Claimed By The Don

Chapter Five

**DANTE**

The ceremony was a farce. Fifty guests in Sofia's ballroom, half of them armed, all of them waiting for someone to make a move. I stood at the altar in a suit Marco had picked out, watching Alessandro walk down the aisle toward me.

He looked beautiful. I hated that I noticed.

The officiant droned through the vows. Alessandro's hand trembled when I slid the ring onto his finger. When it was my turn, he steadied himself, his eyes meeting mine with something like determination.

"You may kiss your husband."

I pulled Alessandro close and kissed him like I meant it. Because somehow, despite everything, I did. His lips parted under mine, and I heard someone whistle. Probably one of Marco's men.

When we broke apart, Alessandro whispered, "No turning back now."

"Never was."

The reception blurred together. Toasts from people who wanted us dead. Dancing while Nico watched from the corner like a predator. Vittorio's wet cough as he congratulated us, his hand like a claw on my shoulder.

"Take care of my son, Moretti. He bruises easily."

It took everything I had not to break his fingers.

Finally, mercifully, Marco announced it was time for us to leave. We were expected to spend our wedding night at the Santoro estate, in Alessandro's rooms. The thought made my skin crawl, but it was part of the plan.

The car ride was silent. Alessandro sat rigid beside me, staring out the window. When we pulled up to the estate, I saw it properly for the first time. Massive, old money, built on blood and suffering.

Built on my family's graves.

"Dante." Alessandro's voice pulled me back. "We don't have to do this tonight. I can sleep on the couch."

"They'll be listening and watching." I got out of the car. "We give them what they expect."

Inside, servants I didn't recognize led us upstairs. Alessandro's suite was enormous, all dark wood and expensive art. The bed dominated the room, already turned down, like they'd been preparing for this.

The door closed behind us. Alessandro immediately went to the walls, pointing out three different cameras.

"Hidden, but I know where they all are. Bathroom's the only safe place to talk."

We locked ourselves in the marble bathroom. Alessandro turned on the shower to mask our voices.

"Nico's planning something," he said quickly. "I overheard him talking to Vittorio this morning. They moved the wedding up because they got intel that Marco's planning a move against them."

"What kind of move?"

"I don't know. But they're accelerating their timeline too." He pulled out his phone, showed me files he'd copied. "These are shipping manifests. They're moving something big next week. Weapons, I think. If we can intercept it…."

"We can cripple their operation." I scanned the documents. "This is good. What else?"

"Vittorio's vault. Third floor, behind a painting of his grandfather. The combination is his wife's birthday backwards." Alessandro was talking fast now, urgent. "Everything's in there. Ledgers, blackmail material, evidence of every crime they've committed for the past thirty years."

"Including the fire?"

He nodded. "Nico keeps a trophy box. Photos, news clippings. He's sick like that."

My hands clenched into fists. "How do we access it?"

"I can get us in, but not until Vittorio's dead. He's the only one who goes in there now." Alessandro touched my arm. "But Dante, he's dying anyway. The doctors give him three months, maybe less."

Three months felt like forever when I was standing in the enemy's house, wearing a ring that bound me to them.

"We need a backup plan. If something goes wrong…."

"It won't." Alessandro's fingers threaded through mine. "We're in this together now. For better or worse, remember?"

"That's not funny."

"It's a little funny." But his smile faded. "They're going to expect to hear something. ."

The implication settled between us. We'd have to make it convincing.

"How good are the cameras?" I asked.

"Good enough to see shapes, not details. If we keep the lights off, they won't see much." He was already blushing. "But the audio is crystal clear."

I turned off the shower, opened the door. The bedroom was waiting.

"Then we give them a show."

We stumbled into the bedroom, and I made sure to slam the door loud enough to be heard. Alessandro's back hit the wall, and I caged him in with my arms.

"Remember," I said quietly, my lips at his ear. "Just sounds. They need to believe it."

"Right. Just sounds." But his breathing was already quickening.

I kissed down his neck, biting hard enough to make him gasp. His hands clutched at my jacket, and I could feel his heart racing. This was supposed to be a performance. It wasn't supposed to feel real.

But when Alessandro moaned my name, something in me snapped.

I picked him up, his legs wrapping around my waist, and carried him to the bed. We fell together, hands everywhere, pulling at clothes. I yanked his shirt open, buttons scattering.

"Dante," he breathed. "They're listening."

"I know." I bit his collarbone, making him arch. "So let them hear how much you want this."

His answer was lost in another moan as I sucked marks into his skin, claiming him. My husband. Mine. The thought was intoxicating and terrifying.

I stripped him slowly, kissing every inch of revealed skin. The scars on his back made me want to murder Nico all over again. I traced each one with my tongue until Alessandro was shaking.

"Please," he gasped. "Stop teasing."

"Where's the fun in that?" But I was just as desperate. I shed my own clothes, pressing our bodies together. The friction made us both groan.

Alessandro's hands slid down my back, nails digging in. "I need you. Now."

I flipped him over, pulling his hips up. "Tell them. Tell everyone in this house who you belong to."

"You." His voice was wrecked. "I belong to you."

I pushed into him slowly, watching his hands fist in the sheets. He was tight and hot and perfect, and I had to pause to keep control.

"Move," Alessandro demanded. "Please, Dante, move."

I did, setting a punishing rhythm that had him crying out with every thrust. One hand wrapped around his throat, not squeezing, just holding, reminding him who was in control. My other hand found him hard and wanting, stroking in time.

"That's it," I growled. "Let them all hear what I do to you."

Alessandro was beyond words now, just desperate sounds and my name like a prayer. I angled deeper, hitting the spot that made him see stars, and his whole body went taut.

"Come for me," I ordered. "Now."

He shattered, clenching around me, my name torn from his throat. The sound pushed me over the edge, and I followed him into oblivion.

We collapsed together, breathing hard. I pulled out carefully, gathered him against my chest. For a long moment, we just lay there.

"That was….." Alessandro started.

"Don't." I kissed his shoulder. "Don't analyze it. Not tonight."

He nodded, already half-asleep. I held him as his breathing evened out, surrounded by his family's wealth and power, and tried not to think about how right this felt.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. A text from Marco.

“Well done. Nico's furious. Keep playing your part. We move on the shipment in six days.”

Six days until we struck our first real blow. Six days to gather more evidence.

Six days until everything either came together or fell apart.

Alessandro stirred in my arms, mumbling something I couldn't quite catch. I tightened my hold on him and closed my eyes.

Tomorrow we'd go back to being allies of convenience. But tonight, in the darkness, I could almost pretend this was real.

Almost pretend I hadn't just fallen for the one person I was supposed to destroy.