THE NANNY'S PROMISE

The wedding

Kaelen POV

Most times I wonder, if she was not a virgin, would I still feel this possession over her?

It does not matter now. I have set my sights on her. My hands have touched her skin. She was marked by me the night she fell into my bed. She is mine now.

I do not love her. No. Love is a lie my ex-wife taught me well. Love is a blade that cuts from behind. I will not make that mistake again.

But I do not want her dating anyone else. I do not want her smiling at the driver boy. Flynn with his easy laugh and his pretty face. I see the way she looks at him. Like he is sunshine. Like I am a storm.

She is wrong. I am not a storm. I am the whole damn hurricane.

I stand in front of the mirror in my bedroom. Black suit. White shirt. Gray tie. My hair is slicked back. My jaw is clean shaven. I look like a groom. I feel like a warden.

Henderson stands by the door. He holds a small velvet box. The ring inside is simple. A diamond. Small but bright. I did not pick it out. I had Henderson choose it.

"It is time, boss," Henderson says.

I take the box. I do not open it. "Where is she?"

"In her room. Mary is helping her dress."

I nod. I walk out of the bedroom and down the hall.

The mansion is quiet. Too quiet. The staff has been told to stay in their quarters. The judge arrived an hour ago. He waits in the library with his books and his questions.

I stop outside Naomi's door. I knock.

Mary opens it. Her eyes are hard. She does not like me. I do not care.

"She is ready," Mary says. She steps aside.

Naomi stands by the window.

She wears a white dress. Simple. Long sleeves. It is not a wedding gown. Just a dress Mary found in the back of a closet. But on Naomi, it looks like something more.

Her dark curls fall around her face. Her honey eyes are red from crying. She is beautiful. And she hates me.

"You look fine," I say.

She does not answer.

Mary hands her a small bouquet of white flowers. "For luck," Mary whispers.

Naomi takes the flowers. Her hands shake.

"Let us go," I say.

I offer her my arm. She stares at it like it is a snake. Then she takes it. Her fingers are cold.

We walk down the hall together. Her steps are slow. Mine are steady.

The library doors are open. The judge stands by the fireplace. Henderson stands to the side. Alex sits in a chair, swinging his legs, holding his wolf.

"Papa! Naomi!" Alex waves. He does not understand. He thinks this is a game.

Naomi smiles at him. It is the first real smile I have seen on her face all day.

The judge clears his throat. "Dearly beloved..."

I stop listening. The words do not matter. What matters is the woman beside me. The child in her belly. The ring I am about to place on her finger.

"Do you, Kaelen, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

The words leave my mouth like stones. Heavy. Final.

"Do you, Naomi, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

She looks at me. Her honey eyes search my face for something. Kindness? Mercy? I give her nothing.

"I do," she whispers. Her voice cracks.

The judge smiles. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I lean down. I press my lips to hers. It is not a kiss of love. It is a kiss of ownership. She tastes like tears. Her lips tremble beneath mine. For one second, I feel something. A c***k in my chest. I push it away.

Alex claps. "Yay!"

Naomi pulls away. Her eyes are wet. She looks at Alex and forces a smile.

I take her hand. Her fingers are still cold.

The judge hands me the certificate. "Sign here."

I sign first. My name is sharp. Dark. Kaelen Aaron.

Naomi takes the pen. Her hand shakes. She signs her name. Naomi Abbot. Then she crosses it out. She writes Naomi Aaron.

Her new name. Her new cage.

The judge leaves. Henderson leaves. Mary takes Alex to the garden.

Naomi and I stand alone in the library.

"It is done," she says. Her voice is empty.

"It is just beginning," I say.

She looks at me. "Do you expect me to be happy about this?"

"I expect you to do your job. Care for Alex. Carry my child. Nothing more."

"And what about you? What do you expect from yourself?"

I step closer. She does not step back.

"I expect myself to protect what is mine," I say. "That is you now. Like it or not."

I turn and walk to the door. I stop with my hand on the handle.

"The driver. Flynn. Stay away from him."

Her eyes flash. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

"You cannot control who I talk to."

"I can. I am your husband." I look at her. "And I do not share what is mine."

Her jaw tightens. She does not answer. But I see the fight in her eyes. Good. Let her fight. It makes things interesting.

I leave her standing in the library.

I walk to my study. I pour a glass of whiskey. I drink it fast.

Henderson appears in the doorway. His face is pale.

"Boss, we have a problem."

"What now?"

"The Russians. They know about the wedding. They sent a message."

He hands me his phone. A photo. Naomi in her white dress. Taken from outside the mansion. Through a window.

The message below reads: "Congratulations on the wedding. We will come for the gift soon."

My blood turns to ice.

They are watching. They are waiting. And now, they know about my wife.

I grip the phone so hard the screen cracks. "Double the guards. No one leaves the grounds. No one."

"And the nanny? Your wife?"

I look at the photo again. Her face. Her white dress. The fear I did not see until now.

"She stays in the house. She does not go anywhere without me."

Henderson nods and leaves.

I pour another whiskey. The ice clinks against the glass.

They want my wife. They want my child.

They will have to kill me first.