Billionaire Alpha's 99 Deadly Games

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Outside the burning cabin, Lucas's friends shrieked with excitement at the

growing inferno, wildly snapping photos and videos on their phones like it was a concert finale.

"Holy shit, revenge ninety-nine is going to be LEGENDARY!" Tyler howled, capturing an Instagram story of the flames.

"Finally, Lucas can banish that clingy bitch and move on with his life!" Blake slapped his knee, grinning maniacally.

"When we 'rescue' her, I'm going to record her ugly-crying face and blast it all over TikTok. Let the whole fucking territory see what a pathetic mess she really is!” Josh laughed, already planning his caption.

The hellish red glow illuminated their faces like demons at a bonfire, casting long, distorted shadows behind them.

Standing slightly apart from the group, Lucas listened to their callous banter with growing discomfort. Something felt deeply wrong.

His mind kept replaying Aria's face from moments earlier-that strange, peaceful expression. Those words that now seemed so final.

Wait-she'd been abnormally calm, hadn't she?

Every previous anniversary, Aria had practically vibrated with excitement. She'd plan for weeks, creating Pinterest boards, texting him countdown updates, handling every detail personally with almost manic enthusiasm.

Lucas had always been happy to let her take over. Why waste effort on someone who was just a means to an end? He'd even internally justified his coldness-if she hadn't humiliated Leila, she wouldn't be with him anyway.

But tonight had been completely different. Aria had been unsettlingly quiet.

During the entire drive, she'd sat silently beside him, no nervous chatter, no excited questions.

Beyond those haunting final words, she hadn't once asked about his "surprise." She'd been like a marionette with cut strings-compliant, empty, resigned.

16:38

Chapter 8

nearly twenty minutes, the fire had been raging for

bucket of

the screen over and over, desperation growing with each swipe. No calls. No texts, No

heart hammered against his ribs as cold dread spread through his

the burning building, truly seeing the enormity of the flames for the first time. Orange and red tongues licked three stories high, the heat intense enough to feel on his face from

whispered, as fragments of her presence in his life flashed through his mind-her laughter echoing in their den, the way she'd leave little notes in his

move, he

fuck, Lucas! Where are you going?" Derek

respond, a deafening explosion ripped

BOOM!

fireball erupted from the roof of the

into the black sky. The heat wave hit them like a physical

celebration to

wasn't supposed to happen!" Blake

stood frozen in shock, a series of secondary explosions followed, one after another. The sound was like

wood and concrete rained

consumed by a single thought:

16.39

Chapter 8

inferno.

lunged forward with frantic desperation, only to be tackled by his friends. "You'll fucking die if you go in there!" Tyler shouted, pinning him to the ground. "We

gotta be okay," Josh stammered, no trace of his earlier cruelty. "They'll get her

his mind, he could hear her calling for him-could imagine her trapped, choking, terrified. Every memory of her kindness, her love that he'd taken

push through his fingertips, throwing his friends aside with

flames.

"LUCAS, STOP!"

BOOM!

all directions. The roar of the fire grew deafening, drowning out everything but the

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