The Ugly Substitute Bride of the Mafia King

My adoptive family, the Castillos, treated their biological children like royalty, but used me as a disposable pawn. To secure a mafia alliance, they forced me to take my beautiful sister's place and marry Don Damien Moretti, a man rumored to be a ruthless, bloodthirsty monster. They thought they were sending me to my execution. At our engagement banquet, my mother and sister deliberately gifted me a cheap, counterfeit gown to humiliate me in front of New York's elite. When I publicly exposed their lie, my father demanded I apologize. My mother even raised her hand to slap me in front of everyone. "You are a vicious curse! You ruin everything!" They eagerly waited for the Don to execute me on the spot for embarrassing them. I had spent years secretly saving their company from bankruptcy and supplying the underground experimental drugs that kept my brother's mafia career alive. Yet, they threw me to the wolves without a second thought, disgusted by my very existence. But they didn't know that just an hour before the banquet, I had saved a bleeding, masked stranger in a dark alley-who turned out to be Damien Moretti himself.

Chapters

Chapter 1

Seraphina POV

The damp air of the Little Italy alley smelled of stale garbage, yeast from the nearby bakery, and the faint, metallic tang of gunpowder. I shoved my phone into my coat pocket, the echo of my mother's voice still ringing in my ears. You will marry Don Moretti, Sera. It is your duty to the Castillo family.

I turned to flee the suffocating shadows, only to crash into a solid wall of muscle.

A large, gloved hand clamped over my mouth, slamming me back against the cold, rough bricks. My eyes widened in terror. The man towering over me was drenched in blood, his face completely hidden behind a gleaming silver wolf mask.

"Don't move," he commanded.

His voice was a raw, gravelly rasp, laced with an authority so absolute it froze the blood in my veins. It was a Don's Command, the kind of order that bypassed logic and demanded blind obedience.

Heavy footsteps echoed at the mouth of the alley. His pursuers.

I had nowhere to run. If they found him, they'd kill the witness. Me.

Survival instinct overrode my panic. I grabbed the lapels of his ruined suit, yanking him down to my level. "Play along if you want to live," I breathed against his ear.

I dragged him behind a row of damp white bedsheets hanging from a clothesline, pressing my body flush against his. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head to fake a desperate, illicit kiss in the shadows.

Damien POV

For ten years, my world had been a dead, monotonous grayscale. A curse born of trauma and blood.

But the second this strange woman pulled me into the dark, the universe violently shattered into color.

I stared down at her, my breath catching in my burning lungs. Her eyes were a piercing, vibrant amber. Her lips, parted in feigned passion, were a bruised, intoxicating red. Even the ugly, jagged scar marring her left cheek-a clear prosthetic fake-stood out in stark, undeniable hues.

She was a riot of color in my dead world.

I wrapped my uninjured arm around her narrow waist, pulling her flush against my chest. She smelled of cold rain and clean soap, a scent that instantly silenced the roaring beast in my skull. The enemy Soldiers cursed in Italian on the other side of the sheets, assuming we were just two lovers rutting in the dirt, and quickly moved on.

When the footsteps faded, she shoved me away, her amber eyes flashing with guarded fear. "We're clear. Pay me what you promised so I can leave."

I didn't want her to leave. I needed to cage her. To keep this color forever.

Before I could demand her name, the screech of tires tore through the alley. Three armored black sedans blocked the exit. My men poured out, weapons drawn.

My Capo, Enzo, holstered his gun as he approached, his eyes flicking to the woman. His lip curled in undisguised disgust at her scarred face. "Boss," Enzo said, his voice dripping with cold intent. "Do we need to clean this up?"

She stiffened. She knew exactly what clean this up meant.

Cornered by a dozen armed Soldiers, she didn't cower. Instead, she lifted her chin, her amber eyes blazing with a desperate, reckless fire.

"Watch your mouth!" she snapped, her voice trembling but fierce. "I am Damien Moretti's fiancée. Do you really think you can touch me?"

A beat of stunned silence fell over the alley. Then, my men erupted into cruel, mocking laughter, ready to tear this delusional, scarred woman apart for insulting their Don's name.

I didn't laugh.

I stared at the woman trembling beneath my gaze. The Castillo girl. The sacrificial lamb they were forcing me to marry. My arranged bride was the only creature on earth who could make me see the light.

Continue to next part

I shattered my knee jumping in front of a silver bullet meant for him. The poison seeped into my marrow, putting my wolf into a coma and leaving me crippled. I thought my sacrifice would secure his love forever. Instead, five years later, Brennan stood in a warehouse while a Rogue held a silver-laced dagger to my throat. Beside me sat Debbi, his mistress—a spy who had staged the whole kidnapping. "You can only save one," the kidnapper sneered. Brennan didn't even hesitate. He looked me in the eye, his gaze cold and devoid of the bond we once shared. "I choose Debbi," he said. He walked out with her in his arms, leaving his Fated Mate to bleed out on the concrete floor. As the blade dug into my skin, I felt the mate bond snap. He thought I died in the explosion that followed. He spent weeks howling in grief when he finally realized Debbi was a traitor and he had killed the only woman who truly loved him. But he was wrong. I didn't die. A federal agent pulled me from the fire, and the trauma didn't kill my wolf—it woke her up. A year later, Brennan walked into a small bistro in Italy, looking for redemption. He fell to his knees when he saw me standing there, healed and glowing with the aura of a White Wolf. "Alyssa," he wept, reaching for me. "I'm so sorry. I'll do anything." I looked him dead in the eye, my gaze icy blue. "Get out," I said. "We don't serve traitors here."

