Page 2 of Vow to Claim You

“Why?” Her brows furrow as she waits for an answer.

She knows why; I’m sure of it. She knows how this world works. She’s been a part of it since Domenico, her brother, has so desperately climbed the ladder of the hierarchy. And if that wasn’t enough for her to understand the rules of this world, I’m pretty sure her cousin’s arranged marriage to the Italian Don and head of The Gods, the secret society I’m a member of, was an example enough to understand. Just a little over a year ago, Serena, the cousin in question, married out of obligation. Her life for her brother’s life.

“Who is she?” Chiara asks, swallowing hard, but trying her best to keep a straight posture. Trying her best not to shatter into pieces here in front of me. The strength she possesses is another thing that kept me by her side. She might’ve been sweet and seductive at times, which any man appreciates, but she’s also fierce. “I deserve to know. At least that much.”

Hell, she does. If it weren’t for this arranged marriage mockery, I would’ve married this woman one day. That was the plan.

I knew my father’s declining health meant I would have to take over his place in the near future, and as the heir to our syndicate, I’m expected to have a wife and a child—an heir who would continue the Volds’ dynasty. My father’s obsessed with that.

I was going to propose to Chiara. The fucking funny part? I was supposed to travel to Monsera with her to drop on my one fucking knee there. People say the country’s so charming during the wintertime. While it’s freezing here, everything’s still blooming there. And now? I am to marry a woman from said country, and it no longer seems like a charm but a curse. So yeah, she deserves at least that.

“You know Monsera, that small country in North Africa we were supposed to visit this winter?” A strange feeling stings in my chest at the mention of our plans. Life does like to play tricks on us.

She nods, holding back the tears in her glimmering eyes.

“I am to marry its king’s niece, Ayanna Lilith Almaviri.” The words come out on a deep but controlled exhale, head angling on its own as if my body itself is tired of this whole situation, this name.

Chiara’s brows arch. “You’re going to marry royalty?” The last part is a scoff. “A mafia heir and a princess, wow. Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard this year?”

“Don’t do this, Chiara.” I look at her, my head still tilted to the side, hand draped over the glass of scotch I’ve no intention of drinking. “Let’s end this without unnecessary drama.”

Another scoff. “Without unnecessary drama? Do you even hear yourself, Aric? What about us? I know you were serious about me.” She looks at me in a way that I know far too well. She’s hurting, and I know I have to say something to hurt her even more.

“Our relationship was a distraction, and I do not need distractions now.”

“I don’t believe you. We love each other.”

“Love is a luxury I can’t afford.” Reciting Vidar’s words burn my throat. “This is the life I was born into. I have responsibilities. I won’t let anything compromise my position.” The truth is, the deal’s done, and there’s nothing I can do to change that. Once The Gods decide, it’s irreversible. But she doesn’t need to know that. She needs to hate me. Hate is easier to survive than clinging to the past and what could’ve been. “You knew it from the start.”

Chiara stares at me like I’ve become a stranger. Maybe I have. Maybe I always was. Her lips tremble, mascara smudging under her eyes.

“Aric, please…don’t do this.”

But I’m already standing, putting on my leather jacket like I didn’t just dismantle something we both built piece by piece.

“I already have,” I say coolly. “This is our goodbye, Chiara. The end.”

Her voice fades as I walk away, whispering, “Stay…” but I don’t look back. I know if I do, it might destroy us both more than I already have.

CHAPTER TWO

Ayanna

“Do you think I’m the groom?” The man with light, almost white-blond hair and sky-blue eyes smirks in a way that makes me blush out of embarrassment. “You wish, hun, but you’re marrying the other brother. The less fun one.” The brow with a scar across its arch lifts, and his grin widens, only making me feel more like a fool.

I can’t believe it. The bastard didn’t even have enough courtesy to grace me with his presence. Instead, he sent his brother.

My cheeks burn, turning the deepest shade of crimson, I’m sure. I snag a black velvet document file from the man’s hand and turn on my heel to sit by the oak desk in my father’s office. I don’t even raise my gaze to avoid the stares of witnesses to my humiliation as I scroll through the pages of the marriage agreement.

In two weeks, precisely on November twenty-first, I’m turning twenty-two. Apparently, the universe—or rather, my parents—decided that the perfect birthday gift would be marrying a man I have never met in person.

No, sadly, not my dream Prince Charming I was looking forward to marrying my entire life.

On the contrary. It’s a marriage of convenience with a Norwegian mafia heir, Aric Vold. Needless to say, I had no right of choice in this matter.

But the real plot twist? I’m a princess. A niece to the king of Monsera—a small but influential kingdom. A member of royalty…and I have never, ever, not in my wildest dreams thought I’d have to marry a criminal. I mean…how twisted is that? All so my uncle can gain even more influence by securing my father a place in some secretive society no one dares to speak of. Though it won’t ever be revealed to the people of Monsera. All I know is that this marriage will grant my father entry into that mysterious organization—one that apparently pulls the strings on a global scale.

Why me and not the king’s daughter? Because the society in question is made up of criminals. Gangsters. Mafia men. The king’s daughter couldn’t be tied to something like that. But me? They’ll lie to the people of Monsera, saying I married a foreigner and left the country, and no one will ask questions. After all, I’m just the king’s niece.