All Chapters of ONCE A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE LUNA NOW THE DEMON ALPHA'S BRIDE: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

60 Chapters

BEFORE SUN RISES

"SOME PEOPLE WAKE TO THE SUN... OTHERS WAKE TO THEIR WORST NIGHTMARE STANDING BESIDE THEIR BED."STELLAI woke with a violent gasp. For one terrifying second I forgot where I was — the unfamiliar room, the enormous bed, the rain that had stopped sometime during the night. Then I remembered. Alpha Damien's estate. I let out a slow breath, only to freeze. Someone was standing beside my bed."So..." A deep voice broke the silence. "I thought you promised to wake up early."My heart nearly stopped. "What the—" I shot upright so quickly I almost fell off the bed.Alpha Damien stood beside me with his arms folded across his chest, looking entirely too calm for someone who had nearly frightened another person to death."What are you doing here?" The words escaped before I could stop them.One of his eyebrows lifted. "I came to wake my maid." He tilted his head slightly. "The perfect little servant. Weren't those your words yesterday?" I stared at him, then quickly looked toward the window. I

Last Updated : 2026-07-22

STUBBORN AS FIRE

"SOMETIMES THE HARDEST BATTLES AREN'T FOUGHT WITH CLAWS OR FANGS... BUT WITH TWO PEOPLE TOO STUBBORN TO GIVE IN."STELLAI stared at the dark bottle in my hand. Then at the staircase leading up to his room. Then back at the bottle."...This is impossible."Elder Rowan chuckled. "It certainly won't be easy.""Easy?" I looked at him in disbelief. "You want me to convince the most terrifying Alpha in the kingdom to drink something he clearly hates.""I do.""And if he refuses?""He will.""And if he throws me out?""He might.""And if he kills me?"The old man smiled much too calmly. "I don't think he will.""That is not nearly as reassuring as you think it is."He laughed, patting my shoulder before turning away. "I have faith in you, Stella.""I don't!"He simply waved as he disappeared down the hallway, leaving me alone with the bottle and my rapidly shrinking courage."...Traitor."Taking a deep breath, I started toward the stairs. Each step felt heavier than the last. By the time I

Last Updated : 2026-07-22

A DESPERATE KISS

"SOMETIMES DESPERATION MAKES YOU DO THE VERY THING YOU SWORE YOU NEVER WOULD."STELLAI stood frozen in the middle of Alpha Damien's room. The silence he left behind after walking toward the door was deafening.No. No, no, no. He couldn't leave. If he walked out now, I'd failed. Elder Rowan had trusted me. The Queen had trusted me. Worst of all, I'd trusted myself."Alpha!" I hurried after him.He didn't even slow down."I'm speaking to you.""I noticed.""Then why are you ignoring me?""Because I enjoy the peace."I clenched my jaw. How could one person be this infuriating? He reached the door, his hand already resting on the handle.My eyes darted around the room wildly. Think, Stella. Think! There had to be another bottle. There just had to. Suddenly I remembered Elder Rowan's knowing smile before sending me upstairs. Hadn't he seemed unusually confident?Without another thought I rushed out of the room."Where are you going?" Damien called after me."I'll be back!"I nearly collid

Last Updated : 2026-07-22

'HIS FAVOURITE TOY...'

"POSSESSION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LOVE... AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH CONTROL."VALENTINAI couldn't breathe. Alpha Derek's hand was wrapped around my throat, squeezing just enough to remind me how easily he could end my life if he wished to, his fingers cold and unyielding against my skin, his silver eyes fixed on my face like he was studying a stranger rather than the woman he was set to marry."My… Lord..." I rasped.His silver eyes were colder than I'd ever seen them. "Where is she?" Confusion flickered across my face. "W-Who?"His grip tightened. "The servant."Pain shot through my neck. "I don't know what—""Liar."The single word echoed through the room. I clawed weakly at his wrist. "Derek... please… Finally he loosened his grip just enough for air to reach my lungs. I stumbled backward, coughing violently while rubbing my aching throat, the marks his fingers had left already beginning to throb beneath my palm. He stood perfectly still, watching me, waiting, as though my pain b

Last Updated : 2026-07-23

AWKWARD BREAKFAST...

"SOME KISSES AREN'T MEANT TO BE REMEMBERED... THEY'RE MEANT TO HAUNT YOU."STELLAI didn't sleep. Not even for a minute. Every single time I closed my eyes I saw Alpha Damien's face, felt the warmth of his lips against mine, saw the way he'd simply stared at me afterwards without saying a single word. I groaned into my pillow. "What were you thinking, Stella?" I buried my face beneath the blanket. "No... I wasn't thinking." That was the problem. I had completely lost my mind. Who kissed the most feared Alpha in the kingdom? Me. Who then proceeded to tell him she would do it again if he refused his medicine? Also me.I squeezed my eyes shut. "Moon Goddess... I deserve to be thrown out." Or worse. Killed. By the time the first rays of dawn painted my window gold, I'd already accepted my fate. I dressed quietly before making my way downstairs, every step feeling like I was walking toward my own execution. The dining room came into view. Alpha Damien was already there, seated at the long

