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.

southern territory buzzed with scandals and

reaching even as far as the Northern territory, where Aria

the news of her

life.

of Lucas's breakdown reached her-his violent

former friends' packs, his obsession with her "remains," his collapse

enigmatic smile

was the past. The she-wolf who

that fire, exactly as

planned.

room, carrying a

"Time for

obediently accepted it, downing the dark liquid

her daughter's face contort from the

piece of candied ginger. "Just a bit longer. Two

we're

done."

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

Company

like

you've

always dreamed."

pride as she gently brushed a strand of

Aria's face.

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E 101

Chapter 11

down at her legs, considering the price of

escaped the fire that night through

the additional gasoline containers that

abandoned

building.

caught her off guard

nearly costing her

everything to protect.

But as her

always comes at a price. Her

with new possibilities.

past life and stepped into

first time in years,

to)

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Chapter 11

had been pampered her entire life by her Alpha father-people spoke to her

never raising their voices, let alone shouting at

with rage, she lunged forward, perfectly

face like talons!

effortlessly, shoving

collapsed to the floor in an undignified

"Guards,"

voice ice-cold, "remove

Immediately."

"YOU

The

ricocheted off the marble

slammed shut,

beneath a weeping sky-gentle rain that

to mourn alongside the

Lucas carried her

gathered crowd.

trembling hands, his movements painfully deliberate

it into

marble

Every moment felt surreal, as if he

some horrific dream he couldn't escape. This couldn't

the mate he had only just realized he

final stone was placed, the collective sobs behind him

had been genuinely beloved. Her radiance had touched countless

shattered by unimaginable grief, had retreated

the ceremony that would make their

permanent.

everyone else who had known

served her daily coffee-had come to

mingled with the rain, creating a symphony

emanate

from the

earth itself.

her tombstone, a broken

the inscription he had insisted upon:

Collins Thornwood, Beloved

Mate."

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Chapter 11

she should have held

in his throat, tears

word. Every

memory of her smile,

her

laugh,

the

she'd dance around

of it crashed over

powerful they physically hurt.

had gone, the rain soaking

his body shivering violently though he

having refused to leave her graveside until physically carried away

guards, Lucas collapsed

Aria came

that fateful night, but with one crucial difference-this

he hadn't left

In this version, he had recognized the danger, had grabbed her

blindfold from

her fingers so tightly he feared he might hurt her,

unable to loosen

hold. "The whole place

heat was suffocating, smoke burning their lungs as they

salvation-he was saving her this time. He

exit door appeared ahead,

the labyrinthine

her again.

Just

Aria suddenly

stopped.

pulled, she remained rooted in

the fire had already reached

sides

bulging

ominously.

voice crack. "We have to go

Aria looked at him with such profound sadness

peeled his fingers from

Lucas," she said softly.

hanging between them, she turned

into the heart

the inferno.

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Chapter 11

"ARIA, NO!"

her, erasing her from existence in a violent

light and heat.

"ARIA!"

upright in bed, gasping for air, his

ravaging his system. The dream

been

for his phone

ritual he

for messages

that would never

his bedroom door burst

with panic: "Alpha! There's

have predicted Leila's

the

groundskeepers, disinterring Aria's

to scatter her remains.

the scene before him was something from a nightmare.

in the rain, mascara streaming down her face, clutching Aria's

trophy.

fever-induced weakness,

seemed to further unravel

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