The church smelled like incense and lies.

I stood at the altar, flanked by men who would slit a throat in my name, while across the aisle sat the Montellanos, glaring as though they’d rather be carving me into pieces than watching me marry their princess.

That’s all Isabella Montellano was supposed to be— a pawn. A means to stitch two bleeding empires into one.

But then she walked in.

The organ swelled, people rose, and there she was, wrapped in ivory lace like a sacrifice, her veil casting shadows across her face. She didn’t smile. Didn’t even look at me. Her chin was high, her back straight, her steps measured. Untouchable. Cold.

And yet, my chest tightened like I’d just been marked by a sniper’s scope.

The priest droned on, words that meant nothing. This was no holy union—it was strategy. A deal inked in blood instead of paper.

When Isabella spoke her vow, her voice was smooth, practiced, stripped of emotion. “I vow to honor this bond, for family and for peace.”

Peace. What a pretty word for chains.

Then it was my turn. My men expected me to repeat the same lifeless promise. My father’s dark eyes bored into me from the front pew, as if daring me to stray from the script.

But as I looked at her—at those sharp, defiant eyes hidden beneath a veil—I knew I couldn’t give her the same empty vow.

“They say it takes three kisses to make someone fall in love,” I said, letting my voice carry through the cathedral. “One for curiosity, one for desire, and one for surrender.”

The Montellanos shifted, whispering like vipers. Isabella’s lips parted, her brow furrowed. She wasn’t expecting this.

Good.

I stepped closer, the air between us crackling. My gaze never left hers. “But for me… it only took one.”

Before permission could be asked or granted, I pulled her in, my hand sliding to her jaw, and kissed her.

The world exploded—gasps, curses, movement. My father’s curse, her brother’s hand twitching toward his jacket, guards tense and ready.

But none of it touched me. Not when her lips were soft fire against mine. Not when, for the briefest second, she leaned into me before she realized what she was doing.

When I pulled back, her eyes were wide, her breath uneven. My pulse thundered, but I smirked.

“One was enough for me, bella. The rest… will be for you.”

And in that moment, in front of God, our families, and every ghost in this cathedral— I declared war.