99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 99

After I returned home, I shut the blinds and turned on my Spotify playlist.

I turned the Bluetooth speaker as long as I could. I needed to shut out the sounds. The combination of moans and cries was tainted and defeating.

Lucien wasn’t broadcasting it to the world, as Breanne had planned for me; it was only viewed from his suite.

I knew he did it for me.

He said it was to make her pay for the mess she’d dragged Bart into, but it was the same scenario that he had saved me from at her hands-the same rogues.

This wasn’t a coincidence. He was waiting for his excuse.

I may not know the man as he is portrayed to the world, but I know Lucien.

This was about me.

Could I really be upset with what he did, when I knew why he did it? Did someone like Breanne Telder, someone depraved, twisted and vile, deserve my pity or sympathy?

Every time I thought about it, the image became more vivid, but instead of seeing Breanne’s face and hearing Breanne’s voice, I saw and heard my own.

That could have been me.

Was I just as sick and twisted for being relieved that it wasn’t?

Emotionally, mentally, heck, even physically, I was exhausted. I needed sleep, but how?

Every time I closed my eyes, Breanne’s tortured face emerged from the darkness, begging me to make them stop, but what did I do? I didn’t ask Lucien to do this. I-.

The immense psychological shadow was impossible to shake off.

Finally falling asleep, but only for a short while, I was tormented by the visions of being attacked by eight rogues, yet again, forcing me to jolt awake in terror, and now the urge to sleep was gone entirely.

The sky over Edmonton had turned dark before long, and in the approaching hours of the morning, the long-awaited downpour had finally begun.

The raging thunder roared to life, accompanied by blinding flashes of lightning that illuminated the city like a haunted place.

I had always been terrified of thunder. The lightning didn’t bother me; it was the intensity of the thunder that bothered me.

The night my mother and I were informed that my father’s body was found, the skies had rumbled just like this, making it feel like hell on earth. It was as if the Goddess herself was full of rage at the loss of a good wolf.

I pressed my pillow tightly against my ears, hoping to mute the sound around me mentally, but it was futile.

Ding.

The sound of my phone’s notification cut through the thunder; the screen lit up.

A strange message popped up on the screen.

Anonymous: [Open the door.]

Who could it be?

I held my breath and tiptoed to the door, peering through the peephole. My head was still stained with the images of the rogues. I didn’t want strangers around me at the moment. I just wanted to hide under the covers until I was certain the world was safe again.

But there he was.

Lucien.

He was standing outside my door, silently waiting.

I knew I shouldn’t be afraid. But after what I witnessed earlier, I couldn’t figure out what he was doing here in the middle of the night.

I decided to play it safe and pulled up my phone’s messages, quickly typing a reply.

[Lucien, it’s too late. You should sleep.]

My phone vibrated almost immediately, the response uncompromising.

[Open the door, Claire!]

The heavy exclamation mark made my heart sink.

After a moment of hesitation, I finally unlocked the door, leaving just a small c***k.

“Lucien, it’s really late. I’m not in the right headspace to entertain company right now.”

Before I could finish, Lucien forcefully pushed the door open.

His tall figure filled the room, an oppressive aura following him as he walked through my home as if it belonged to him, and he sat down on the sofa.

In the dim light, he remained expressionless, saying nothing as he ripped open the front of his robe.

The scar across his chest resembled a gruesome, dark red centipede. Though it had scabbed over, it still looked terrifying. I could see that his wolf was recovering and healing him, but it was slow. Lucien needed to take some time and rest, which would accelerate the healing, but good luck telling a man like Lucien that.

“Come over, Claire. You will apply the ointment.” His command was brief and cold, devoid of any emotion in true Lucien fashion.

I wanted to say something, but by the energy around him right now and the memories of earlier still fresh, I didn’t dare hesitate and immediately fetched the first aid kit.

When I returned, I walked over to kneel by him to get right to work, but just as I squatted down at his feet, another deafening thunderclap roared outside.

“Ah!” Overwhelming fear made me scream, my body reacting before my mind could catch up.

I lunged forward and found myself buried in Lucien’s cold embrace, trembling all over, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

To my surprise, Lucien didn’t try to push me away. He allowed me to seek safety with him.

Gathering my composure, I took a deep breath, pulling back slightly from his embrace to retrieve the ointment, focusing intently as I treated his wound.

Once the ointment was applied, I sighed in relief and stood up.

“Lucien, you are all cleaned and patched back up. I don’t think it’ll take much longer fr your wolf to heal you fully. I suspect any remaining silver fragments have been pushed out, and the wounds are nearly closed completely. You can…”

My words trailed off abruptly.

Only then did I realize that Lucien had fallen into a deep sleep.

He rested one hand on his forehead, slightly leaning against the back of the sofa. In slumber, his sharp features softened, resembling a Godlike sculpture that seemed unreal.

“Lucien?” I tentatively nudged his arm, but all I received was his steady, deep breathing.

Outside, the storm raged on, the sounds growing louder.

Yet, gazing at the peacefully sleeping figure on the sofa, an unusual sense of calm began to take root within me.

How could someone so tainted, dark and dangerous make me feel safer than my true mate ever had? His presence stirs things within me; it feels forbidden.

Trusting Lucien almost instinctively, I abandoned the idea of returning to my bedroom and settled into the sofa opposite him. I wanted to stay in his presence until the storm passed, and he wouldn’t know since he was sleeping.

The night continued with wind and rain, thunder booming.

But strangely, I no longer felt afraid. Instead, I unknowingly drifted into a peaceful sleep amidst the storm within minutes of resting my head.

I looked over at him with a secret smile, silently thanking him for yet again saving me.