MARRIED AS A REPLACEMENT BRIDE

MARRIED AS A REPLACEMENT BRIDE

susanugwu72 · Completed · 228.6k Words

837
Hot
1.1k
Views
251
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

I scrambled to my feet, my heart racing, and pulled out the second knife hidden along my strap. Turning to Silvio, I held the blade up, pointing it directly at him, my hand unwavering. "Stay back," I warned, my voice low but firm. "One more step, and I swear I'll end you."

Silvio raised his hands slightly, his eyes narrowing as he watched me. "You've got some fight in you," he said, a hint of admiration in his voice. "I didn't expect that."

"Don't push your luck," I snapped, tightening my grip on the knife. "I'm not afraid to use this."

"I love this," he whispered into my ear, his lips grazing the shell of it, sending shivers down my spine. "Your body, Martina. And I would love to have you on my bed tonight."

**
Martina Moretti lived a life that was never supposed to be a high-stakes gamble in the world of crime and power. Taking her sister's place in an arranged marriage to the feared Silvio Argento, Martina stepped into a deadly game where love could be her greatest weapon or her ultimate downfall. As the web of betrayal unfolded and secrets came to the surface, Martina and Silvio would have to brave the treacherous waters of loyalty and ambition. Will they be able to trust each other long enough to make it through, or will their enemies finally succeed in tearing them apart?

⚠️⚠️18+ ONLY
This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic violence, blood, death, and scenes involving gun violence. It also explores themes of forbidden romance and morally complex relationships.

Reader discretion is strongly advised. This story is intended for mature audiences only (18+).

Chapter 1

Martina's POV

The soft rustle of the wind outside was the only sound in the room. The morning sun streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the floor. I stood beside the window, my back straight, my face tilted slightly away. The delicate lace of the veil draped over my head felt suffocating, but I didn't move.

The heavy door yawned open; his footsteps firm, echoed across the marble floor. I didn't turn, didn't flinch.

"There you are, you little brat!" My father's voice boomed, a furious threat. "Get your ass to the altar and marry Silvio Argento. Serafina Moretti, you're getting married today, whether dead or alive!"

I felt his eyes burning into the back of my head, waiting for a response, waiting for me—no, waiting for her—to crumble. But I said nothing. My breathing was even; my gaze was fixed on the horizon beyond the window.

He wouldn’t realize it wasn’t Serafina. He couldn't. As long as I didn’t move or speak, he wouldn’t know that I, Martina, stood in her place. My heart raced, but I forced calm into my body. Serafina had to have more time.

The minutes ticked by, and the seconds dragged on in silence between us. It was only after what felt like an eternity that I heard his frustrated huff. His footsteps receded, the door slamming shut behind him.

It wasn't until then that I exhaled, my hands shaking slightly as I turned away from the window. I glanced around the empty room, feeling the weight of the secret I carried. This wasn't how today was supposed to go.

The grand church loomed ahead, the pointed spires like the shadows that they cast from the busy people out front. I made my way down the aisle as murmur after murmur announced my presence to the growing guests. Lavish decorations, scents of flowers, the flicker of candlelight oppressed me.

Standing at the altar, I could feel hundreds of eyes upon me, waiting, watching. The veil concealed most of my face.

Thick tension filled the church. Every passing second without Silvio's arrival seemed to deepen it. My fingers, hidden by the veil, whitened as I closed my grip on the bouquet. I could feel the weight of the silence, the growing whispers of the guests seated in the pews.

Suddenly, a shrill ring pierced the air. The tension was cut as all heads turned to Mr. Nicolas, Silvio's uncle, as he stepped aside to answer the call. His face darkened as he listened, his brow furrowing deeper with each passing moment. After a brief exchange, he ended the call, his lips pressed into a grim line.

He turned to the altar, approaching the Reverend Father with measured steps. He leaned in slightly, speaking in a low, somber tone, but his words carried through the quiet church. "Apologies, Father, but I'm afraid my nephew, Silvio Argento, was involved in an accident. Can we just pray for his safety?"

The audience unified in their collective gasp, while my heartbeat threatened to launch into orbit even as I strove to compose myself. The Reverend nodded grave faced with concern etched on every feature as his clasped hands prepared to take the church through prayers.

Before he could utter a word, my father stormed up to Mr. Nicolas, his face masked in barely-contained rage, the voice low and dangerous, but audible for those closest to the altar. "This is unacceptable, Nicolas. What about our deal?"

Mr. Nicolas turned to face my father, his face calm, almost smug. "Don't worry," he said in his smooth, unshaken voice. "Our deal is still on."

The exchange was brief, but it was enough to provoke a new wave of whispers amongst the guests. The murmurs grew louder, spreading like wildfire through the pews.

"I heard every woman who spends a night with Silvio ends up dead," a woman whispered to her neighbor, a mix of fear and intrigue in her voice.

