The Mafia King's Blood-Bound Bride

The first gunshot shattered the windows at 11:47 p.m. Serena Vale froze. For one terrifying second, she couldn't understand what she'd heard. Then another shot echoed through the house. Her glass slipped from her hand and crashed onto the marble floor. "Mom?" No answer. Serena stood in the middle of the kitchen, her heart pounding against her ribs. The Vale estate had always been quiet at night. Too quiet, sometimes. Her father hated unnecessary noise. He had strict security around the property, and the gates were always guarded. No stranger was supposed to get within a hundred feet of the house without being noticed. Yet someone had just fired a gun inside it. Another crash came from upstairs. Serena's breathing stopped. "Dad?" She ran. She didn't think about the broken glass beneath her feet or the questions that should have crossed her mind. She ran toward the staircase. Halfway up, she heard voices. Men. Several of them. Her father's voice came through the hallway. "How did you find us?" Serena stopped. She had never heard her father sound like that. Not angry. Not commanding. Afraid. A man's voice answered. "You should have known we'd come eventually." Serena pressed herself against the wall. She couldn't see them from where she stood. Her father's voice lowered. "She's not part of this." "She's the only part that matters." Serena's blood ran cold. Who were they talking about? Her? A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. She almost screamed. Her mother pulled her into a small room and closed the door. "Mom—" "Quiet." Her mother's face was pale. Serena had never seen her like that. "What's happening?" Her mother locked the door. "Listen to me." "What?" "No matter what you hear, you stay here." "Mom, what's happening?" Her mother stared at her for several seconds. Then she whispered something that made no sense. "They found us." "Who?" "The Morettis." Serena frowned. "The who?" Her mother's expression changed. "You don't know that name." It wasn't a question. Serena shook her head. "I've never heard of them." Her mother closed her eyes. "Your father wanted to keep it that way." A loud bang shook the door. Serena jumped. Her mother grabbed her shoulders. "Listen carefully." "What?" "There are things about our family you were never supposed to know." "Mom—" "Your father didn't build this life because he wanted wealth." Another bang. "The money, the security, the people around us... none of it was what you thought." Serena stared at her. "What are you talking about?" Her mother's eyes filled with tears. "You're old enough now." The door handle moved. Serena's heart stopped. Her mother reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a small silver pendant. It was old. Older than anything Serena had ever seen her mother wear. A strange symbol had been carved into its center. "What is that?" "Something that belongs to you." Her mother pressed it into Serena's palm. The moment Serena touched it, a sharp pain shot through her hand. She gasped. The pendant became hot. Not warm. Hot. Her mother immediately released it. "What happened?" Serena stared at her palm. A thin red line had appeared across her skin. Then another. The lines moved. Serena's eyes widened. They formed the exact same symbol engraved on the pendant. "Mom..." Her mother looked horrified. "It's starting." "What is starting?" Before her mother could answer, the door exploded inward. Serena screamed. Her mother pushed her backward. Three men entered the room. They wore black. Their faces were expressionless. One of them looked directly at Serena. "The bloodline." Serena stepped backward. "What?" The man reached for her. Her mother moved between them. "Don't touch my daughter." The man smiled. "You should have told her the truth years ago." Then a fourth voice came from the hallway. "Enough." Everything stopped. The men immediately stepped aside. A man walked into the room. Serena had never seen him before. He was tall, dressed entirely in black, with dark hair and an expression that made the entire room feel colder. He didn't look at Serena's mother. He looked directly at Serena. His eyes dropped to the symbol glowing faintly on her palm. For the first time, something changed in his expression. Recognition. "Serena Vale." Hearing her name from a stranger's mouth sent a strange chill through her. "Who are you?" The man didn't answer. Her mother did. "Dante Moretti." Serena stared at him. The name meant nothing to her. But judging by her mother's expression, it should have. Dante stepped closer. Serena's mother raised herself