The Beast's Substitute Bride (eBook)

An Enemies-to-Lovers Forbidden Love Werewolf Romance

Smallgirlb Smallgirlb (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
198 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-107487-3 (ISBN)

Infos

'Dolivo. Your family has been chosen.'
'Say your last goodbyes and when the beast come to take her, do not struggle with them. Simply hand her over to the guards.'
For generations, humans have lived in fear of the beasts. A fragile treaty keeps the peace, but the price is cruel: every time the Alpha claims a bride, one human family must give up their daughter. The girls are never seen again, and rumors of death and monsters surround the Choosing.
Paisley Dolivo never thought her family would be chosen. Reckless and strong-willed, she dreamed of freedom, love, and a future with her twin sister Nevaeh. But when Nevaeh's name is called, Paisley's world breaks apart.
She will not lose her sister. She will not stand by and watch her taken. Instead, Paisley makes a desperate decision-she will go as the Alpha's substitute bride.
Brayan, the Alpha, is feared as ruthless and untouchable. Haunted by duty and determined never to love, he never wanted a mate-especially not a human. Yet Paisley's fire tests his control and tempts his darkness. She awakens a bond he cannot ignore.
As secrets unravel, Paisley must decide if Brayan is her captor, her enemy... or her fated mate.
Alpha's Substitute Bride is a dark werewolf fantasy romance filled with sacrifice, enemies-to-lovers tension, forbidden love, and slow-burn passion.
Book 1

Textauszug

Chapter1: Prologue

A shrill scream filled the silent night. It was nothing to Waylen at this point. The forest was filled with thousands of screams almost every second. At every minute, there was a fallen hero. The grasses were wet and not from the rains. The blood of the fallen coated every inch of the ground.

Waylen jumped over a body as he ran. He had no care for his life again. The singular thought in his head was to get to his wife. He left her behind when he heard the enemy was in the village, he dropped all and went for his wife. She was his world and he could not continue living if something happened yo her.

The village looked even worse than the forest. Bodies scattered everywhere. The houses were burning and the little children who had been spared were crying. He should stop and console them. Get them to safety. Assure them that everything was going to be alright but he just couldn’t.

He saw his home come into sight and he pushed himself further. He ignored the burn in his side as he stopped at the front door. The doors were open but no sound came from within.

“Salma… my love where are you” there was no response from her. At this point, he wished he was one of the beasts. Her scent would have led him to her but unfortunately, he was human and he had to keep searching until he was able to find her.

His bedroom was the first place he checked. It was empty. He ran down the corridor and checked his children’s room. They were all empty. 

Where could she be? He was panicking at this point. Praying silently that the beasts didn’t take her.

He heard a soft cry and followed it. The sight he met in the kitchen will forever hunt him. His wife lay lifeless, a giant hole in her stomach. Their four year old daughter sitting and staring in the distance. The word mama falling continuously from her lips.

“Salma” his voice broke. He fell to his knees taking her bloody hands in his. He was too late. His wife was gone. The tears fell freely from his eyes. He was supposed to protect her and take care of her.

Their little girl was unmoving. Her head kept replaying the images of her mother’s death. She was hidden behind the cupboard and could do nothing but stare as her mother was murdered.  

It was only after the men were gone that she crawled out of her hiding place and sat beside her mother.

After sitting beside her corpse for a long hour, he grabbed his daughter and kept her locked in a room. He went for his sword immediately after. The beasts will feel his wrath. He stormed out of the house. Tearing through any beast in his part. He had a single goal. Kill Gael. The leader of the beasts.

He came upon their dwelling and stopped at the sight he met. The proud warrior beast held his dead mate in his arms. His cries were loud, heart wracking sobs that shook his mighty frame. Something moved in Waylens heart, his sword dropping from his hands making a loud clatter on the ground. Gael’s eyes raised at the sound and met his.

The beast only stared at him. He had no desire to fight anymore. “We’ve been so foolish” he said with a humorless chuckle.

“We’ve killed for nothing. Look at us now”

Waylen said nothing and just looked at the man. A few beasts came into the area. They paid no attention to Waylen. Either they didn’t see him or their entire focus was on their leader who held his dead mate.

“I won’t fight anymore. It’s either we end this war today or you kill me now”

“I don’t want to fight anymore” Waylen said and the beasts shifted their attention to him. 

He had lost the most important person in his life because of the war. A lot of his people were gone too. The war won’t bring about any change. Just stagnation and more deaths. It was time to put an end to it.

With that, Waylen turned his back on the beasts and walked away from their land.

The survivors in the village looked to him for direction.

