Page 52 of Bratva Menace

I shrugged, tucking my phone back away. That was all the confirmation I needed. I was never usually that paranoid, but with so much at stake, I couldn’t help being extra vigilant.

The doors at the back of the room opened, and I held my breath. An older man stepped through, a beautiful woman around the same age on his arm in a floor-length black dress.

I released my breath. Not her.

Father glanced over his shoulder, his body tensing slightly when he caught sight of them. He watched the man walk down the aisle, eyes like a hawk, and take a seat in the front row on the left hand side. Tension filled the air as the two men stared each other down.

He needed no introduction. I knew the man who’d just entered was my future father-in-law.

He was big. Brawny. Mean-as-fuck attitude. He and Father continued to glare at one another before his gaze swung my way and locked on me. He had a scary vibe, sure. But I wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Respectful protocol dictated I approach him. Introduce myself. I was marrying his daughter, after all. The look in his eyes told me he expected me to do just that. To greet him…

Yeah, I wasn’t going to do that.

We locked into a stare down, neither one of us wanting to be the first to look away. Usually, I liked to keep an outward appearance of being aloof. Carefree. Mischievous. I hid the murderous, vicious beast that lived deep beneath my skin, never letting anyone else see it unless I was about to kill them. The fear that flashed in their eyes when they saw that side of me, the change, always made it worth it.

But this time…This time, I wanted to let the beast fucking free. Everyone thought that because I liked to crack jokes and have fun, I didn’t have a dark side.

They couldn’t have been more fucking wrong.

A cold, unrelenting darkness swept over me. The smile that was always on my face dropped, and the beast reared its head, shining out through my eyes. I stared him down, face hard as stone. A flicker of fear flashed across Akim’s face. He squirmed ever so slightly in his seat, and his gaze fell to the floor.

I internally scoffed. Akim was all for show. He thought that because he was big and looked scary, and I was young with a playful, carefree attitude, that I was weak. That he could intimidate me into submission.

I would never submit to anyone.

Soft classical music hit the air. The doors at the back of the room opened. It took a considerable amount of effort and energy, but I wrangled the darkness back into its cage, plastered my signature smirk back onto my face, and stood taller just as a figure stepped through.

The first thing I saw was the white, ball gown-style wedding dress. It was a conservative type of dress. Not an ounce of skin was on display, lace winding up her arms, across her chest and up her neck. A veil covered the majority of her face, only a set of ruby lips on display. Everyone rose to their feet.

She glided down the aisle as if walking on air. Her manicured fingers grasped a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Her footsteps weren’t rushed. They were calm. Collected. Not an ounce of nervousness.

I tracked her every movement, my eyes fixated on her as she made her way toward me. When her foot landed on the first stair, I took a step and held out my palm. Her hand slipped into mine with zero hesitation, her skin smooth and soft. Electricity shot up my spine. I took that as a good sign.

With a small pull, I guided her the rest of the way until she stood right in front of me. Our hands dropped back to our sides. She was tall. The heels she wore made her only a little bit shorter than me, her head coming up to my chin.

Silence reigned over the room. The veil was thick enough that it stopped me from seeing her face at all, but I knew we were looking into each other’s eyes. The suspense was fucking killing me. I’d spent so long wondering what my future wife looked like. Spent so long stopping myself from searching for her online because I wanted to be surprised, and now, she was there, standing right in front of me.

The priest began to speak, jumping right into the proceedings, his words going in one ear and out the other, barely registering.

Shouldn’t I be more excited?

Shouldn’t my thoughts be on her?

They weren’t. All I could think about was what a big fucking mistake I was making. I knew I had to do it. I knew I had no choice. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong. I wanted to fucking run. Being forced into a spot like that, given no option, no choice…I hadn’t thought it bothered me much, but it did, and it was becoming abundantly clear that it wasn’t what I wanted.

I wanted the freedom to choose who I spent my life with. I wanted the freedom to explore, to find a love like all my siblings had. I wanted⁠—

“Lukyan.”

Shit. I cleared my throat and stood taller. Hushed whispers rang throughout the room. In the corner of my eye, I saw my father begin to stand, concern on his face. Usually, he was hard to read. I could never tell what he was thinking, but at that moment, I could see it, clear as day. I knew that if I gave the slightest signal, he would stop the wedding, consequences be damned.

I shook my head. A frown marred his brows. Father hovered on his feet for a moment before he sat back down. No. I couldn’t back out. Not only did Illayana’s survival depend on this wedding going through, but it was also the only way I could kill Sergei. I had to do it.

“The rings,” a light, feminine voice whispered from in front of me. From my…wife-to-be.

“Right.” I reached inside my jacket and pulled out a square box. A matching set of rings sat snugly inside. I plucked them out and handed them to the priest, who did a quick blessing.

Burying the discontent I felt over the entire situation was easy. I’d been burying my emotions all my life. I would make the best out of it. With an almost robotic nature, I placed the ring on her finger. She did the same for me, a heavy weight settling over me at what it meant. What it represented.