Chapter Ten
Lena never imagined her wedding day would look like this. If someone had told her a year ago that she would one day stand inside a cathedral, preparing to marry a Bratva prince feared throughout the city, she would have laughed in their face.
Nervously, probably. Then excused herself and crossed the street to avoid them forever. But life had twisted sharply the moment she walked into that penthouse carrying a courier package and found a corpse instead. Everything after that had unfolded like a storm she never truly escaped.
Kidnapping and violence, blood and desire, and Maksim. Now, six months later, Lena stood at the entrance of the cathedral gripping her bouquet tightly while soft violin music echoed beneath vaulted ceilings overhead.
The designer gown Dimitri’s assistant had bullied her into accepting fit like liquid moonlight against her skin.
Silk clung elegantly to her figure before spilling into a dramatic train behind her.
Tiny crystals caught the candlelight every time she moved, scattering fractured stars across the floor.
It was the kind of dress the old Lena would have only ever seen in magazines while waiting in line at grocery stores. The old Lena also would have hyperventilated at the sheer number of dangerous men gathered here today.
Because this was not an ordinary wedding. It was a Bratva wedding. Power sat in every pew. Violence hidden beneath tailored suits and expensive watches. Men with blood on their hands standing beside women dripping diamonds.
The atmosphere pulsed with danger disguised as luxury, and somehow, impossibly, Lena belonged here now. Her stomach flipped violently at the thought.
It wasn’t because she regretted it, but because she still sometimes could not believe this was her life. The music shifted softly. Someone touched her arm gently, signaling it was time.
Lena inhaled slowly, then she lifted her gaze, and saw her husband-to-be.
Maksim stood at the altar in a black suit so sharply tailored it looked carved onto him.
The suit looked good on his broad shoulders, his hair was brushed back neatly, and his tattoos were hidden beneath crisp white cuffs.
Her man looked gorgeous, dangerous, and more importantly, Maksim was entirely hers.
The moment his eyes found hers, everything else disappeared.
The sea of faces, the whispers, even armed guards stationed discreetly near exits blurred instantly. None of it mattered anymore, only him and her.
Maksim’s expression changed subtly as he looked at her. The hard edge he wore around everyone else softened almost imperceptibly.
Possessiveness burned openly in his gaze now, unhidden and unapologetic. Even from across the room, she could feel it. Lena’s pulse stumbled hard. The first time she met him, she had genuinely thought he was going to kill her. Now she was walking toward him willingly.
Life was absurd, but strangely and beautifully absurd. She began moving down the aisle slowly.
Each step felt heavier than it should have, not from fear but from the weight of everything this moment represented. Leaving her old life behind had actually been easier than she expected. Her old apartment. Her courier job. The endless exhaustion of surviving paycheck to paycheck.
Those things no longer fit her life now, or maybe she no longer fit them. Entering this world came with consequences, though, as well as expectations, enemies and violence.
Lena knew that—she was not that naive anymore. There would be challenges ahead. Nights spent wondering if Maksim would come home bloody. Rooms filled with dangerous men discussing dangerous things. Endless political games within the Bratva she still barely understood.
Still, she was determined to face them. Somewhere along the way, she stopped seeing herself as Maksim’s temporary hostage and started seeing herself as his partner instead.
Her chest tightened unexpectedly as she approached the altar. God, she wished her father were here. For one aching moment, she imagined him walking beside her. His old suit slightly wrinkled. That familiar quiet smile on his face while he squeezed her arm reassuringly.
Would he approve of this? Of Maksim?
Lena thought maybe he would understand better than anyone. Her father had always believed love was messy and irrational. He used to tell her the heart rarely asked permission before deciding where it belonged.
And hers had chosen Maksim completely, even if their story had started with fear instead of romance. It was still their story. Somehow, that mattered more than convention ever could.
By the time she finally reached him, Maksim was staring at her with an intensity that made heat rise beneath her skin despite the crowd surrounding them.
“You’re staring again,” she whispered softly.
A faint smirk touched his mouth.
“You’re my wife in five minutes. I’ve earned it.”
The priest cleared his throat politely. Lena nearly laughed, and the ceremony finally began. She barely heard most of it. It wasn’t because it lacked importance, but she noticed Maksim kept looking at her like she was the only thing in the cathedral worth seeing.
