Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

ALINA
The morning of the ceremony was loud.
I felt like some doll, being dressed for display.
Mother kept touching my hair, trying to make sure everything was perfect.
Valentina argued with the maids about my dress, and Sofia, Luca’s sister, sat beside me, watching everything with wide eyes.
Sofia looked like an angel. She has blonde hair styled in large waves, beautiful blue eyes, a voice so gentle it barely became louder than the noise in the room.
It was hard to believe she came from a Mafia family.
She leaned in slightly as she stared around the room. “Is it always like this?”
I smiled. She had arrived last night, and I liked her already. “You mean the madness? Yes. Get used to it.”
She laughed, the sound light and sweet. “I forgot how loud Italian families are. It’s much quieter in London.”
I looked at her. “You like it there?”
She nodded. “I do. Luca sent me there when I was sixteen. I studied, made friends, but I missed my home, and my brother,” Her fingers tightened around her dress. “I have only my father there.”
I could hear the sadness in her voice. And I'd never heard anything of Luca's father. It made so much sense now since he was in London.
But why had he left in the first place?
I took her hand and squeezed. “Maybe you’ll see him more now.”
Her smile was small, a little hopeful. Then she hugged me suddenly, throwing her arms around me like we’d known each other forever.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I pulled back, confused. “For what?”
“For agreeing to marry my brother. At least now I'll have a sister.”
I blinked. Then I laughed. “Actually, I’m the one who should be thanking him for agreeing to marry me.”
Valentina laughed too, but Sofia looked confused. “What?”
I frowned at her reaction. “Luca never told you?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. He never said that. He just said he was getting married. I assumed he proposed. That's weird.”
Before I could explain, the door was pulled open.
The conversations in the room stopped.
Luca was in the doorway, dressed in all black, his eyes sweeping the room before stopping on me.
The air between us was charged immediately.
My mother cleared her throat. “We should finish getting Alina ready.”
Valentina shook her head as she grabbed Sofia’s hand and tugged her toward the maids. “Come on, angel, let’s give the groom some time with his bride. Mom, we'll finish later.”
Sofia followed Valentina though she looked between us. What was going on there? I wondered. Why hadn't Luca told her?
The door shut behind them.
Luca didn’t move.
Neither did I.
For a second, we just looked at each other.
Then he stalked towards me, his eyes holding mine. “Are you ready?”
I tilted my head. I smiled as I turned so he could see my entire dress. “You tell me. You’re the one who agreed to marry me, after all. Am I ready?”
He stopped and whistled. Then he smirked. “I don’t remember agreeing.”
I raised a brow. “Then how did we end up here?”
He stopped right in front of me. He didn’t answer.
But the look in his eyes said enough.
Luca held out his arm, waiting.
I slid my hand through, feeling the heat of him, enjoying how strong he was under his suit. His face was calm, not a single sign of nerves.
Of course not. He wasn’t the one walking into a room full of men who expected things from him, expected things from me.
I, on the other hand, could barely breathe.
He looked down at me like he could read the thoughts in my head. “You’ll be fine.”
Easy for him to say. I swallowed. “And if I’m not?”
“Then we’ll have a problem.”
I narrowed my eyes. “A problem for me, or for you?”
Luca leaned in slightly, murmuring right into my ears. “For whoever thinks they can treat my wife as anything less than my equal.”
My stomach flipped. How had we gotten there? No one would dare disrespect me as Luca's wife.
Before I could respond, he turned towards the door and we headed out.
When we stepped out of the room into the hall, I realized how many people had gathered to see us off.
Dozens of men stood waiting, dressed in dark suits, all smiling. The moment they saw us, they became quiet.
Luca didn’t hesitate. He didn’t pause. He walked with the kind of confidence that made people move out of his way without him needing to say a word.
And somehow, I was expected to match that. I would match that. Once I had the meeting with my father's men, I would know what to do going forward.
We reached the center of the room, and Luca stopped.
He let go of my arm, but only to turn fully toward his men. He spoke with authority.
“This is my wife.”
No doubt. Just a statement.
“She is to be treated with the same respect as me,” he continued. “Anything less is an insult to me personally.”
The men nodded, murmuring words of agreement. But the way they all shifted, the way the energy changed, I knew they understood what he meant.
He wasn’t just introducing me. He was staking a claim.
I looked at him, and my breath caught.
Luca looked completely unbothered, like he hadn’t just silenced a room with a few words. His suit was perfect, his hair was neat, not a single strand out of place.
His face was unfairly handsome, and his eyes?
His eyes were pure control.
This was The Monster.
I forced myself to breathe.
He turned back to me, offering his arm again, and I took it, letting him walk outside to the waiting cars.
I kept my eyes on the floor, but my mind was racing.
Luca hadn’t touched me since that night in our bedroom. By now, we should have done things. It was expected. The men would be praying over our union later, praying for an heir.
I wanted to ask him why he hadn’t.
Why he was waiting. If he was waiting.
But I couldn’t.
Not when my heart was already pounding just from being next to him.
The car door shut behind us, leaving us together.
“Are you nervous?”
I turned to find him watching me. “Yes.”
His brows lifted slightly. “This is your first wedding?”
I frowned. “Obviously.”
“Are you planning another?”
I blinked. “What?”
Luca leaned back, resting his arm along the back of the seat. “You just sounded very sure that this marriage wouldn’t last forever.”
“I thought we’d be married for a few years only,” I said slowly.
He chuckled. “You belong to me now.”
Goosebumps spread across my arms.
Luca looked relaxed, but something made my stomach twist.
“Why would I ever let you go?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
What was I supposed to say to that? Actually, what did he mean by that?