Billionaire Alpha's 99 Deadly Games

Chapter 11

Luna. The title she should have held in life, not just in death.

"Aria..." Her name caught in his throat, tears falling before he could form another

word. Every memory of her smile, her laugh, the way she'd dance around their kitchen on Sunday mornings-all of it crashed over him in waves of regret so powerful they physically hurt.

He remained kneeling long after everyone had gone, the rain soaking through his

expensive suit, his body shivering violently though he felt nothing.

That night, having refused to leave her graveside until physically carried away by

his guards, Lucas collapsed with a dangerous fever.

In his delirium, Aria came to him.

The nightmare replayed that fateful night, but with one crucial difference-this time,

he hadn't left

her behind. In this version, he had recognized the danger, had grabbed her hand

and pulled the blindfold from her eyes.

"Run!" he shouted, gripping her fingers so tightly he feared he might hurt her, but

unable to loosen

his hold. "The whole place is going to blow!"

The heat was suffocating, smoke burning their lungs as they navigated through

hallways. Each step felt like salvation-he was saving her this time. He wouldn't fail

the labyrinthine

her again.

Just

Aria suddenly

stopped.

as the exit door appeared ahead, freedom visible through its glass panel,

No matter how he pulled, she remained rooted in place.

In the dream, the fire had already reached the gasoline containers, their metal

sides

bulging

ominously.

"Please!" he begged, terror making his voice crack. "We have to go NOW!"

Instead of responding, Aria looked at him with such profound sadness that his heart constricted.

Slowly, deliberately, she peeled his fingers from her wrist, one by one.

"You can't save me, Lucas," she said softly. "You're the one who killed me."

With those words hanging between them, she turned and walked deliberately

back into the heart of

the inferno.

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Chapter 11

"ARIA, NO!"

A blinding explosion engulfed her, erasing her from existence in a violent flash of

light and heat.

"ARIA!"

Lucas bolted upright in bed, gasping for air, his body drenched in cold sweat despite the fever ravaging his system. The dream had felt so real-for those few

precious moments, she had been alive again, within his reach.

He fumbled for his phone on the nightstand-a pathetic ritual he couldn't break,

checking for messages from a number that would never text again. Before he could unlock the screen, his bedroom door burst open, his guardian's face ashen with panic: "Alpha! There's an emergency at Luna Collins's crypt!" No one could have predicted Leila's complete psychological break-sneaking into

the cemetery with bribed groundskeepers, disinterring Aria's urn, and threatening to scatter her remains.

When Lucas arrived, the scene before him was something from a nightmare. Leila

stood in the rain, mascara streaming down her face, clutching Aria's urn like a

trophy.

Fighting through his fever-induced weakness, Lucas approached her slowly. "Put

it down, Leila," he commanded, his voice deadly quiet.

controlled tone only seemed to further unravel her fragile sanity. She threw

His

her head back in manic laughter.

"Fuck you!" she screeched, holding the urn tighter. "This worthless bitch stole

everything from me! First my ceremonial dancer position, now my Alpha mate!

Even in death, she gets to be Luna

Thornwood while I'm left with

Lucas froze at her next words.

"I should have killed her

NOTHING!"

years ago instead of just framing her for challenging me!

Would have saved us all this

trouble!"

The confession sliced through him-the original “crime” that had justified three

years of torment had been fabricated. He had destroyed Aria for nothing.

Pure rage gave him a surge of strength despite his illness. He lunged forward,

desperate to protect the only physical reminder of Aria he had left.

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Billionaire Alpha's 99 Deadly Games

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Chapter 11

His fever-weakened body betrayed him-as his fingers nearly reached the urn, his

legs buckled

beneath him.

Time seemed to slow as he collapsed forward. Leila, startled by his sudden

movement, stumbled backward, losing her grip on the urn.

The delicate ceramic container tumbled through the air in what felt like slow

motion before shattering against the marble floor with a sound that seemed to echo through Lucas's very soul.

The impact scattered Aria's ashes across the wet floor, the rain quickly dissolving

them into nothingness, washing away the last physical trace of her existence. Lucas stared in mute horror, a guttural sound escaping him before he violently coughed up blood.

"Aria..."

Her name on his lips was both prayer and apology-too late for either to matter. The Northern Alpine Pack.

Thornwood Pack in southern territory buzzed with scandals

whispers reaching even as far as

news of her

life.

breakdown reached

his obsession with her "remains," his

enigmatic smile

was the past. The she-wolf who had loved Lucas Thornwood

that fire, exactly as

planned.

the sitting room, carrying a steaming cup of

"Time for

downing the dark

from the bitterness, her mother

ginger. "Just a bit longer. Two more weeks of

we're

done."

will be fully healed, and you can audition for the Alpine

Company

like

you've

always dreamed."

mother's eyes softened with pride as she

Aria's face.

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Chapter 11

at her legs, considering the price of

that night through careful planning, but

the additional gasoline containers that someone had stored in

abandoned

building.

had caught her off guard as she

her legs, nearly costing her the dancing career she

everything to protect.

But as her

to say, freedom always comes at a price. Her legs

possibilities. She had escaped the beautiful

and stepped into a painful

the first time in

to)

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Chapter 11

her entire life by her

voices, let

she lunged forward, perfectly manicured nails aimed

face like talons!

shoving her

floor

"Guards,"

"remove Miss Blackwood

Immediately."

"YOU

The

Leila's shrieks ricocheted

doors slammed shut, silencing her hysteria

funeral arrived beneath

to mourn alongside the

Lucas carried her

gathered crowd.

with trembling hands, his

it into

marble

Every moment felt surreal, as if

some horrific dream he couldn't

burying the mate he had

the final stone was placed, the

Her

by unimaginable grief, had

ceremony

permanent.

who had known Aria-from childhood

had served her daily coffee-had come to

mingled with the rain, creating

emanate

from the

earth itself.

her tombstone, a broken Alpha rendered

repeatedly traced the inscription he had insisted upon: "Luna

Collins Thornwood, Beloved

Mate."

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Chapter 11

have held in life,

Her name caught in his throat, tears falling before he could

word. Every

memory of her smile,

her

laugh,

the

dance

on Sunday mornings-all of it crashed over him in waves of

powerful they physically hurt.

after everyone had gone, the rain soaking through

body shivering violently though he felt

refused to leave her graveside until physically

guards, Lucas collapsed with

his delirium, Aria came

nightmare replayed that fateful night, but with one crucial

he hadn't left

had recognized the danger, had

the blindfold

shouted, gripping her fingers so tightly he feared he might

unable to loosen

whole place

heat was suffocating, smoke burning their lungs

was saving her

exit door appeared ahead, freedom visible through its glass

the labyrinthine

her again.

Just

Aria suddenly

stopped.

he pulled, she remained

had already reached

sides

bulging

ominously.

making his voice crack. "We have to go

of responding, Aria looked at him with such profound sadness

fingers from her wrist, one by

she said softly. "You're the

them, she turned

the heart

the inferno.

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Chapter 11

"ARIA, NO!"

erasing her

light and heat.

"ARIA!"

gasping for air, his body drenched in cold

the fever ravaging his system. The dream had felt

been alive again,

for

pathetic ritual he couldn't

for messages

would never text

unlock the screen, his bedroom door

"Alpha! There's an emergency at Luna

predicted Leila's complete psychological

the

disinterring Aria's urn, and

to scatter her remains.

Lucas arrived, the scene before him was something

in the rain, mascara streaming down her

trophy.

fever-induced weakness, Lucas

tone only seemed to further