Billionaire Alpha's 99 Deadly Games

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

At this announcement, the younger she wolf dancers erupted in excited squeals and whispers.

"Oh my God, Alpha Lucas Thornwood is coming here?"

"I heard he hasn't attended a social event in months!"

"Do you think he's looking for new talent to sponsor?"

The company scattered to their dressing rooms, frantically touching up makeup and adjusting costumes, each hoping to catch the eye of The Thornwood Pack's most eligible widowed alpha.

Only Aria remained frozen in place, her mind racing with alarm.

Why would Lucas come backstage? Even during his most obsessive pursuit of her years ago, he had never once visited her behind the scenes-his beta had simply delivered roses or arranged town cars.

Her thoughts spiraled into darker territory. Was this somehow connected to the revenge plots he'd schemed with his friends? Had he somehow recognized her despite the mask? Was he planning some new humiliation as punishment for deceiving him with her false death?

Her fingernails dug painfully into her palms as fragmented memories of the ninety-eight "pranks” flashed through her mind.

"Aria," Margaret's concerned voice cut through her panic. "You've gone completely white."

“I just-” she managed, her usual composure crumbling.

I'll make your excuses-some diplomatic nonsense about vocal rest affecting your breathing. Don't worry about Alpha Thornwood-we've got plenty of alphas without

trusting her voice. With a quick pivot, she headed for the stage door, not even pausing to remove her performance mask or change from her

footsteps echoed from beyond the heavy velvet curtain, accompanied by the theater director's

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Chapter 14

you've joined us tonight.

Aria's heart nearly stopped. She

pressing herself against the wall as

area.

backstage space, immediately uncomfortable with the theatrical chaos. Female dancers in various stages of costume swarmed around him like designer-perfumed moths to a flame, voices overlapping

danced the

honor

to show you around The Thornwood Pack

suffocating cloud of floral and vanilla notes that made him physically recoil. The artificial sweetness reminded him, by stark contrast, of Aria's simple

their attention with practiced stoicism, his eyes methodically scanning the space. Something-someone-had drawn him here, and it wasn't these eager young she-wolf with their obvious

the blonde in front of him was saying, a barely perceptible scent cut through the perfume fog-the faintest trace of jasmine and something uniquely familiar.

renewed focus until locking onto a shadowed alcove where a figure in a pink

it?" he

those words, he redirected every eye in the room

attention, she felt her pulse stutter, then race wildly. The artistic director, realizing Aria hadn't managed to escape, shot her

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Chapter 14

in her, though her heart hammered so

disguise his scrutiny. His eyes tracked methodically from her temple to her toes, lingering on specific details-the particular curve of her wrist, the precise length of her fingers, the slight asymmetry