99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 64

“Soren, Hospital. Now!” Without hesitation, he swept Breanne into his arms and stormed toward the car.

Soren scrambled to open the door.

As the door clicked open, Soren shot me a helpless glance over his shoulder, his expression dripping with silent apology. I didn’t envy the poor Gamma; Liam was unpredictable, but in the most predictable and naive ways.

That was our relationship in a nutshell.

With a curt nod to me, Gamme Soren slammed the door shut and drove away quickly.

“Ugh, that b***h totally pulled a sympathy stunt,” Liyah spat, finally connecting the dots as Liam’s car vanished. “Now he’s back to coddling her. Gross. Textbook manipulation.”

“Which is exactly why egging her to hit that pillar fed her the opportunity that she wanted.” I chuckled, flicking Liyah’s forehead.

“s**t! Why’d you let me do that?” Liyah facepalmed. “It’s terrifying to think that someday, Liam will lead an entire pack on his own. Breanne, the snake, will most likely be by his side. All those poor innocent pack members.”

Shrugging, I said, “Watching her bruise herself was great satisfaction for me. Why stop it? The Sterling Moon pack is not our issue; let them figure out his true colours on their own.”

What Liam proved to me today was that, despite all the words he spoke, he never changed.

With a quiet sigh, I turned on my heel, tugging Liyah along before the scene could sour my mood any further.

Suddenly, my attention snapped to a group of men resembling bodyguards surrounding three camera operators.

Right in full view, these large men stomped on the cameras to pieces, ripped out the memory cards, and strutted away as if they owned the place.

“What’s going on?” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

No wonder Breanne had played it up earlier; she’d clearly planted paparazzi to secretly film the scene and twist the narrative.

But who’d sent those goons to sweep the evidence under the rug?

A sliver of doubt nagged at me.

Instinctively, I scanned the area, just in time to catch the sleek black Rolls-Royce carrying Lucien driving away.

Wait. Hadn’t he left ages ago? Why was he still here?

My breath caught.

Had he been behind this? Did he send his plain-clothed warriors to silence the cameramen and ruin Breanne’s attempts to twist the story and turn me into the villain and herself the victim?

The thought sent a jolt through me, as my heart skipped a beat.

Lucien was truly the most confusing man I’d ever met.

Home at last, the Uber took far too long to reach the airport to collect Liyah and me. Then we had to drop Liyah off first, since it was on the way. I was officially exhausted!

I didn’t hesitate to head straight to the washroom and fill the tub with hot water, adding my newly purchased Lush bath bomb with lavender and oils. I needed to unwind from my tolerance of Liam this weekend away. Enduring Breanne’s performance, although enlightening on many levels, was still draining as ever.

Afterward, I dressed in a flimsy white camisole nightgown and carried my laundry out to the balcony.

It wasn’t a lot of clothing, it was only what I wore today. I didn’t want the scent of Liam’s spinlessness and Breanne’s venom to attract negative energies to my new home.

Edmonton was cloaked in darkness now, the city lights twinkling like distant stars.

I loved the view from the balcony, and I loved the idea of the night’s air crisping my freshly washed clothing.

Barefoot on the balcony, I pinned each piece of laundry to the small clothing line I had installed when I moved in.

The night air tugging at my damp tendrils. The soothing and warm afterglow of the bath I had just had still clung to me.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I exhaled, savouring this stolen moment of peace.

As I stood there, clipping the last of my socks up on the small line, my idle gaze drifted across to the opposite balcony.

And I froze.

There sat a massive white tub dominating the space.

But worse, inside this massive white tub was a man, tall and perfectly sculpted by the Gods themselves, his bare chest gleaming provocatively under the soft light, lounging without a shred of modesty. Droplets slid down the ridges of his back, tracing a perfect contour that made my heart skip a beat.

I tried to look away-really, I did-but my gaze remained as if magnetized.

My breath hitched as my fingers curled into my nightgown.

I needed to leave here before I was caught spying, but I couldn’t seem to figure out how to move my limbs.

Then, as if sensing my stare, he slowly turned his head, each movement deliberate.

Our eyes locked, and time froze.

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks when Lucien’s all-too-familiar face was revealed, including his all too familiar scowl.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I muttered in bitter disbelief. This was now the second time he had caught me in a situation where it looked like I was some horny p*****t watching him intentionally.

The universe had to be joking. No! The Goddess was playing a cruel, impossible joke on me. That had to be it. What else could it be? This s**t didn’t just happen over and over again.

Of all the apartments in Edmonton, he’d moved in right next door? This wasn’t even where the pack was located. Why was he here?

Better yet, why hadn’t Ethan mentioned this when I made an offer and bought the place instead of renting after Stephanie gave me the payout?

Across the divide, Lucien’s pupils constricted, clearly unprepared to find anyone watching from neighbouring balconies. Especially me!

I tracked the bob of his Adam’s apple, the way his fingers whitened around the tub’s rim. Why couldn’t I turn away already? It was as if I were fighting within my own body.

Seeing I had yet to turn away, shamefully, I might add, came Lucien’s fatal miscalculation.

Flustered, he rose instinctively and very nearly gave me an eyeful of every private inch of himself.

Mortified, I slapped both hands over my eyes. Despite what my body wanted me to do.

Beneath my fingers, my world spun. I could feel the heat flushing my entire body. This was so embarrassing, yet I still stood there. Goddess, help me!

“Goddamn it!” From across the way came a loud splash followed by Lucien’s muttered curse.

I collapsed against the balcony door, struggling to catch my breath.

My cheeks burned with humiliation, fingers twisting in my nightgown.

Humiliated.

Embarrassed.

Completely undone.

Frantically shaking my head, I tried to erase the image burned into my mind out of obligation, but the harder I tried, the more stubbornly it lingered, every detail vivid, impossible to unseen.

I was a complete wreck. But my panic didn’t last long.

Soon, a rapid series of knocks shattered the silence.

My heart skipped a beat, then hammered wildly. My brow arched; I had just moved in. No one should be knocking at this hour.

Unless… had Lucien come after me?

The thought sent my heart racing.

Every instinct screamed not to answer. I wanted to turn off all the lights and pretend as if I wasn’t home, and hope that Lucien thought maybe he just imagined it all. I was never here, and he never nearly flashed me his full monty while bathing in the moonlight on his balcony.

That sounded like a brilliant plan, flawed as it was, but the pounding grew louder and more insistent.

I had no choice. I needed to be an adult and face the beast next door.

Steeling myself, I forced the door open, only to stand frozen, stunned.