“The war has come to an end. Let us bury our own and rebuild our village” the announcement was met with a lot of cheers. 

And so the rebuilding began. The dead was buried and slowly, the villagers began to move on.

On the fourth month after the end of the war, Gael visited the small village. The humans watched him in surprise as he walked through the village and to their leaders house.

Waylen was even more surprised to see the man in his office. He reached for his small knife under the table but Gael stopped him.

“There is no need for that. I come in peace” he lifted his hands in surrender and Waylen relaxed.

“Why are you here?”

“I want us to draw up a treaty. Since our war has ended and we silently agreed to live in peace, I think it’s only right that we have treaty that protects our people”

Waylen nodded in agreement. “My people will no longer hurt your people and your people will not hurt mine”

“Agreed. You….” 

“Papa?” A small voice called from the doorway interrupting Gael. He turned to look at the small girl with wide blue eyes. The little girls eyes travelled from her father to the strange man. 

“Lucretia. I told you to stay in your room” her father scolded lightly. 

“I had a bad dream” she said in a small voice.

“Go back to your room” he snapped at the little girl. She turned away but not before Gael saw the tears in her eyes.

The treaty was finalized and Gael returned to his land.

For six generations, the treaty remained in place. The two species lived together in harmony until the reigning human leader, Carwyn murdered the mate of the reigning beast.

The beast went on a rampage, killing everyone and everything in his path. 

The treaty was destroyed and the beasts began to terrorize the humans. The humans now lived in fear of the beasts.

Pushed by his advisors, Carwyn tries to make amends. In a letter addressed to the beasts, he stated that;

‘The human village will provide a female for the reigning beast’

The beasts accept their offer.

And so it began. The choosing of females. A family will be selected to provide the female and when the girl comes of age, she would be sent to the Beasts as a mate.

The villagers were against this development but nothing could change it. The girls who refused to go were dragged forcefully by the human guards to the borders where the beasts would pick them up.

The girls taken were never seen again and the rumors started. It was whispered that the beasts killed the girls and disposed the bodies. 

Each family dreaded the choosing. For they were scared to lose their daughters and even more scared of the consequences that would follow if they failed to provide a mate for the beast.

Chapter One

I removed my shoes at the entrance and rushed into the house.

“Mama…Papa” I called but there was no response. The house was unusually silent and I wondered where my family could be. With a full house, it was rare to find the house empty or silent.

I moved further into the house and realized the lights were off. My heart thumped in my chest. I easily got frightened and I was starting to feel some type of way. 

My hands trailed against the wall as I tried to find the light switch. My fingers found it but there was another finger there already.

“Ahhhh” I screamed and jerked back. At the same time, the lights come on.

“Happy birthday Paisley” shouts erupted from all corner of the house. I looked around and saw my whole family I had been searching for. They were holding a cake and flowers and sweets. 

“You frightened me” I scowled at them. The laughters couldn’t be stopped now. Everyone was laughing at my expression and soon enough I joined them.

“Happy birthday my love” my mother kissed me on the cheek.

“Thank you mama” the others came forward and kissed me after wishing me a happy birthday while I searched for my sister.

“Where is Nevaeh” I asked with a frown. On cue, my twin sister came out from the kitchen with a larger cake singing a happy birthday song for me.

Nevaeh dropped the cake and ran into each other’s arms. 

“It’s your birthday too” I told her and Nevaeh chuckled.

“I had to make the cake” Nevaeh was the chef of the house. She loves cooking and baking and everything that had to do with the kitchen. I on the other hand hated it but I loved everything my twin made and she was always happy to make for me.

Since we were seven, she made all our birthday cakes promising to never stop even when we were old.

“Happy birthday Nevaeh” I hugged her tightly. She was my best friend in the world.

“Happy birthday Paisley” she hugged me tightly. 

“Okay my beautiful girls. Let’s move to the table for our dinner prepared by Chef Nevaeh and we can give the gifts at the table” my mother said and pushed us to the table.

We took our seats. Papa at the head and mama in his right. Coulter at papa’s left and Nevaeh by his side. My place was supposed to be at mamas side but I loved to stay beside my twin.

Nevaeh and I had been inseparable since we were born. I loved her as much as she loved me and we always had each other’s backs. While growing up, it was always difficult for outsiders to differentiate us. We were identical in every way.

Some of our relations claimed that as we grew up, we would become easier to differentiate but it was the opposite. From our ginger hair to our eyes, our weight and height, the way we talked, it was all the same.

Mama, papa and Coulter sometimes had a hard time telling us apart...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 9.10.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-107487-3 / 0001074873
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-107487-3 / 9780001074873