Substitute

Everyone in Vallermoore knew I was Cole Mitchell and Finn Archer's most treasured princess. At 12, Cole saved me from my abusive dad's grip and gave me a second shot at life. He vowed to protect me always. At 13, Finn rented out an entire amusement park for my birthday and whispered that guarding my smile was his mission for life. Now I was 23, and they locked me in a pitch-black, freezing attic for three winter days. As I slowly lost consciousness, they were busy fawning over Zoey Hart, their long-lost childhood friend. "Everything you have is mine, so it's time to give it back." After hearing what Zoey said, I left without making a scene or shedding a single tear. However, for years after, they tore the city apart and tried to find me like mad.

Charles Jansen's true love returns to the country in my seventh year with him. The first post on her social media after she lands is an intimate photo of them together. She captions it, "I'm glad we've come full circle." Only then do I find out the ring hidden in the living room isn't for me. Charles' proposal isn't for me, either. Suddenly, I feel exhausted.

In Reychelle City, a contest was held to crown the most beautiful woman. After my cousin scarred my face, she seized first place with ease. What she never expected was that this year's contest wasn't for fame; it was to select the future wife of the Third Prince, a ruthless, bloodthirsty eunuch. That very afternoon, gifts poured in by the cartload. My betrothed panicked. That night, he tore up our engagement contract and carried my cousin into the bridal chamber. The next day, she trailed her lacquered fingertips across my cheek and sneered, "Alicia, with your ruined face, who would ever want you? Perhaps the beggar at the street corner might take you in." I caught her wrist, let out a cold laugh, and said, "Who told you I would marry a beggar?" Before her stunned eyes, I pushed open my parents' chamber doors. "Mom, since Maggie doesn't wish to be the prince's consort… let me take her place." Three years later, before the eyes of a shocked court, the Third Prince entered the grand hall with me at his side, with two children in tow. No one had foreseen it. This body of mine, blessed with the rarest gift of fertility, was the perfect match for a man believed incapable of siring heirs.

“Pipay!” galit na sigaw ng aking madrasta mula sa kanyang silid habang abala sa pag-aayos ng kanyang mukha. Halos magputok ang ugat sa kanyang leeg, na para bang ako ang dahilan ng lahat ng problema niya sa buhay. “Bakit po, Madam?” mahinahon kong sagot habang tuloy sa paglalampaso ng sahig. “Madam”—iyon ang itinawag niya sa akin mula pa noong una, at dahil sa takot, hindi ko na rin inusisa kung bakit. Ako nga pala si Piazza Fontana Vega, o mas kilala bilang Pipay. Dalawampu’t dalawang taong gulang na ako, ngunit hanggang Grade 5 lang ang naabot ko. Natigil ako sa pag-aaral noong mag-asawa muli ang aking ama. Simula noon, naging parang alipin na ako ng aking madrasta. Araw-araw, pareho lang ang eksena sa bahay. Ako ang gumagawa ng lahat ng gawain habang si Madam at ang kanyang anak na si Claire ay nag-e-enjoy sa luho ng buhay. Pero kahit ganoon, may lihim akong pangarap. Minsan, sa mga tahimik na gabi, iniisip ko kung darating ba ang araw na makakawala ako sa ganitong sitwasyon. “PIPAY!” muling sigaw ng aking madrasta, na tila mas nagiging galit pa. Agad kong iniwan ang mop at tumakbo sa kanyang kwarto. Kailangan kong magmadali. Kapag natagalan ako, mas matindi ang parusa. “Madam, may kailangan po ba kayo?” magalang kong tanong sa aking Madrasta. "Bakit ba ang bagal mong kumilos? HETO! Labhan mo pati ang damit ng anak ko!” sigaw niya, sabay hagis sa akin ng maruruming damit. Tumama ito sa aking mukha, pero wala akong nagawa kundi damputin ang mga ito. “Opo, Madam,” sagot ko, habang pinipigil ang pagbagsak ng luha.

Xylah always had a crush on the sexy Alpha Errol. Even though he didn't put her in his eyes and was just her step-sister's friend, a single glance from him was enough to make her knees weak. On the mating hour, Xylah was happy when the moon goddess chose her and Errol as mates, but the next day at the mate feast, Errol cruelly rejected her in front of everyone. As if that wasn't enough, it was revealed to Xylah that she had been betrothed to the useless prince as a bride, a substitute for her elder stepsister.

