Savage Honor: Blood Oath

I didn’t want her.

At least, that’s what I told myself. The sharp scent of her perfume clung to my senses, something intoxicatingly dangerous, but I couldn’t afford distractions. Not now. Not with the city on the edge of chaos, not when betrayal was as close as the next breath.

But she wasn’t the kind of woman you ignored. The kind who stepped into a room like a force of nature, taking up space with the weight of her gaze. Her eyes were like burning embers—dark, intense, full of fire—and the way she looked at me? As if she already knew what I was capable of. What I could do to her.

And that made me want her even less.

The contract was signed. The deal was made. My word had always been my bond, and in this world, it was all that mattered. Loyalty, honor—those were the codes I lived by, even if they kept me a prisoner in my own life. My father’s death had thrown me into the power struggle that followed, and now, as the heir to the DiCarlo family, there was no room for softness. No space for weakness. Especially not for a woman who’d been thrust into the midst of my tangled empire without warning.

She wasn’t part of my plans.

But she was part of my vengeance.

Her name was Isabella Romano, and she was the pawn in a twisted game I’d been forced to play. The daughter of a rival family, the one who’d crossed us a decade ago. A mistake that had cost my father his life. Isabella had always been a symbol of everything I despised, but now, I had no choice.

The flash marriage was supposed to be a formality, a way to secure our families’ fragile alliance. Nothing more than a transaction. But when she stepped into that room, wearing a veil that hid nothing of the fire in her eyes, I felt the first stirrings of something I hadn’t allowed myself to feel in years—desire.

Fucking desire.

“Don’t do this,” she said, her voice cold and steady, but I could hear the tremor beneath it. She was scared, I could tell. And yet, there was something about the way she stood there, chin raised defiantly, that told me she wasn’t about to be anyone’s victim.

Her father had promised her to me, the marriage a way to forge a truce between our warring families. But I didn’t trust her. I didn’t trust anyone. Loyalty was a rare commodity, and I wasn’t about to hand over my future to someone who’d been raised to hate everything I stood for.

The ceremony itself was a blur. The priest’s words felt distant, like they were coming from someone else, far removed from the reality of what this marriage meant. I could hardly bring myself to glance at her as we exchanged vows, the weight of the promise feeling like a noose tightening around my throat.

I barely noticed the soft, breathless sound she made when the ring slipped onto her finger. The way her lips trembled when I leaned in to kiss her. A formality, a simple gesture.

At least, that’s what I told myself.

The reception that followed was a war zone of its own. Rival families, allies, enemies, all gathered to witness the union of the DiCarlo and Romano bloodlines. I barely touched my drink, my gaze never leaving Isabella, watching her like she was a time bomb I wasn’t sure would explode or simply fizzle out.

She moved through the crowd with grace, her every step calculated, but I could see the cracks in her armor. Beneath the poise, she was like a wild animal cornered, every nerve on edge. It made her more dangerous, more unpredictable.

My right-hand man, Enzo, came up beside me, his voice low. “You’re going through with this, boss?”

I gritted my teeth. “The marriage is done. There’s no going back now.”

Enzo raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “She knows nothing about this life. Nothing about you. You really think she’s just going to play her part?”

I looked at him, a bitter smile curling my lips. “It’s not her choice. It never was.”

Enzo didn’t argue, but his eyes lingered on Isabella for a moment longer than necessary. The girl was dangerous, and everyone in this room knew it. Even if she wasn’t a part of the family’s game yet, she would be soon. It was only a matter of time.

But that wasn’t my problem.

For now, the deal was done. The alliance was secured. And as for Isabella… she would learn quickly what it meant to be married to me.

Later that night, in the darkened silence of my private office, I finally allowed myself a moment of respite. The weight of the day had settled heavily on my shoulders, but I couldn’t shake the image of Isabella’s face from my mind.

I wanted to be rid of her.

The thought gnawed at me, driving me to the edge of my control. But there she was, in my mind, her every glance, every subtle move, seared into my thoughts.

“Don’t get too close,” I muttered under my breath.

The door to my office creaked open, and there she stood, the woman who had unwittingly tied herself to me for eternity. Her eyes met mine, unwavering, as though she knew that this moment, right here, would be where it all began.

“Did you think you could just marry me and walk away?” Her voice was steady, but there was fire in it, something dangerous. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

I rose from my desk, the chair scraping against the floor. The space between us felt small, too small for what was about to happen.

“You didn’t have a choice,” I said, my voice dark with a threat I wasn’t sure I wanted to follow through on. “You never did.”

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t back down. She stepped closer, her lips barely an inch from mine. “Then why do you look at me like you want to devour me?”

I froze.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Her words sliced through me like a blade. It was a dangerous game she was playing, one that could easily get her killed. But I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in, my lips brushing against hers just barely.

A spark, electric and raw, surged between us.

I pulled back quickly, my heart pounding. “Don’t test me, Isabella. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

She didn’t flinch. Instead, her smile was a challenge. A dare.

“I know exactly who you are, Luca DiCarlo,” she said softly, her voice low but thick with defiance. “And I’m going to make sure you regret ever bringing me into this world.”

I couldn’t help the dangerous grin that spread across my face. “We’ll see about that.”

And with those words, everything changed.

I could feel the tension building, thick and suffocating in the room between us. A battle was coming, not just between our families, but between us.

She was more than just the daughter of a rival. She was the storm I never saw coming.

And the blood oath I’d sworn would bind us both forever.

As the night stretched on, I realized one thing—there was no going back now.