"Isn't it strange?" another guest whispered, leaning in closer to the person next to them. "Accidents seem to follow him like a shadow."

"Maybe this is just his karma," a man speculated, shaking his head. "It's said he has more enemies than friends." Speculation hummed in the air.

Mr. Nicolas cleared his throat, demanding the attention of the restive guests. He adjusted his tie, stepping forward with an air of authority. "As a matter of fact," he announced, his voice steady, "I will step in to marry your—"

The heavy doors at the back of the church creaked open, and every head turned. Silvio Argento stood in the doorway, his presence immediately commanding the room. The church was filled with gasps as all who were in attendance took in his disheveled appearance: torn suit in places, his face and hands smeared with blood. He didn't seem to care one whit. One hand reached up to wipe at the blood on his face, smearing it further, while the other remained clenched at his side.

"Sorry I was late," Silvio said, his voice smooth but icy. "I had a few, uh. loose ends to tie up."

I just stood frozen at the altar, my breath catching in my throat. The pounding of my heart was one of fear. Oh, God, I thought, my mind racing. Did he just kill someone?

Mr. Nicolas composed himself in an instant, his face a mask of forced calm. "Silvio," he started, attempting to step forward, but Silvio had cut him off before he could say anything more.

"Disappointed to see me, Uncle Nicolas?" Silvio's voice was cold, while his gaze pierced through the older man.

"Nonsense," Nicolas replied, his voice faltering slightly as he forced a smile. "We were  waiting for you to arrive since."

Silvio's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes never leaving Nicolas. "Great. Now, what are we waiting for?" He turned his attention to the Reverend Father. "Father, let's start the wedding."

The Reverend, after a brief pause, nodded solemnly, stepping back into position.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

Where The Ice Gives Way

Where The Ice Gives Way

50.8k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Charlotte Pierce is used to surviving in motion. New towns, new schools, the same old house on the edge of nowhere, and the same rule that keeps her standing. Keep her twin brother, Charlie safe. Keep his hockey dream alive. Keep her own needs quiet. She works too much, sleeps too little, and saves the one thing that still feels like hers for the middle of the night, when she can lace up her worn skates and carve freedom into dangerous frozen ice. Charlotte and Charlie shifted once, years ago, and never understood what it meant. They had no pack, no guidance and no protection. Just two twins clinging to each other and pretending the voice in their heads was stress, imagination, or loneliness. Then they move to Wellington.
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)

Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

2.6m Views · Ongoing · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
Wearing Her Face, Claiming His Bed

Wearing Her Face, Claiming His Bed

1.6k Views · Ongoing · M. Ember
Ten years ago, Alastair buried the girl he loved.

What he never knew was that she survived.

After a fire destroyed her family, Fionna lost everything—her face, her name, and the life she once dreamed of. Now, after years of hiding behind a surgically altered identity, she returns to the Scottish mafia heir's mansion as nothing more than a maid.

He doesn't recognize her.

Instead, he drags her into his bed because she reminds him of the dead girl he can never forget.

Every kiss is meant for someone else.

Every cruel word cuts deeper because she knows the truth he doesn't.

While Alastair prepares to marry the perfect mafia princess, Fionna secretly searches for the people who murdered her family. But the closer she gets to revenge, the more dangerous the truth becomes.

Because the fire that stole her past...

was never an accident.

And when Alastair finally discovers the woman he's been loving and destroying is the very girl he mourned for ten years—

who will survive the truth?
Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha

Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha

14.7k Views · Completed · Christina
I woke up three years into a marriage I barely remembered—pregnant with twins that weren't my husband's.

Those words should have destroyed me, but the truth was worse: I'd been used as a broodmare by the man who swore to love me, set up in a hotel room with a stranger because My husband Alexander Cross couldn't father children himself, and now I carried the secret babies of Damon Lester—the most powerful and dangerous Alpha in San Loris—while my own family replaced me with the daughter they'd always wanted. But when that same stranger's doctor appeared at my door, when twenty million dollars exchanged hands over a fake perfume bearing my secret identity, and when Damon's gray eyes locked onto mine with recognition I couldn't afford, I realized my carefully hidden life as the legendary perfumer Vera was colliding with a pregnancy that could cost me everything.

Could I protect my babies from the husband plotting my death, hide my true identity from the Alpha who's been hunting me for years, and reclaim the freedom I'd buried along with my dreams—even if it means standing alone against the wolves who see me as nothing more than a womb to be used and discarded?
A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE; BOUND TO THE ENEMY KING

A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE; BOUND TO THE ENEMY KING

5.3k Views · Ongoing · Jennifer Nwabueze
"You will be married to the King of Grok on the fourth night, and that's final!"

I fell to my knees, the cold marble digging into my skin. I had studied for years in the flickering candlelight, memorizing every herb and poison to pass the healer's exam. I wanted freedom. I wanted to save my mother from the servant's quarters. I placed second. I thought I had won my life back.

