Before the Vows

~Leah pov~

“Bride, walk slowly.”

Mother Ruth’s sharp whisper barely reached me beneath the violent pounding of my heartbeat, the heavy veil softened the world into pale shadows as I stood at the entrance of the Sanctuary chapel, my trembling hands locked tightly together beneath layers of white silk, candles flickered against ancient stone walls, casting wavering gold across rows of bowed heads. White flowers lined the aisle in perfect arrangements, their sweet scent mixing with incense thick enough to choke on.

Every seat inside the chapel was filled, they were all waiting to witness the sacred union, waiting to watch me become the Master’s fifth wife, nausea twisted painfully inside my stomach.

Soft music began somewhere behind me, low and haunting, and the giant chapel doors creaked open with agonizing slowness, hundreds of heads turned toward me at once, Mother Ruth smiled beside me, pride glowing in her eyes.

“Go,” she whispered.

My body nearly refused, every instinct inside me screamed to run, but obedience had been carved into my bones long before I understood what fear truly was. Years inside the Sanctuary had taught me that resistance only created suffering, so I stepped forward slowly, the long train of my white gown dragged across the polished stone floor while whispers rose softly throughout the chapel.

“She looks beautiful.”

“The chosen bride.”

“The Master’s blessing.”

My throat tightened painfully, I wanted to scream, instead, I kept walking toward the altar where Gabriel Vane waited in ceremonial black robes, calm and composed like the chaos inside me did not exist.

The Master looked pleased, that frightened me more than anger ever could, silver streaked through his dark hair beneath the candlelight while his pale eyes followed my every movement with quiet possession, he looked untouchable standing there before the congregation, powerful, revered and painfully old, the closer I came to the altar, the harder it became to breathe.

Two nights earlier, I had stood alone inside his private study praying for the walls to swallow me whole, the memory still clung to me like ice beneath my skin, I remembered standing outside his office doors while armed guards watched silently from either side.

“Knock,” one ordered.

My shaking knuckles barely touched the wood when he answered.

“Come in, Leah.”

Even his voice frightened me, I stepped inside carefully, lowering my gaze immediately the way the Mothers had trained us since childhood.

The Master sat near a glowing television screen, one arm resting comfortably against a dark leather chair. Candlelight flickered across polished shelves lined with forbidden books ordinary members were never allowed to touch.

“Close the door.”

I obeyed immediately.

“You’re afraid of me,” he observed quietly.

“No, Master.”

A lie, a faint smile touched his mouth as though he could hear the truth anyway.

“Come sit beside me.”

My pulse hammered painfully as I crossed the room confused, the screen flickered to life and my entire body went rigid, a man and woman appeared on the screen together in intimate closeness that sent heat rushing violently into my face, inside the Sanctuary girls were forbidden from seeing affection before marriage. The Mothers called such things corruptions of the flesh, I immediately turned my head away.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered shakily. “I didn’t mean to—”

“Watch,” the Master interrupted softly.

Fear tightened inside my chest.

“I cannot, Master.”

“You must.” His voice sharpened slightly. “A wife should understand how to please her husband.”

The room suddenly felt suffocating and too small, i stared desperately at the floor while shame and confusion twisted violently inside me, the Mothers spent our entire lives condemning desire as sinful, yet now the Master called this sacred, holy and necessary, nothing made sense anymore, the Master moved closer until I could smell the heavy scent of incense and aged whiskey clinging to his clothes.

“What happens between husband and wife is blessed by God,” he said quietly. “You must not fear your purpose.”

Then his hand settled against my thigh, my entire body stiffened instantly, panic surged through me so fast I thought I might be sick, every instinct screamed for me to move away, but fear rooted me in place, girls who resisted men inside the Sanctuary were labeled rebellious. Ungrateful and wicked.

And disobedient women always disappeared, so I sat frozen in front of the television while the Master poured himself another drink, amber liquid glowing beneath the dim light.

“You fear marriage because the Mothers only teach discipline,” he said calmly. “They do not prepare girls properly for devotion.”

I kept my eyes lowered.

“Yes, Master.”

His polished shoes echoed softly across the wooden floor as he approached me again.

“A wife exists to serve in peace,” he continued. “Happiness comes when a woman accepts her place instead of fighting against it.”

His fingers tilted my chin upward until I was forced to meet his gaze.

“You will never deny me affection, Leah. Do you understand?”

My throat tightened painfully.

“Yes, Master.”

“You will not pull away from my touch. You will not refuse me. And you will never embarrass me before the Sanctuary.” His tone remained dangerously gentle. “Disobedient wives create suffering for themselves.”

Cold fear spread through my chest, everyone knew what happened to women who disobeyed, they disappeared.

“You were chosen because I believe you can become worthy,” he continued. “Marriage requires sacrifice. A good wife pleases her husband gladly. That is God’s design.”