His breath was fire against her throat.Her back hit the cold stone wall of the mansion."Tell me who you are," he growled, voice thick with rage—and something darker."I don't know," she whispered, trembling.But her eyes glowed. And deep down, something ancient stirred. Liana Bellarose was mistaken for a powerful Alpha’s bride—and taken. But what begins as a terrifying mix-up quickly unravels into something far bigger. Hidden within her is a power long thought extinct, one that could shift the balance of the entire werewolf realm. Now, every Alpha wants her. But Liana isn’t here to be claimed. She’s here to reclaim everything.

Everyone in the Wandering Wolf Gang knew that Ash Blackwood loved me desperately and feared my disappearance most. To give me a sense of security, he drank a loyalty potion in front of me. He said that this magic potion would ensure that he would only desire me, get an erection for me alone, and that he would always report his whereabouts through our mate bond, even when he was on a dangerous mission. I worried about him, hiding my identity as the pack's tactical commander, I was worried that he would feel inferior, so I hid my own abilities and did not want him or the gang members to think that he had risen to power through my short-term precognitive abilities. Yet after a mission, I overheard pack members joking: "Alpha rushed so eagerly to meet Scarlett after taking the antidote, was she that amazing?" So after today’s battle, I quietly kept my mind link with Ash's group, and blocked his perception. In an unmuted mind-link, Ash's thoughts were filled with dirty desires and lascivious content, "Little slut, last time we went through seven vials of enhancement elixir, what do you think?" My heart turned to ice. In despair, I called upon the Moon Goddess: [I wish to leave this world.] The Goddess's ethereal voice echoed in my mind. [Once you leave, all traces of you will be erased from this realm.] [I know, please go ahead.] [Countdown begins: seven days.]

After being abused by everyone, Elena’s life took a dramatic turn when she was rescued by Alpha Xavier. To save her life, she became the replacement for his bride who died on the wedding day which was rumored to be the Alpha’s doing. Shrouded with dark rumors, Alpha Xavier was known as a heartless tyrant who cared about nothing but his power. To him, as long as he controlled his world, nothing else mattered. Until Elena. She’s everything he never expected. ~~ Follow me on ig author_ilma ~~

Everyone in the social circle of Kingsford said I was nothing more than a lapdog raised by Charles Mankin. I was always at his beck and call. I did every filthy, ludicrous thing for him under the sun. When he street raced, I rode shotgun. When he drank himself senseless, I made him hangover soup. When he chased girls, I prepared protection for them. Over time, everyone knew: Charles had a dog who never ran, never bit back, no matter how hard he kicked. They all said I must be madly in love with him. Even Charles started to believe it. So he pushed further, more freely, more cruelly, crossing lines as if they never existed. Then came my twenty-fifth birthday. He, in a rare stroke of mercy, said he'd celebrate it with me. But instead, what he got was the news that I was leaving the country. He went berserk, charging through the airport like a man possessed. I peeled his fingers off my wrist one by one, smiling like I'd never been happier. "Don't be stupid," I told him, still smiling. "That was never love." That night, Charles smashed apart his family home like a rabid dog.

I am Ella Collins, the mate of the Darkshadow Pack's Alpha. Our pack was the strongest in Nomerika. Everyone knew Darkshadow was the top pack in the entire region. They had swallowed up countless smaller packs and made plenty of enemies along the way. After Adam marked me, he took me to every pack banquet and ceremony. He even introduced me to allied packs, proudly telling them I was his beloved mate. Everyone believed he loved me deeply. I believed it too. I was completely immersed in that love. However, I overheard him talking to his Beta one day. "There are so many packs that hate me. They'd tear me apart if they had the chance. "If I don't claim Ella and make her look like the one I love most, they'll target my real weakness—Amy." His words struck me like lightning. I finally learned the truth. I was nothing but a carefully chosen decoy. I was Adam's shield, designed to protect the woman he truly loved. I had foolishly mistaken his attention for affection and his betrayal for love. When I finally left Adam and disappeared into the distance… That was when he began to regret everything.