected him; the council approved and performed the ritual to sever the ribbon. He’s now blowing up your phone like some lovesick fool? What a nob!”

With a smile at Liyah, I then quickly skimmed through the messages, irritation rising at the mention of dropping the charges.

With a swipe, I dragged Liam straight into my blacklist.

From now on, that name would signify nothing but a familiar stranger.

He honestly believed that I would drop the charges? As if our connection mattered to me enough that I would forgive her for all of her indiscretions, for him?

Fat chance! In his dream!

I tucked my phone into my jacket pocket and walked out of the terminal alongside Liyah, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Our laughter echoed lightly in the spacious arrival hall.

A car from the Sandman hotel was already waiting, and we spotted a staff member holding a prominent sign.

However, as I bent to sit in the plush seat of the hotel car, my gaze inadvertently drifted outside, and my movements paused slightly.

Not far away stood a tall, dark figure, like the night itself condensed into a silhouette, radiating an air of forbidding coldness.

It was Lucien. No one else could ever draw in the energy like he could.

The driver respectfully opened the door for him, and he smoothly slid into a waiting black Rolls–Royce Phantom.

The door closed silently, and in an instant, that luxurious vehicle merged into the depths of Langley, BC, landscape scenery, disappearing from view.

I pulled my gaze back, my fingers curling unconsciously.

The unfamiliar sidewalks of the airport patrons rushed by outside, but I couldn’t shake the shadow cast by that fleeting glimpse.

Tomorrow was the international equestrian competition.

A tension crept back into my heart, which had just begun to relax.

After arriving at the hotel and freshening up, I opened my phone again to find over 100 missed calls.

Despite blocking him, Liam was still trying to reach me from a different phone number. Just then, Liyah’s voice boomed in my ear, “Liam, can you stop acting like a crazy stalker? I’m in Langley for a competition, and I don’t have the energy or patience to waste on someone like you! You and Claire are done! She’s your ex now, get it? Get a life, loser!”

“He’s been calling you and bothering you, too?” I sighed, feeling drained.

“Yeah, he’s seriously unhinged. Claire, thank the Goddess you’re petition of rejection was approved! Now I can finally let loose and curse him out!” Liyah was fuming.

I logged into my w******p account, then saw numerous texts and voice messages from Liam.

Starting with calm inquiries about why I wasn’t answering, the conversation escalated into frantic demands about my whereabouts. I could hear the panic in Liam’s voice through the recordings.

The last message, sent eight minutes ago, was hoarse, sounding like he had a bad cold, and he was choking back tears.

“Babe, where are you? I’m really worried about you. I’m so tired. My mom just got out of the hospital and was taken away by the police for questioning. My dad has fallen ill because of all of this. Breanne is still locked up. Everything at home is chaotic.

“All the pack members are looking for me. Without you here, I struggle to focus on leading the pack. I really want to talk to you. If you could drop the charges against my mom and Breanne, I can offer you more than fifty million. Please. Forgive me, and forgive my family. They didn’t mean it.”

Another text message just came through,

[Babe, please. I see you are online. I need to speak with you. Text me back.]

And then another.

[Claire, I miss you so much. Please, where are you? I can’t find you in the city. Text me back.] One after the other, my phone continued to ding with messages from Liam.

[I need to leave the pack. I have something. I have pending commitments, but I really want to see and hear from you. Text or call me. Why don’t you come on the trip with me? It’ll be nice for us to get away and talk. No distractions from others.]

I knew he meant Liyah. I was sure he was still blaming our broken bond on my friendship with Liyah, rather than on Breanne or his family.

All those seemingly heartfelt pleas ultimately pointed back to my decision to drop the charges .

The was able to overlook what had done.

I decided to shut off my phone. It was a waste of time at this point; the only people who might be looking for me are right beside me anyway.

I needed to stop checking his messages; it was feeding his ego and theories that there was something there for him to build on.

And there wasn’t.