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

5.0%

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.

in southern territory

as far as the Northern

the news of

life.

breakdown reached her-his violent

his obsession with her "remains," his collapse at

an enigmatic

she-wolf who had loved Lucas Thornwood

that fire, exactly as

planned.

carrying a steaming

for your treatment,

it, downing the dark liquid in

her daughter's face contort from

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

we're

done."

healed, and you can audition for the Alpine

Company

like

you've

always dreamed."

eyes softened with pride as she gently brushed a

Aria's face.

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E 101

Chapter 11

down at her legs,

that

that someone had stored in

abandoned

building.

had caught her off guard as

legs, nearly costing her the dancing career she had

everything to protect.

But as her

always comes at a price. Her legs

bright with new possibilities. She had escaped

her past life and stepped into a painful but honest new

time in years, she

to)

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Chapter 11

entire life by her Alpha father-people spoke

tones, never raising their voices, let alone

lunged forward, perfectly manicured nails

face like talons!

her attack effortlessly, shoving her

to the floor in

"Guards,"

"remove

Immediately."

"YOU

The

ricocheted

shut, silencing her

funeral arrived beneath a weeping sky-gentle rain

to mourn alongside the

Lucas carried her

gathered crowd.

with trembling hands, his

it into

marble

surreal, as if

some horrific dream he couldn't escape. This couldn't be happening-he

burying the mate he had only just

the final stone was placed,

Her radiance had touched countless

shattered by unimaginable grief,

ceremony that

permanent.

known Aria-from childhood

served her daily coffee-had come to

the rain, creating a symphony of

emanate

from the

earth itself.

before her tombstone, a broken Alpha rendered statue-like

inscription he had

Collins Thornwood, Beloved

Mate."

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99 Deadly

48%

Chapter 11

The title she should have held in life, not

caught in his throat, tears falling before

word. Every

memory of her smile,

her

laugh,

the

she'd dance

of it crashed

powerful they physically hurt.

long after everyone had gone, the rain soaking

his body shivering violently

refused to leave her graveside until physically carried away

Lucas collapsed with

Aria

nightmare replayed that fateful night, but

he hadn't left

he had recognized the danger,

blindfold from her

so tightly

unable to loosen

whole place is going

burning

like salvation-he was saving her this time. He wouldn't

ahead, freedom

the labyrinthine

her again.

Just

Aria suddenly

stopped.

matter how he pulled,

dream, the fire had already reached the gasoline containers,

sides

bulging

ominously.

begged, terror making his voice crack. "We

of responding, Aria looked at him with such profound sadness that

peeled his fingers from her wrist, one by

me, Lucas," she said softly. "You're the one

them, she turned

the heart

the inferno.

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Chapter 11

"ARIA, NO!"

explosion engulfed her, erasing her from existence

light and heat.

"ARIA!"

gasping for air, his

the fever ravaging his system. The dream had felt so

been alive again, within his

for

nightstand-a pathetic ritual he

messages

that would never text

screen, his bedroom door burst open, his

ashen with panic: "Alpha! There's an emergency at

could have predicted Leila's complete psychological break-sneaking

the

disinterring Aria's

to scatter her remains.

Lucas arrived, the scene before him was something from a

rain, mascara streaming down

trophy.

weakness, Lucas approached

only seemed to further unravel her fragile

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