99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 62

The plane’s engines rumbled to life, vibrating through the cabin as it ascended through a blanket of clouds.

Liam shifted slightly, offering me a neatly folded blanket with the radiant smile of a politician running for a campaign.

“It’s a bit chilly up here,” he said softly. “You don’t want to catch a cold.”

I snatched the blanket from his hands, flicking it open with a dramatic snap before settling it over Lucien.

What a vast difference between Liam and Lucien, one fought for the attention and spotlight, while the other didn’t care what the world thought.

“Here you go, Lucien,” my voice drips with honey. “Stay warm, it’s apparently chilly up here.”

I tucked the edges around him with meticulous precision.

Liam’s hand still hung in the air for a second too long before he slowly lowered it, his smile stretched thin as if sewn into place.

Good, I hoped he was finally starting to get the message.

A thick silence filled the cabin, broken only by the steady hum of the engines.

It turned out that I had hoped for too much.

Next thing I knew, Liam caught the attention of a flight attendant a few minutes later and presented me with a bowl of big juicy strawberries, like a courtier offering jewels to his queen.

Ha! As if!

“The air’s terribly dry,” he insisted. “These should help. Freshly picked–juicy, with skins like crushed velvet.”

I accepted the bowl without a glance in his direction. I figured if he wasn’t understanding my words, then treating him as nothing more than background noise should do just that. Right?

I then plucked the plumpest strawberries from the bunch and held them to Lucien’s lips, my tone both commanding and sweet.

“Hydrate, Lucien,” I ordered.

A muscle near Liam’s mouth twitched, as if pricked by an invisible pin.

His lips closed around the fruit, his throat bobbing slowly as he swallowed, the very picture of aristocratic entitlement, a spoiled King accepting tribute.

Three hours dragged on painfully slow, as the same scene played on an endless loop.

Blankets, strawberries, mineral water, memory foam pillows, silk sleep masks, Liam’s arsenal of pampering seemed endless, and I parried each offering with effortless deflection.

Every time, I quickly redirected the gesture towards Lucien. I was smoothing his blanket, feeding him, and adjusting his pillow.

Lucien drifted through it all in serene indifference, rousing himself only to accept food or shift position, each motion a magnanimous concession.

Liyah watched the entire spectacle with poorly concealed delight, ‘You’re nailing this!’

I knew she was also enjoying watching the great Liam Sterling beg for crumbs, but get nothing in return.

When I looked over at the others, Soren, who was Liam’s Gamma and Ethan, who was Lucien’s Beta, along with a man I now knew as Lucien’s assistant, John, they all looked incredibly uncomfortable.

I imagined they were a mixture of confusion by either Liam’s or Lucien’s behaviour, but also by my obvious and blatant favouritism for one over the other.

The energy in the first–class cabinet felt heavy, and a war was brewing.

Liam was repeatedly shunned and humiliated, but in my defence, all he had to do was read the room and leave me be.

***BREANNE POV***

Everything was a mess now!

The birthday party scandal had crashed over the Sterling Moon pack like a tidal wave.

Luna Stephanie was drowning in chaos, oscillating between faking mysterious illnesses, keeping vigil at Alpha’s bedside, and sweating through police interrogations between frantic bail negotiations.

The final blow came from the other Lunas, who Stephanie once considered her friends, who now called for nothing more than juicy gossip updates to spread around.

When Alpha Henry learned that his life’s work as Alpha over the Sterling Moon pack had been destroyed, and several packs were considering ending their alliances, he nearly went feral.

He had to be contained, and the wolfsbane has made him sick and weak as a result.

The once–proud Alpha pair seemed to age decades in a matter of hours.

I was now freshly released from jail and completely unravelling over my shattered public image.

“Where’s Liam?” I shrieked, punctuating each word with the crash of another treasured gift from him.

“Why’s he hiding in BC? Why won’t he answer? Does he hate me now? This is all that b***h Claire’s fault! I’ll skin her alive!”

My bedroom now continuously looked like a war zone, no matter how often the omegas came to tidy it up.

I was unbelievably angry, and my wolf was on edge.

The moment I made bail, I have been blowing up Liam’s phone, only to be met with silence or clipped replies like ‘I’m in a meeting!‘

What the hell was that kind of response?

Those were messages he was allowed to send the useless, wolfless b***h, Claire, not me!

When Gamma Soren told me that Liam had been badly hurt in Langley, I begged to fly to him, only to receive a cold brush–off and be told not to bother coming.

That was the last straw.

“He won’t pick up my calls anymore… He never ignored me like this before! He’s sick of me, he hates me now! Fine, I’ll make sure he regrets ignoring me!”

I scrambled onto the open third–floor windowsill, barefoot, dragging a silver blade across my wrists until angry red lines bloomed.

I made sure to have an audience as I did. I wanted Liam to hear about this and feel guilty for his absence.

The omegas rushed to fetch Luna Stephanie.

Sure enough, within seconds, my Luna shoved the door open with a bang.

I deliberately wailed louder at the sight of her.

“Luna Stephanie, just let me die! I’ll only find peace in death! Nobody wants me–not even my best friend! I’m an orphan, unloved, a waste of space! Let me jump!”

I wobbled on the edge, toes curling over the ledge.

I saw the room of omegas, and Luna Stephanie’s eyes widened at my gesture towards the ledge.

“Out! NOW!” Luna barked at the omegas, slamming the door behind them.

In one swift motion, she yanked me back, sending me crashing to the floor.

“Breanne!” Luna Stephanie’s voice was sharp but controlled. “This isn’t your fault. It’s that venomous snake, Claire, causing trouble at our Alpha’s party! I know you’re hurting, but if you keep this up, you’ll exhaust the last of Henry’s patience. If he really throws you out… even I can’t protect you.”

I crumpled onto the cold tiles, the words cutting through my hysteria like ice.

I clutched my Luna’s arm, my voice trembled as I spoke.

“No, Luna, no! Please! Don’t let him banish me from the pack! Who’d care about me if I’m not part of the Sterling Moon pack? I’m begging you for my parents‘ sake. I swear I won’t cause any more trouble! I promise!”

“You’ve always been the clever one. How could you let that cunning b***h get such damning evidence on you? I raised you and Liam together. Do you really think I don’t know there’s never been anything improper between you?” Luna continued,

“But now? Everyone’s swallowing those videos Claire leaked! The Sterling Moon pack, Liam’s future, even our own standing–all ruined! What good are your hysterics now? You need to focus on fixing our pack’s reputation. That’s what matters!”

The wildness in my eyes faded as I nodded frantically, smearing blood across my cheeks.

“You’re right, Luna Stephanie! I lost my head! We have to fix this. We have to take back our name!

I’ll make her pay!”

Pure hatred burned in my eyes as I clung to my Luna like a drowning woman.

Luna Stehanie’s expression softened. She let out a heavy, theatrical sigh.

“What’s the use of all our anger when your vulnerable best friend is still wrapped around her finger?

I heard that witch was with him in Langley. They’re on the same flight back, and if I am not mistaken, they’re flight touches down roughly 9:30 this evening.”

We shared a smile, and my brain went to work, scheming a new plan.