My heart thuds painfully against my ribs. What is he doing?
“I vow to protect you, to keep you safe from anyone who would harm you, including myself. I’ll not just provide for you, but also ensure that you never want for anything within my powerto give. I vow to be honest with you, even when the truth is difficult.”
His words aren’t flowery declarations of love, but somehow they affect me more deeply than any poetry could. Each promise feels solid, personal. It’s not romance, but it’s… honest.
“As my wife, I vow to respect you. Anything that matters to you will matter to me, and I won’t hold you back or stop you from flourishing.”
Tears prick at my eyes again. How did he know exactly what I needed to hear?
“And I vow that as my wife you will be my equal in all things. Your voice will be heard. Your wishes considered. Your happiness…” he pauses, something flickering in his intense green eyes, “will be essential to mine.”
I blink rapidly against the tears threatening to spill over.
“You’re mine now, Alina. My wife. And I protect what’s mine.”
When he finishes, I’m left speechless. I have nothing prepared in return. No vows, no promises, nothing but the tremble in my hands and the tightness in my throat.
“I-I don’t have vows prepared,” I whisper, mortification heating my cheeks. “I didn’t know—”
“It’s alright,” the priest begins, but Raffaele interrupts.
“It’s okay,” he says softly, his fingers tightening around mine. “I didn’t expect you to have vows. But you deserve mine.”
Relief washes through me, followed immediately by a rush of something warmer, deeper. The simple acknowledgment that he understands me, that he doesn’t expect from me what I cannot give—it feels more intimate than any touch we’ve shared.
“Very well,” the priest says with a gentle smile. “Now, the rings.”
Raven steps forward, holding a simple white-gold band that gleams under the cathedral lights. She places it in my palm with a wink, and I turn back to Raffaele.
“Repeat after me,” the priest instructs. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
My voice trembles slightly as I slide the ring onto Raffaele’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Matteo approaches next, bearing two rings on a small velvet cushion—one a simple white-gold band like the one I just placed on Raffaele’s finger. The other is more elaborate, with diamonds glittering in an intricate setting. Raffaele takes them both, his eyes never leaving mine.
“With this ring, I thee wed,” he says, sliding the simpler band onto my finger. Then, to my surprise, he takes the second ring. “And with this one, I mark you as mine.”
The diamond ring slides into place alongside the first, the two forming a perfect pair. The weight of them is unfamiliar but not unwelcome—physical symbols of the ties that now bind us.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He turns to Raffaele with a smile. “You may kiss your bride.”
Raffaele doesn’t hesitate. His hand slides to the small of my back, pulling me against him as his other hand cups my face.
When his lips meet mine, it’s not the gentle kiss I expected for a church ceremony; it’s possessive, claiming, his tongue sweeping into my mouth as he bends me backward in a dramatic dip that pulls a startled gasp from my throat.
I cling to his shoulders, surrendering to the kiss as the small gathering applauds. In this moment, I feel utterly secure despite the precarious position. How can I not when I’m held safely in arms strong enough to catch me no matter how far I fall.
When he finally straightens, bringing me upright with him, his eyes are dark with promise. “Mogliettina,” he murmurs against my lips.
“What does that mean?” I ask, breathless from the kiss.
“My wife,” he pauses for a second, “Wifey might be more accurate.” Something in the way he says it—possessive, reverent—makes me shiver. “You are my wife now, Alina Brewer-Russo.”
“Say it again,” I whisper before I can stop myself.
A slow smile spreads across his face, dangerous and beautiful. “Mogliettina,” he growls into my ear, his breath hot against my skin.
I whimper softly, heat pooling between my thighs at the raw possession in his voice. His arm tightens around my waist, drawing me closer as he leads me down the aisle, now as husband and wife.
