THE MAFIA'S OBSESSION

"Kneel." The priest's voice echoed through the cathedral. Silence followed. Hundreds of eyes fixed on me my father's men, the Marchettis, politicians, businessmen, killers dressed in tailored suits. Every single one of them waited for me to lower myself before the man standing at the altar. I didn't move. "I won't." A sharp gasp rippled through the room. My father closed his eyes for the briefest second. The priest blinked. "Miss Russo... this is part of the ceremony." "I heard you." My voice was calm, steady. "I said no." Across from me, Dante Marchetti didn't react. He stood as still as a statue, dressed in an immaculate black suit that somehow made him look even more dangerous. His hands rested loosely behind his back, his expression unreadable. The Wolf. The man whose family had buried my brother. The man I was being forced to marry. For one endless moment, we simply stared at each other. Then, to everyone's surprise, Dante spoke. "Continue." The priest looked between us nervously. "B-But..." "I said continue." His tone wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. The priest swallowed hard and hurried through the ceremony, skipping the kneeling entirely. I caught the smallest flicker in Dante's eyes. Not anger. Interest. That irritated me more than if he'd been furious. The dress weighed more than my grief did, and that was saying something. Ten pounds of ivory silk and hand-sewn pearls wrapped around a woman who wasn't walking toward love. She was walking toward a peace treaty. "You look beautiful," my mother whispered as she adjusted my veil. I looked at my reflection. "No." She frowned. "I look expensive." Her trembling hands froze. For a second, I thought she might tell me to stop talking like that. Instead, she looked away. "I'm sorry." The words were barely audible. Too little. Too late. My father appeared at the doorway. "It is time." No apology. No hesitation. Just another order. He offered me his arm. I ignored it. "I can walk by myself." A shadow crossed his face before he nodded once and stepped ahead of me. Even now, he was managing appearances. The cathedral doors opened. Music filled the air. Every step toward the altar felt like another nail sealing the coffin of the life I'd planned for myself. My eyes found Dante immediately. He hadn't looked away once. Not once. His gaze followed me down the aisle with quiet intensity, as though he were memorizing every expression on my face. I hated that I noticed. I hated even more that he wasn't pretending to smile for the crowd. At least one of us refused to lie today. When I reached him, my father finally took my hand and placed it in Dante's. His fingers closed around mine. Warm. Steady. Gentle. Nothing like I'd expected. I squeezed hard enough to leave crescent marks in his skin. He didn't even flinch. "Finished?" he asked quietly. I looked up at him. "Not even close." For the first time, the corner of his mouth twitched. The priest continued. Vows were exchanged. Promises neither of us believed. When the rings came, Dante slid mine onto my finger with surprising care. It felt less like jewelry... More like a chain. "You may kiss the bride." Applause erupted before either of us moved. Dante stepped closer. Too close. The scent of cedar and expensive cologne surrounded me. "If you kiss me," I whispered, smiling sweetly for the watching crowd, "I'll make sure it's the last mistake you ever make." His eyes held mine. "I don't make mistakes." "No?" "No." His thumb brushed lightly against my wrist. My pulse betrayed me. A slow, infuriating smile ghosted across his lips. "Interesting." Heat rushed to my cheeks. I hated him for noticing. He leaned in until our foreheads almost touched. Instead of claiming my mouth the way everyone expected... He kissed the corner of my cheek. The room exploded into applause. To everyone else, it looked tender. To me, it felt like a challenge. As we turned toward our guests, his hand settled against the small of my back. Possessive. Protective. I couldn't tell which. "One piece of advice, Mrs. Marchetti," he murmured, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. "I don't chase what's already mine." I met his gaze without blinking. "Good." "Because you'll spend the rest of your life learning one thing about me." "And what's that?" I smiled a cold, dangerous smile. "You may have my name." I pulled my hand from his. "But you'll never have me." For the first time that day... The Wolf looked at me like he'd just found something worth hunting.