Last Updated : 2026-07-25

"FOUND YOU"

"SOME PEOPLE DON'T FIND YOU BY ACCIDENT... THEY HUNT UNTIL THEY DO."STELLAI had never cleaned so much in my entire life. The silverware had been polished twice, each piece catching the light until I could see my own tired reflection in it. The windows sparkled until the light bounced clean off them, streaks I'd chased away one at a time with a soft cloth and more patience than I usually had to spare. The books in the sitting room had been arranged by height, and even the flowers had been replaced with fresh ones from the garden, their petals still damp with morning dew. Yet I still wasn't satisfied.Because today Alpha Derek was coming. Every time I remembered Alpha Damien mentioning it over breakfast, my stomach twisted itself into knots. Why was he coming here? Did he know I was here? Did Lady Valentina tell him? Or was it all just a coincidence? I scrubbed the same coffee table again."Stella."I nearly dropped the cloth. I spun around to find Alpha Damien standing in the doorway

Last Updated : 2026-07-26

YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE

"SOMETIMES THE HARDEST PRISON TO ESCAPE IS THE ONE BUILT BY SOMEONE ELSE'S HANDS."STELLA"I've finally found you."My heartbeat slammed painfully against my ribs, each beat loud enough that I was certain he could feel it through the small space still separating us. Alpha Derek stood so close that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body, one hand resting against the wall beside my head, the other remaining lightly beneath my chin, keeping my face tilted toward his no matter how I tried to turn away from him.I immediately pushed against his chest. "My Lord..."He didn't move. Instead he stepped even closer. "There you are." His silver eyes slowly searched my face. "So this is what you've been hiding from me all this time."I pushed again. "Please move.""You have beautiful eyes." His thumb brushed across my cheek. "And I never even knew."I jerked my face away. "I said move."A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "There she is.""What?""The girl who stood up to my b

Last Updated : 2026-07-27

"WILL HE REALLY KILL ME?"

"THE THINGS PEOPLE DON'T SAY OFTEN REVEAL THEM FAR MORE THAN THE THINGS THEY DO."STELLAMy heart refused to slow. Even after Alpha Derek had left the kitchen. Even after I had forced myself to breathe, slow and steady, the way I'd learned to over the past few days. Even after I had washed the broken cups simply to give my trembling hands something to do besides shake.I could still feel his fingers against my face. His whisper. "You'll come back."No. I wouldn't. Never.I gripped the edge of the sink until my knuckles turned white, the porcelain cold and unyielding beneath my palms."Tea."I blinked. Right. Alpha Damien. I quickly prepared a fresh pot before placing it carefully on a silver tray, the cups rattling softly with every step I took toward the sitting room. I paused outside the doorway. Damien sat exactly where I'd left him earlier, one leg crossed over the other, a thick leather-bound book resting in his lap. Afternoon sunlight spilled through the tall windows, catching t

Last Updated : 2026-07-28

"LOCK YOUR DOOR TONIGHT"

"SOMETIMES THE LOUDEST WARNINGS ARE THE ONES SPOKEN IN WHISPERS."STELLAThe mansion felt empty. Not physically — it was still just as enormous as it had been yesterday, its endless corridors stretching farther than my eyes could follow, every room polished until it reflected the morning light. But something was missing. Someone."Elder Rowan?"The name slipped from my lips before I even realized I'd spoken. Silence answered. I stopped in the middle of the hallway. Right. He had left before sunrise. He was gone. For the next month it would only be me. And Alpha Damien.A strange uneasiness settled inside my chest. I had only known the old shaman for a few days, yet his constant humming around the mansion and the way he always smiled despite everything had somehow made this place feel alive. Without him the mansion almost felt haunted.I shook the thought away. "You're imagining things, Stella." I carried the breakfast tray toward the dining room. Alpha Damien was already seated there,

Last Updated : 2026-07-29

"GOT YOU"

"SOMETIMES THE MONSTER DOESN'T BREAK THE CHAINS... IT CONVINCES SOMEONE ELSE TO."STELLAThe scream still echoed inside my head. It hadn't sounded human. It hadn't sounded like a wolf either. It had sounded wrong, in a way I couldn't put into words even as I stood frozen in the corridor. Every instinct screamed at me to stay inside my room. To lock the door. To pretend I hadn't heard anything at all. Alpha Damien himself had warned me. Lock your bedroom door tonight. I should have listened.Instead my feet carried me into the corridor. The mansion was almost completely dark, illuminated only by flashes of lightning breaking through the stained-glass windows, throwing brief bursts of color across the walls before swallowing them again.Another crash echoed somewhere upstairs. Metal scraping against stone. I swallowed hard."...Alpha Damien?"No answer. Only silence. Then a low growl rolled through the hallway like distant thunder. My entire body froze. The sound wasn't angry. It sounde

Last Updated : 2026-07-29

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