Mafia Romance Werewolf

9.7

His Regret: Rise Of The Boss Lady

9.7

‼️ WARNING: Rated 18+ | Mature content What happens when a young, naive woman enters a world of guns, loyalty, and blood? She's underestimated. Used. Broken. But she returns with fire in her veins and a heart no one can control. Caught in a deadly web with three powerful men who would do anything for her, Megan is done being a pawn. Smart, witty, and ruthless, she's determined to climb the mafia ranks-no matter who she has to destroy along the way. With twins from her ex-husband and secrets closing in from all sides, revenge becomes a dangerous game. The man who betrayed her wants her back. The man who trained her wants her forever. The man obsessed with her would die for her. And her? She wants revenge.

Action Mafia Romance

9.0

My Baby's Father Is A Mafia Boss

9.0

"You and your baby are mine whether you want it or not." Renata Neroni's life was shattered the moment she discovered her boyfriend and stepsister's betrayal. In a rare lapse of judgment fueled by grief and alcohol, she spent a single, anonymous night with a stranger, unaware that she had just surrendered herself to Domenico Veronesi, the most formidable figure in the global underworld. That night left Renata with more than just a memory; she was pregnant with the heir to a mafia empire. As her father, desperate to free himself from the debts, prepares to marry her off to a man nearly his own age, Renata finds herself trapped. Her only escape arrives in the form of Domenico himself. Asserting his claim, he interrupts the arrangement and brings Renata to his secluded estate. Within the fortified walls of the Veronesi estate, the man known for his cold, merciless exterior reveals a singular obsession: the protection of Renata and their unborn child. However, Domenico's readiness to provide is met with a wall of ice. Despite his efforts to provide for her, Renata's resentment initially hardens into a wall of silence. To her, Domenico is simply another powerful man attempting to control her fate. However, as she is forced to navigate the inner workings of his life within the mafia world, she begins to see the man behind the fearsome reputation. Renata discovers the deeper layers of Domenico, a loyalty and a hidden vulnerability regarding their child, and the fear that once defined her begins to dissolve.

Mafia Modern Romance

9.5

No More Doormat: Dump The Fiancé, Snag The Underworld Emperor

9.5

Clara had to die once to see who truly surrounded her-traitors and opportunists everywhere. After her rebirth, she swore to make her enemies pay. Her fiancé mocked, "You think you deserve me?" She punched him and ended the engagement. Her stepsister played innocent, but Clara shut her down with a cold retort. "Stop pretending! I'm tired of your little act!" They called her a loser, but Clara didn't bother defending herself. Instead, she revealed her real power: superstar, racing champion, and secret mogul. When her masks fell, chaos erupted. Her ex begged, and the crime lord claimed her, but Clara had already conquered them all.

Mafia Mystery Romance

7.6

Not Just A Nanny: The Genius Returns

7.6

I spent five years as the perfect wife to Easton Harrington, smoothing his midnight-blue ties and fading into the wallpaper of his massive estate. I thought I was the heart of our family, but I was really just a ghost in a sensible beige dress. The illusion shattered at a charity gala when Easton’s "family friend," Georgina, appeared in a gown that matched his suit perfectly. While they basked in the flashbulbs as a golden couple, I was literally pushed into the velvet ropes by a cameraman. No one noticed. Then my four-year-old son, Holt, slapped my hand away in front of the city's elite. "Don't touch me! You're not my mom, you're just the nanny. Daddy said so." The room went silent, but Easton didn't defend me. He just looked annoyed that I was causing a scene, making a sharp shooing motion for me to take the boy away. Beside him, Georgina feigned shock while her eyes crinkled in pure amusement. I realized then that I wasn't his partner; I was a placeholder. They had stripped me of my dignity and even my child's love, treating my five years of devotion like a temporary staff position. I didn't scream. I just slid off the Harrington heirloom ring, tossed it into a fountain, and walked out into the night. Easton thinks I’m a penniless housewife who won’t last a week without his credit cards. He doesn't know that I’m Dr. Althea Morrison, the "prodigy" researcher his company has been begging to hire. I'm not asking for alimony, and I'm not begging for a second chance. I’m returning to the lab to build an empire that will bring his to its knees.

Mafia Modern Romance

7.7

The Devil's Bride.

7.7

She thought her life was normal. One night at her father's party changed everything. Isabella Romano discovers her father has promised her sister to a dangerous man. To protect her, Isabella steps forward-but she never expected to fall into the hands of Dante Moretti De Luca. He is feared as Il Diavolo. Ruthless. Powerful. The Mafia King of New York. And now, her husband. Trapped in a marriage built on power and secrets, Isabella finds herself pulled into Dante's dark world. Passion burns between them, but so does danger. Rivals want her dead. Family secrets could break her. And the man she fears most may be the only one who can save her. When love and blood mix, there is no escape. She made a deal with the devil... and he always collects.

Mafia Modern Romance

The Ugly Substitute Bride of the Mafia King

Chapter 1

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