Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Alexa

T he door swung open, its creak a harbinger of change. His silhouette filled the doorway. My breath hitched at the sight of him, my body instinctively tensing as he advanced toward me with deliberate steps.

"Alexa." Dominic's voice was a low rumble, his dark eyes fixed on me. "We need to talk."

Everything about this man screamed to run, but I found myself wanting to stay. The way my body responded to his presence was breathtaking. No man had ever made it react this way. He was a killer, deep down I knew, but maybe he didn't have a choice in most cases.

The articles were mostly about his father, and clearly, he would be next in line to take over, and had probably been brought up to do that very job his whole life. Familial pressure could be damning and I couldn't bring myself to discredit him without knowing him better.

"Because of what happened tonight, we have two choices here." He came and kneeled in front of me. "The families of the men I killed tonight would be coming after us, but to keep you safe, I ask you to marry me."

Wait, what now? This handsome creature wanted to marry me? Or well, only because of what happened.

"I'm going to keep you safe."

"And the other option?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I won't even consider it."

"No, you said I have two choices. What's the alternative?"

His eyes locked on mine. "Death."

Who would willingly choose to die? "So basically, you are telling me I have to marry you."

This was not the proposal I had dreamed about since I was a little girl. How did I get myself into this mess? Why did I ever go to Willow for that job?

"Alexa… I have a confession to make, though, before you make your decision. From the moment you walked into my club, I wanted you to be mine. You might think I have no heart, but already it beats for you and only you."

His declaration hung between us, a proposal wrapped in the velvet of his deep timbre but edged with a steel that suggested it was more than a mere question. It was an offering laced with shadows, one that spoke of protection yet whispered of possession.

The remnants of chaos from the recent events still clung to me like a second skin, leaving my senses raw. I studied his face, searching for something beyond the authoritative facade.

"Dominic, we…" My voice wavered. "We don't know each other, not really. You can't just?—"

"Marriage." He cut through my protest, his words slicing the air. "It's the only shield I can offer against what's coming for you."

I swallowed hard, my gaze flickering away before finding the courage to meet his again. In the muted light, I could see the rigid set of his jaw and knew that behind the facade of calm, there was an urgency that even he couldn't fully conceal.

He got up and started pacing before me. "Marrying me would mean that you would be a part of my world. And when I take over, people would swear their loyalty to both of us. There are certain expectations…"

"I can't believe you are even asking me this… we haven't even fucking kissed and you want me to marry you. Tie myself to you for the rest of my fucking life? Am I dreaming? Is this a joke?" A laugh escaped my throat.

He was so close now, his breath was warm against my face. "You give me the okay and I'll give you anything you want… just ask for it."

My head was not in the right space right now. All I could think about was his lips on mine, moving down my body, savoring every inch.

"Do you want me to kiss you?"

His lips were one slip away from mine. I nodded.

They crashed into mine, and my hand went straight into his hair. His arms enveloped me and my assumptions were right, leaving me breathless. His tongue asked for permission, and I opened my mouth, letting him explore further. Fuck, this man was making it hard to say no.

He pulled back. "Please don't make that the last time we get to do that."

I gathered my composure before I replied. "I can't marry a man I don't know, Dominic. Not even to save my life. There has to be another way."

"I truly wish there was. My intention was to get to know you, let you see the real me, and then get to this stage, but… my jealousy got out of hand and here we are."

Dominic stepped closer, the air around him charged. His dark eyes never left mine, a silent vow that he would not waver from his purpose.

"I know your fears, and I don't dismiss them lightly." He paused for a brief moment, as if weighing each syllable. "But understand this—your hesitation won't shield you from what's coming."

The tendrils of darkness that had followed me since I set foot in his club now seemed to tighten their grip. Dominic's gaze held mine, unblinking, a silent challenge against the encroaching night.

"Death isn't just a possibility; it's a certainty."

The idea of marriage—a binding tie to a man whose life was a mystery entangled with danger—terrified me. Yet the cold realization that my options were narrowing into a single path silenced the tremors of doubt. Death or Dominic—those were the choices laid bare before me.

I drew in a shaky breath, the inevitability of my decision anchoring me to the spot. "I… I understand. If this is the only way to stay alive, then yes, I'll marry you."

Dominic's shoulders, once rigid with tension, visibly relaxed. "You've made the right choice."

He stepped forward, closing the distance with purpose. The shadows played across his chiseled features, casting him in an enigmatic light that both concealed and revealed the complexities of the man before me. In the darkness, his eyes found mine.

He reached out, and his hand, warm and steady, enveloped mine. The contrast of his calloused skin against my own sent an involuntary shiver up my spine. There was strength in his grasp, a silent promise that spoke louder than any vow uttered at an altar.

"Thank you," he murmured, the two words laden with an intensity that seemed to echo through the hollows of my heart.

The faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, a rare softening of the stern lines that usually defined his expression. In that brief, unguarded moment, I glimpsed the man beneath the mantle of power and responsibility—the protector who had surfaced from within the future ruthless leader.

"Whatever comes," Dominic continued, his thumb gently tracing circles over the back of my hand, "I will keep you safe. This I swear on my life."

"There is one condition, though."