It made her feel terrifyingly cherished. When it came time for vows, Maksim’s voice remained calm and steady outwardly, but Lena felt the emotion beneath it anyway.
“I will protect you,” he said quietly, eyes locked on hers. “No matter what comes.”
They were simple words, but from a man like Maksim, they carried the weight of blood oaths. Lena swallowed hard before speaking her own vows.
“I choose you,” she said softly. “Not because this life is easy. Because it’s yours.”
Something flickered sharply across Maksim’s expression at that. She thought she glimpsed pride, possession, and maybe something even dangerously close to love.
The priest finally pronounced them husband and wife. Maksim kissed her before the man even fully finished speaking. The cathedral blurred around Lena instantly as his hand settled firmly against her waist, pulling her against him.
The kiss was deep enough to draw soft applause and amused whistles from somewhere behind Dimitri. Lena smiled helplessly against Maksim’s mouth.
“You’re supposed to wait until the reception to ruin my lipstick,” she murmured when he finally pulled back.
His dark eyes lowered to her mouth again immediately.
“I’m exercising restraint already.”
Heat curled through her chest. God help her.
The reception unfolded inside an enormous ballroom glowing gold beneath crystal chandeliers. Music drifted softly through the room while servers carried champagne and expensive hors d’oeuvres between tables filled with criminals pretending to be aristocrats.
Lena actually found herself enjoying it. Which was perhaps the clearest sign her life had completely transformed.
The cake cutting became mildly disastrous when Maksim deliberately smeared frosting against her mouth just to watch her glare at him.
“You started a war,” she informed him.
“I survive wars professionally.”
She shoved cake against his jaw anyway. Somewhere nearby, Dimitri looked profoundly exhausted by both of them. Alexei nearly choked laughing. Then came the first dance.
Maksim led her onto the dance floor slowly while the orchestra shifted into something softer. His hand settled against her waist possessively as the room blurred around them once more.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured.
“You’ve told me that six times already,” Lena reminded him.
“I’ll probably say it six hundred more,” her husband replied.
Lena smiled despite herself. Dancing with him felt strangely intimate despite the crowded ballroom around them. He moved his body confidently against hers, guiding her effortlessly through each step.
“You look happy,” he observed quietly after a moment.
She looked up at him. “I am.”
The honesty in her own voice surprised her slightly. She truly meant her words. Maksim lowered his head enough for only her to hear his next words.
“I’m looking forward to the honeymoon,” he said.
Heat instantly flooded her face.
“Maksim,” she whispered.
“I’ve spent the entire ceremony imagining tearing this dress off you,” he whispered in her ear. Maksim even bit playfully on her earlobe. Her pulse nearly stopped.
“Maksim,” she repeated weakly, laughing breathlessly now.
Her husband brushed his thumb slowly against her waist.
“You have no idea how difficult restraint has been today,” he told her.
Lena leaned closer deliberately. “I can’t wait either.”
The look in his eyes afterward nearly melted her directly into the ballroom floor. When the song finally ended, Maksim reluctantly released her hand as Dimitri approached.
“May I borrow my new sister for one dance?” his older brother asked calmly.
Lena blinked. Then nodded quickly. Dimitri danced far more formally than Maksim. He was controlled, elegant. The kind of man who never fully relaxed, even during celebrations. Still, his expression softened slightly as they moved across the floor.
“I’ve never seen him this happy,” Dimitri said eventually. “And it’s all thanks to you.”
Lena looked surprised. A faint hint of amusement appeared briefly on Dimitri’s face. After a moment, Dimitri’s expression grew more serious.
“Take good care of my brother,” he told her.
The quiet sincerity in his voice caught her off guard.
Lena nodded immediately. “You can count on it.”
Something like approval flickered across Dimitri’s face before the song ended, or maybe that was her imagination. Then Alexei appeared almost immediately afterward like a handsome, irritating shadow.
“Well,” he drawled while taking her hand dramatically, “this still feels surreal.”
Lena sighed lightly as he spun her onto the dance floor.
“You’re really committing to the difficult younger brother role, huh?” Lena had to ask.
Alexei laughed outright.
“I still can’t decide if you’re a good fit for Maksim,” he admitted casually. “You might regret this eventually.”
Lena met his gaze steadily. “I won’t,” she said firmly.
Alexei studied her for a second longer. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled slightly.