protectively. "You promised." "I did." "You said you'd leave her out of this." "I intended to." His gaze returned to Serena's hand. "But circumstances have changed." Serena looked between them. "Can someone please tell me what is happening?" Dante finally looked at her face. "Your father broke an agreement." "What agreement?" "One that was made long before you were born." Serena shook her head. "This makes no sense." "It will." Dante turned toward the hallway. "Bring her father." Serena's eyes widened. "Where is my father?" Nobody answered. "Dad!" She tried to push past Dante. He caught her wrist. The moment his skin touched hers, something happened. A pulse of heat moved through her entire body. Dante immediately released her. His expression changed. For the first time, he looked genuinely shocked. Serena stared at him. "What was that?" Dante looked at the symbol on her palm. Then at her. "That's impossible." "What?" He didn't answer. A man appeared in the doorway. "Sir." Dante's jaw tightened. "What?" "We found Mr. Vale." Serena's heart dropped. "Is he alive?" Silence. Her mother covered her mouth. Serena understood. "No." She pushed past Dante. Her mother caught her before she could reach the hallway. "Serena." "No." She shook her head. "No, no, no." Her father couldn't be dead. He couldn't. He had been downstairs minutes ago. He had kissed her forehead before dinner. He had told her to stop working so late. He had promised they would have breakfast together in the morning. Now he was gone. Serena's knees weakened. Her mother held her. But Serena barely felt the embrace. Everything inside her had gone numb. Dante watched silently. There was something unsettling about his expression. Not sympathy. Not exactly. Recognition. As if her father's death had confirmed something he had been searching for. Serena looked at him through tear-filled eyes. "Did you do this?" Dante didn't answer immediately. "No." "You're lying." "I didn't kill your father." "Then why are you here?" His eyes hardened. "Because your father wasn't the only person who broke the blood pact." Serena frowned. "What blood pact?" Dante stepped closer. "The pact between the Moretti and Vale families." Her mother's grip tightened around Serena. Dante continued. "Your families have been bound together for generations." Serena looked at the symbol on her palm. "What does that have to do with me?" Dante's gaze settled on her. "Everything." A sudden pain tore through Serena's chest. She gasped. The symbol on her palm began glowing brighter. Her mother whispered her name. "Serena." The lights in the hallway flickered. Once. Twice. Then every light in the house went out. Darkness swallowed the estate. Someone shouted. A gun was fired somewhere downstairs. Serena heard the men moving. Then Dante's voice cut through the darkness. "Nobody touches her." His voice sounded different now. Commanding. Dangerous. The symbol on Serena's palm burned. A strange pressure filled the room. Then the darkness disappeared. Not because the lights returned. Because something was glowing beneath Serena's skin. A faint silver light traveled from her palm up her arm. Her mother stared at her in horror. Dante didn't move. Serena looked down. "What is happening to me?" Dante's expression was unreadable. Then he said the words that would change her life forever. "Your bloodline has awakened." Serena shook her head. "No." "You are not human in the way you believed." Her heart pounded. "What does that mean?" Dante looked at the symbol. "It means the people who killed your father aren't finished." He stepped toward her. "And now that your blood has awakened, they'll come for you." Serena stared at him. "Why?" Dante's eyes met hers. "Because you're the last living Vale." He paused. "And the only person capable of breaking the blood pact." Serena didn't understand. Not yet. But she would. Soon. Because before the sun rose, her father's death would become the beginning of a war. A war between two families. A war involving a supernatural bloodline she never knew existed. And somehow, at the center of it all... Was Dante Moretti. The man who had every reason to hate her. The man who had just become the only person standing between her and the people hunting her. Dante looked toward the shattered window. Then back at Serena. "Pack a bag." She stared at him. "Why?" "Because you're coming with me." "I don't even know you." "No." His expression hardened. "But you're going to." And somewhere beneath Serena's skin, the strange silver light pulsed again. As if her blood already knew him. As if it had been waiting for him. For generations.