His gaze returned to mine, eyebrow arched. "What is that?"

"Working at the club," I began. "I can't give that up. Even if I marry you. "

My debt was astounding and working at the club was the only way for me to remedy that. Married or not, it had to be paid.

Dominic's expression remained unreadable, dark eyes fixed on me with an intensity that could sway the most hardened criminal. But I stood my ground, the soft waves of my blond hair shimmering slightly as I straightened my posture. "Is that so?" he asked, his tone betraying neither agreement nor opposition, yet it carried the weight of unspoken power.

"It is," I replied, my eyes locking with his. "I won't be just another trophy wife."

For a moment, there was no sound but the ticking of the antique clock on the wall, each second stretching taut between us. Then something flickered in Dominic's gaze. It was not warmth—no, not from a man carved from stone—but perhaps a glint of respect.

"Trophy wife," he echoed thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair. The leather creaked under his broad shoulders, the shadowed contours of his face giving nothing away.

"Independence," I corrected quietly.

"Most women would leap at the chance for a life of luxury, without the need for… club work." His words hung in the air, tinged with the suggestion that I should conform to the norm, yet they also bore the hint of a challenge.

"Maybe so, but I'm not most women, Dominic."

There was a slow nod from him, almost imperceptible, as if conceding to a worthy opponent in a game of chess. In that moment, I had ventured beyond the realm of simple negotiation.

"Indeed."

A silence descended upon the room, thick and heavy as velvet drapes. I watched as Dominic's gaze—sharp as a blade—sliced through his contemplation, coming to rest upon me with a new measure of calculation.

"Very well," he said at last, his voice a low rumble that resonated in the space. The words were simple, but they felt like pawns toppling in my mind, each one a concession to my will. "Your terms are acceptable."

I was no longer merely an object of his desire but was now a player in his world, a piece on the chessboard of his future empire.

"Are you ready to face what comes next?"

"Are you?"

Dominic extended his hand, palm up, an invitation cloaked in shadows. I placed my own atop his. We stood there, connected yet apart, the future stretching out before us like a path shrouded in mist, uncertain and inevitable all at once.

"Then it's settled," he declared, the corner of his mouth twitching with the barest hint of a smirk. "We'll walk this path together."

He made a phone call, and not even two minutes later, a woman was taking my measurements to get a gown for me to wear.

"I don't need a dress."

He put his hand over the phone. "This might be a last-minute ceremony, but you deserve a dress. Catharina will be able to grab something fitting."

This was not how I saw getting married, but what else could I do? Maybe we would come to love each other. A marriage of convenience wasn't always bad.

She was only gone for twenty minutes and came back with a gorgeous gown. "Try this on."

I went into the next room and he wasn't kidding. It fit like a glove.

When I came out, the light glimmered off the dress and I stood next to Dominic.

Dominic towered at my side, his posture rigid with a controlled anticipation. His eyes, those pools of obsidian, were fixed on me with an intensity that bordered on reverence, searching my face for a sign of hesitation or fear.

But I would show him neither. I met his gaze head-on. My lips, painted a daring shade of red, were a line of defiance against the traditional silence expected of a bride. Standing there, I was the embodiment of resistance within the opulent cage they had built around me.

Dominic's focus on me was unyielding, a silent vow that he recognized the tempest cloaked behind my calm exterior. He seemed to admire the storm, the independent spirit that even this union could not tame. And as the officiant began to speak, Dominic's attention did not waver, as though every word spoken was a chain linking us tighter, every sentence a lock clicking into place.

As the officiant's voice droned on, the weight of Dominic's gaze was like a physical touch, branding me with a mark more profound than any wedding band could. Whatever the future held, I was no mere pawn in his game. I was a queen, and I would play by my own rules.

The officiant's words sliced through the thick air, a final decree severing the past from the present. "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

An invisible mantle of my new title settled upon my shoulders. I turned slightly toward Dominic, my eyes lifting to meet his.

The officiant's steps echoed through the cavernous hall as he departed, leaving a lingering silence that seemed to thrum with the gravity of what had just transpired.

Dominic moved with a purposeful grace, his dark eyes scanning the remaining staff who stood at attention around the room's perimeter. "You may leave us for the night," he commanded, his voice resonant and unyielding. The attendants bowed their heads in unison, shuffling out of the room like shadows fleeing the light.

"Except for you two," Dominic added, nodding to a pair of bodyguards stationed by the door. Their imposing figures, dressed in sharp suits that did little to conceal their readiness for violence, remained steadfast. My heart skipped a beat at the implication of privacy and the imminent intimacy of the isolation .

I swallowed hard, the dryness of my throat making it difficult to speak. "What happens now?"

Dominic's attention turned to me, his gaze piercing through the dimly lit distance. For a moment, I saw something flicker behind his eyes—a hint of intrigue or perhaps understanding. He stepped closer, closing the gap until we shared the same breath, the same sliver of reality within the vastness of the uncertain future.

"You're my wife," Dominic stated, simple yet loaded words that carried the weight of worlds not yet explored. "But there's much I have to learn"—his gaze traced the contours of my face—"about you."

I was his wife, a title that bound me to a man whose depths I had yet to fathom, whose darkness whispered secrets I had yet to uncover.