I nodded automatically while panic clawed through every part of me, the Master rested a possessive hand against my shoulder.

“The outside world destroys women, Leah. Men beyond these walls are cruel and sinful. Here, you will remain protected if you obey me completely.”

Protected, the word sounded wrong in his mouth, still, I forced myself to whisper, “I understand.”

But deep inside my mind, I prayed desperately for something, anything to stop the wedding from happening.

Now I stood at the altar beside him while my hands trembled beneath the veil, the Master extended one hand toward me before the entire congregation, I forced myself to place my hand into his, his cold fingers closed around mine possessively, the priest smiled warmly.

“Today, we gather to celebrate a sacred union blessed by Heaven itself—”

His voice faded into meaningless sound, my heartbeat drowned out everything else, instead my gaze drifted across the chapel, guards lined the walls heavily armed as always, the Mothers sat proudly near the front rows while members bowed their heads in reverence, Naomi watched me with tears shining in her eyes.

Then something shifted, a strange tension crept through the air, several guards exchanged uneasy glances, one pressed a hand against the earpiece hidden beneath his collar, whispering urgently into it, the Master noticed immediately, his grip tightened around my hand, the priest continued speaking, though his voice had become noticeably strained.

“Marriage is the highest calling for a faithful woman—”

A deep rumble echoed outside, at first, I thought it was thunder, then another sound followed, an explosion suddenly shook the Sanctuary, gasps erupted throughout the chapel, the priest stopped speaking, another blast thundered through the compound hard enough to rattle the stained-glass windows.

“What’s happening?” someone cried.

Panic spread instantly, gunfire exploded outside the chapel walls, screams tore through the congregation as people ducked beneath pews. Mothers shouted prayers while guards reached for hidden weapons, another violent impact cracked the stained glass overhead, raining fragments onto the marble floor, the Master stepped protectively in front of me, shouting orders.

“Seal the exits!”

More gunfire answered him immediately, then the chapel doors burst open, armed men flooded inside dressed entirely in black and chaos erupted.

One guard near the altar raised his weapon, but a gunshot rang out before he could fire. He collapsed instantly onto the white marble floor with blood everywhere, I stumbled backward in horror, I had never seen real violence before.

The Sanctuary taught us fear through silence and punishment, not blood and bullets, everything felt unreal and too fast, then the armed men suddenly moved aside and someone else entered.

The entire room seemed to shift around him, he walked through the chaos with terrifying calm, as though violence belonged to him. Tall, broad-shouldered, powerful, the black suit he wore fit his body perfectly despite the smoke and falling dust around him, dark tattoos disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt while silver rings flashed against his fingers beneath the chapel lights.

But it was his face that stole the breath from my lungs, I have never seen a man like him before, the men inside the Sanctuary always lowered their eyes around the Master, they dressed plainly, spoke softly and moved carefully.

This man looked dangerous without trying, dark hair fell messily across his forehead in a way that should have looked careless but somehow only made him more striking. His jaw was sharp, his mouth hard with cruelty, and his dark eyes—

God.

His eyes looked almost black beneath the candlelight, cold, intelligent and merciless, yet I could not stop staring at him, fear rooted me in place, but something else held me there too, something unfamiliar and deeply unsettling.

The stranger’s gaze swept across the chapel before landing directly on me, everything inside me froze, for one terrifying moment, it felt as though the noise around us disappeared completely, then reality crashed back violently, more screams erupted, people shoved past one another trying to escape while gunfire echoed through the Sanctuary. Somewhere in the chaos, I lost sight of the Master entirely, instinct finally took over, I turned and ran toward a side exit, strong arms seized me from behind.

A large hand clamped over my mouth before I could scream, I was dragged hard against a tall body built like solid stone, my eyes widened as I looked up, it was him, up close, he looked even more terrifying.

Sharp dark eyes burned with ruthless intensity beneath the smoke-filled air. Faint scars cut across his skin, rough and old against features too beautiful to belong to someone so dangerous. Black tactical gear clung tightly to his powerful frame while weapons were strapped across his body.

Blood and smoke clung to him, he smelled like danger, like violence and freedom, I froze completely, transfixed despite the terror flooding my veins, no man inside the Sanctuary looked alive the way he did.

Then survival instinct returned, I twisted violently in his grasp, kicking backward and trying desperately to break free, his arm tightened around me like iron.

“Fight again,” he growled against my ear, his voice low and lethal, “and I’ll break your neck.”

The threat sent ice through my entire body, I stopped moving instantly, without another word, he lifted me effortlessly into his arms and carried me through the smoke-filled chapel, gunfire cracked behind us, people screamed, the Sanctuary burned around me and the stranger carried me away from the altar away from the Master and from everything I had ever known into the dark unknown.