Chapter 166
Chapter 165 Lonely as a Lost Dog
LUCIEN POV
Every word from Claire’s grandmother now clashed directly with what Matthew had told me.
For two families to arrange a mating pact for infants still in swaddling clothes indicated a bond that was
far from ordinary.
Maybe Claire’s father and my own were as close as brothers like my father had always claimed, and our mothers must have been kindred spirits, sharing secrets and dreams like sisters of the soul.
But then, what had happened?
Why had my own mother been driven to such despair over my father’s rumoured entanglement with
Claire’s mother?
I burned with an urgent need to unravel the mystery, but the opportunity had passed.
The older woman’s head lolled against the pillow as sleep finally claimed her, her soft snores whistling like a whistling kettle.
My jaw tightened briefly, my eyes darkening with a flicker of disappointment that I swiftly masked before
Claire could see.
Claire rose to her feet, gently tucking the blankets around her grandmother before signalling me with a
glance to follow her out of the room.
The door clicked shut behind us with a quiet finality.
In the hallway, Liyah remained rooted in place, her eyes puffed up like two walnuts soaked in brine.
With a sudden lurch, she threw herself at Claire, clutching her in a fierce embrace.
“Oh god, that just wrecked me! Claire, my heart is bleeding for you p>
“It is over now,” Claire replied, forcing a small smile as she changed the subject. “You have been standing here forever. When was the last time you ate anything p>
“ Oh my god, my stomach has been growling for hours!” Liyah rubbed her nose with her sleeve, instantly
perking up. “I am going to buy you the fanciest meal in town p>
I refused to allow that; my voice cut through the air behind them, unhurried yet leaving no room for
argument.
“A gentleman never lets ladies reach for their wallets p>
Liyah burst into laughter through her tears, her cheerful giggle ringing out as she shot me a teasing glance
over her shoulder.
“Honestly, Alpha, I never pegged you for the sentimental type before. But ever since you reunited with
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Claire, it turns out you are actually a secret softie at heart p>
The term “softie” caused me to stiffen slightly.
That word was now being used to describe me? The most notoriously lethal, vile, barbaric Alpha in the
country?
My lips pressed into a thin line, remaining silent, yet my gaze instinctively slid past Liyah, locking onto Claire’s slender but unyielding figure.
Deep within my dark eyes, something indescribable, a fierce and protective tenderness, slowly bloomed.
This was my mate? I found myself not hating the idea of that.
The moment I cut the engine outside the packhouse, Breanne materialized like an angry shadow in front of my car. She stood with her arms crossed, glaring daggers at me.
I shoved the car door open with barely contained irritation.
“What is it now?” I roughly massaged my throbbing temples.
“Liam!” Breanne’s shrill voice was laced with accusation. “Why did you not tell me you were going to Calgary? You knew Claire was there to accept that award, did you not? You were deliberately avoiding
me p>
Of course, this was about Claire; when was it not about Claire when it came to Breanne and her tantrums
lately? It was exhausting.
“Breanne! Since when do I answer to you about my whereabouts?” I was already simmering with pent–up
rage, and Breanne’s accusatory tone was like pouring gasoline on a fire.
“Let me make this clear. Stay out of my business, you are Luna in title only! And drop that interrogating
tone! Remember this. I am the Alpha here. Know your place p>
I scorched her with a look of pure venom, shoulder–checked her hard enough to make her stagger, and
then charged into the living room like a bull.
I hurled my briefcase aside in a fit of rage and yanked off my tie, tossing it away like trash. Collapsing onto
the couch, I looked hollowed entirely out, slumped and defeated, my face twisted with fury and despair.
Just then, my mother descended the stairs.
“Oh, you are home, dear! What has put you in this mood? Who upset you? Perfect timing. I just ran into Mrs. Clark leaving the hospital, and her daughter, who has just returned from overseas, seems quite taken
with you. She was p>
“Blind dates, blind dates, blind dates! Is that all you ever think about?!” My wolf finally snapped completely.
Fueled by him, I launched myself off the couch, my arm sweeping across the coffee table and sending
+25 Points
expensive teacups, fruit bowls, and vases crashing to the floor in a cacophony of shattering glass.
“You just keep shoving women at me! Do you think your son is some worthless failure who cannot keep a mate, or even get one? Enough! Not another word! I will not meet a single one! Let me make myself clear. There is only one mate for me, and that is Claire! The rest? They are trash! Not even fit to lick her shoes! ”
The tirade struck my mother like a physical blow. She had never seen my wolf this deranged, this terrifying. Seemingly unsure what to do, she burst into loud, ugly sobs.
Right on cue, Breanne stumbled in, clutching the spot where I had slammed into her, her face contorted in
tears.
The two annoyances in my life clung to each other, weeping bitterly.
They could not comprehend what was triggering my wolf’s rage, turning me into an unhinged madman standing before them.
A tidal wave of revulsion surged through me, more intense than anything I had ever experienced.
How had I never seen it before?
My mother’s mercenary, calculating sneer and Breanne’s vicious, malicious temperament now turned my stomach.
If only I had recognized it sooner, if only I had intervened, then Claire would not have walked away so decisively.
Now look at Claire, it’s as if she had been reborn from the ashes of rejection and shone like a supernova. Everyone was enamoured by her now.
And what had become of me since she left?
I was haggard, broken, a shadow of the Alpha heir who had once been Edmonton’s golden boy. Even I could not stand the sight of myself, let alone this suffocating pack of lies.
I never should have returned. But where else could I go?
That empty mausoleum I had once called home with Claire? Every visit left me feeling like a restless spirit, haunting my own life.
Hotels were worse. The telltale sounds of passion through thin walls served only to mock my solitude. Alpha Liam Sterling had become nothing more than a pathetic, lonely stray.
Loneliness engulfed me like an arctic flood, pulling me under.
Just then, Breanne pushed open my bedroom door. Without even looking up, I snapped with a hoarse shout, “Get out! ”
She flinched, her shoulders hunching, and she began sniffling quietly.
Yet, she managed to take two shaky steps forward, her voice quivering faintly.
“Liam–remember that project I mentioned? The one hundred million dollar contract! The client just
called out of the blue. They want to expand the collaboration. They said- ”
Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.