Billionaire Alpha's 99 Deadly Games

Chapter 19

Lucas remained frozen, his hand rising slowly to touch his reddening cheek, stunned disbelief

written across his unshaven face.

"You're... real?" he whispered, staring at her as if she might evaporate.

Aria had reached her absolute limit with this absurd day. She laughed-a sharp, brittle sound utterly devoid of humor.

"Real? Sure. Apparently I'm trapped in a real-life horror movie where my supposed death wasn't enough to get you out of my life."

Without deigning to look at him again, she pivoted sharply toward the staircase.

"Aria, wait-please!"

Lucas lunged after her, alcohol and desperation making his movements clumsy. As he grabbed for her wrist, the combination of his unsteady state and her quick evasion created disaster-her foot slipped on the polished marble step.

"Look out!"

Despite his impaired reflexes, Lucas managed to pull her against him as they fell, positioning his body to take the impact.

Their bodies hit the marble stairs with a sickening thud that echoed through the foyer.

Cushioned by Lucas's intervention, Aria escaped with minor disorientation. Lucas, however, wasn't as fortunate-a crimson stain began spreading across the white marble beneath his head.

"Alpha!" Davis's horrified voice cut through the sudden stunned silence.

The household erupted into chaos. After fifteen minutes, both were being loaded into separate ambulances.

Lucas still hospitalized, Aria decided it was finally

escape.

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confidently for the main entrance, only to find her

expression immediately hardened into glacial

"Luna, we have strict

premises without Alpha's

"Are you seriously trying to

choice."

formulate a response, she attempted to push past them toward the massive

doors.

clearly unwilling woman, the guards hesitated to use force,

Collins, please reconsider-Alpha Thornwood was very

accelerated Aria's determined stride

freedom appeared within reach, a black SUV with tinted windows glided to a stop directly in her path. The rear door swung open to reveal Lucas-pale

name emerged with an

me that," she snapped, actual revulsion contorting her features. "It makes my

for an eventual confrontation with Lucas. She'd recognized the reality that neither she nor her family could match the Thornwood pack's resources or

calculated avoidance-minimal contact, neutral responses if they did encounter each other, nothing that

restraint would be misinterpreted. Her silence read

he'd merely attended her performances, sending messages she systematically ignored. When blocked, he'd found

his orbit.

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Chapter 19