The ornate bridal suite felt like a gilded cage. I stood before the floor-length mirror, a vision in white, a supposed blushing bride. My long raven curls cascaded down my back, and the carefully applied make-up accentuated my green eyes, attempting to mask the deep hollowness within.

Today, I was to marry Sergio Andretti, the Alpha of the blue-blooded Onyx Myst Pack and Capo of the Andretti mafia family. The man I had once believed was my fated mate, the one who had stopped my world with a single glance.

But that illusion had shattered. I had overheard him, cold and dismissive, referring to me as a nuisance. The man I loved saw me as a political pawn, a baby-making machine for his heirs. The thought twisted in my gut.

I traced the delicate lace of my gown, a bitter smile playing on my lips. My family, especially my father, saw this union as a strategic move, a consolidation of power. None of them were here to offer comfort, only expectations.

A soft knock at the door startled me. Carlotta, my younger sister, peered in, her eyes momentarily closed in a theatrical display. "Are you decent?" she chirped, and I forced a chuckle, the sound brittle and fake.

"I am," I replied, and she stepped inside, her gaze sweeping over me. A flash of green envy, quickly concealed. "You look beautiful, Caterina—ever the virginal Mafia bride," she gushed, the word 'virginal' laced with a subtle venom that made my skin crawl. This sweet act was a prelude to something, I knew it.

The organ music began to swell from the church below, a mournful dirge for my dying hopes. Carlotta kissed my cheek, a gesture I knew to be insincere, before leaving. I lifted my veil, its thick material a welcome barrier from the world, and prepared to walk down an aisle towards a future I dreaded. My father waited, scowling, and when I stepped into the church, a cold dread settled in my stomach. Carlotta, my maid of honor, was not at her post. What was she planning now?