But the King didn't give me a badge of honor. He gave me a death sentence.

"Raven Thorne shall be wed to the King of Grok," he announced, his voice echoing in the silent hall. Princess Ellie, the woman who had tormented me for years, slapped her hands over her mouth to hide her cruel laughter. She was supposed to marry the Beast. Now, I was the lamb being sent to the slaughter in her place.

They say King Liam drinks the blood of his enemies. They say he is more monster than man. And now, I have to walk into his bedroom, wearing the Princess's silk gown, and pray he doesn't tear me apart.

I looked at the King, tears streaming down my face. "I'll do it," I whispered, my voice trembling. "But my mother must be safe."

I sold my body and soul to a monster to save her. But when the carriage door opened and I finally looked into the Beast's golden eyes, I realized the terrifying truth...

He wasn't a stranger. He was the man I met in the woods.
Survival Island

Survival Island

3.7k Views · Ongoing · Jacky Westbury
Zara lived a steady life. She was a primary school teacher and loved her job. She was not a social butterfly and only had one person she considered a friend and that was her best friend, Ivy. She liked her quiet life after growing up in foster care, the quiet was nice.Until her best friend’s husband and his mistress decided to kill Ivy and frame Zara. Now she has been sent to Survival Island--a deadly prison where convicted criminals fight to the death for a chance at freedom and a $10 million prize.
Zane, a powerful vampire and the island's owner, has spent centuries unable to feel desire for any woman. But when he notices Zara's intelligence, resilience, and determination to survive, she awakens something in him that no one ever has. For the first time in his vampire life, he is interested in a female, and his member is also starting to come to life. Who is this woman and why does he suddenly crave her and not just for her blood?
Mated To My Ruin: A Dragon's Debt

Mated To My Ruin: A Dragon's Debt

1.9k Views · Ongoing · ashlennox8
Nyx would risk anything to save her dying sister. Even steal from a dragon. Even trust a prince who promised her a crown in exchange for the impossible.

But the prince lied. The dragon she touched bound itself to her soul and now she is trapped in the vampire kingdom with a king who has waited centuries for her return. King Caelan remembers everything. The love she destroyed and the great war she started. The lives she burned to ash with the very dragon now living inside her.

She remembers nothing.

He wants her to suffer for crimes she cannot recall. She wants to survive long enough to save her sister. But the bond between them refuses to stay buried and the dragon has its own plans. When she turns twenty and her fae powers awaken, Nyx discovers the truth is far more twisted than centuries of hatred.

The prince who sent her was the one who destroyed her family. The king who hates her saved the only person she loves. And the past life she cannot remember might be the key to stopping another war.

This time she will not run. This time she will burn the world herself if that is what it takes.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

2.9m Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother.

"What is wrong with me?

Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?

It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.

He’s my boyfirend’s brother.

This is Tyler’s family.

I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.

**

As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.

Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.

When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.

I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.

**

I hate girls like her.

Entitled.

Delicate.

And still—

Still.

The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.

Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.

I shouldn’t care.

I don’t care.

It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.

It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.

I’m not here to rescue anyone.

Especially not her.

Especially not someone like her.

She’s not my problem.

And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.

But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.8m Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Mated to Her Alpha Instructor

Mated to Her Alpha Instructor

200.4k Views · Completed · Marina Ellington
I'm Eileen, an outcast at the shifter academy, all because I don't have a wolf. My only saving grace is a knack for healing that got me into the Healer's Division. Then one night in the forbidden woods, I found a stranger on the brink of death. One touch, and something primal snapped between us. That night tied me to him in a way I can't undo.
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?
Tango with the Alpha's Heart

Tango with the Alpha's Heart

30.7k Views · Completed · judels.lalita
“Who is she?” I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes.
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.


Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
The Ice Between Us.

The Ice Between Us.

1.7k Views · Completed · Nora Obeche
In the world of elite hockey, discipline is the only currency that matters. For Julian Thorne, the perfectionist Captain of the Northwood Olympic Center, every stride is calculated, and every emotion is frozen solid. He is one season away from the pros, but the team is drowning under public scrutiny and a board of directors looking for any reason to cut the cord.

​Then comes Jax Miller.

​Jax is a hotheaded rookie with a lightning-fast puck and a reputation for burning bridges. He doesn't follow playbooks, he doesn't respect authority, and he’s determined to melt Julian’s icy composure. When a viral video of their on-ice collision threatens to bankrupt the program, Coach Clain delivers an ultimatum that feels like a death sentence: they must live together in a cramped, two-bed dorm for the duration of the season.

​Forced to navigate the high-stakes world of sports fame, "forbidden" locker-room tension, and the mysterious blackmailer who caught their first mistake on camera, Julian and Jax must decide what’s more dangerous: losing their careers, or losing themselves to the person they were supposed to hate.