Page 6 of Captured By the Russian Wolf

Lily's body language remained rigid, her eyes filling with hatred for me by the second, but there was also acceptance. Reluctant, perhaps, but acceptance nonetheless.

"The wedding will take place in a few days," I said, shooting off the words like I was addressing my staff at home. "You'll be ready. No delays, no second thoughts."

Lily's eyes flashed, but she didn't argue. She swallowed, her eyes never leaving mine, still processing what that meant, what she was walking into.

"When you step into my world, there's no turning back," I warned. "Be prepared." I raised my hand in the air, signaling a waiter to come over. "I'll have everything arranged, so don't disappoint me."

When Lily didn't look like she'd say anything else, her eyes finally dropping to her lap as the gravity of the situation settled over her, I nodded to myself, unable to fight the grin spreading across my lips.

I always get my way.

"Now, let's eat."

CHAPTER 3

Lily

The car slowed as we approached the gates of the Volkov mansion, the towering iron bars parting slowly, as if to deliberately prolong my anticipation. Or dread. As the massive gates opened, I couldn't help but feel like I was being swallowed whole by the life I had agreed to step into. This was my new reality—living in Nikita Volkov's world.

The marriage had been rushed, a quiet, private affair, conducted behind closed doors with only a handful of witnesses. No fanfare, no celebration. Just a legal contract signed, sealed, and delivered. It had been nothing like the romantic weddings I'd imagined for myself growing up—no flowers, no vows spoken with love. Just a cold exchange of signatures, as if I were signing away my freedom.

And in a way, I had.

As the car rolled to a stop in front of the mansion, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. The driver opened my door, and I stepped out. My heels clicked on the marble steps that led up to the massive entrance. Nikita stood there, waiting,as composed as ever. His face was unreadable, as if the events of the past few days had meant nothing to him. Just another deal made. Another piece in his empire.

I tried to match his calm demeanor, but the unease I felt was impossible to hide. This wasn't just a house. It was a fortress, a reminder of how out of place I was in his world.

When I reached him, he didn't offer a hand, didn't say a word. Just a cold nod of acknowledgment. That was Nikita—calculated, distant, as if I was merely another part of his grand strategy. His eyes swept me up and down, then he turned and walked through the double doors, no doubt expecting me to follow.

There he was, my new husband. No, that wasn't true. Alexei had been my husband. Our wedding had been beautiful, the real thing. My father had been there, grinning broadly, happy to give me away to a good man.

I pushed those thoughts away before they could make me tear up. Instead, I recalled how my father set me on the path I found myself on. He was the one who pointed me in Nikita's direction after Alexei's death. I had no idea what Alexei's business affairs were like—I trusted him to handle it all. But I had no idea what he was getting mixed up with.

Maybe if I had known, I could have stopped Nikita from killing him.

I bit painfully into my lip, trying to temper the rage I felt. Now that I was here in Nikita's home, I could carry out my plan. I just needed to sneak the poison in here and slip it into his drink—when the right time came. For now, his thugs were still inspecting my things.

"You need to do better," Nikita suddenly spoke up, making me flinch.

"What are you talking about?" I barked, masking my sudden sense of dread with annoyance. There was no way he could have heard my thoughts.

"At the ceremony, you were supposed to be my blushing bride, not my prisoner. Fix your fucking face."

His words hit me like a blow to the gut, and he didn't even turn around to deliver them. I faltered behind him, which made him stop and turn around. My lips parted at the sight of his face—unbothered, uncaring.

"You know what you agreed to. I told you not to disappoint me. If you keep up this lackluster performance, I'll get rid of you."

"Are you kidding?" I blurted out incredulously, my voice rising. "You call that business meeting a ceremony? How would that inspire anyone to put on the act of their life?"

Nikita made me regret my words with one look. His dark eyes flashed like obsidian as he crept closer to me, his jaw tight. Suddenly, I noticed that the entourage of security and staff that surrounded us earlier had dispersed.

I was left alone with Nikita's simmering anger.

"I own you now," he started, his tone measured. "I'll do what I want with you, and you'll do what I tell you. If I told you to marry me in a shitty hole-in-the-wall bar, you'd do it. Do you know why?"

Nikita reached out toward me and ran his fingers through my loose hair. The ghost of his touch made my scalp tingle. My eyelids fluttered against my will as I held his hard gaze. He continued to stroke my hair, the gentle gesture underlining the threat in his tone.

"Because this is what you agreed to. Don't test my patience, Lily. And don't talk like that to me ever again."

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