Trapped Between Enemies

Trapped Between Enemies

Esliee I. Wisdon 🌶 · Ongoing · 113.3k Words

734
Hot
734
Views
0
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

She wanted freedom...
They turned her into a weapon.

At the age of fifteen, Marina’s mother was murdered alongside the most powerful Don in the Sicilian mafia, before the wedding could even happen.
Now, almost six years later, just weeks before her 21st birthday, she’s ready to run.
From the rules.
From the blood.
From the Romano Famiglia—the only home she’s ever really known, and the cage she’s always wanted to escape.

But her ā€œstepbrothersā€ have other plans.
Cesare, cold and calculating, the mafia’s right hand and loyal only to the throne.
And Matteo, the youngest, wild-eyed with a manic smile and a taste for blood.
They give her one job: seduce the enemy, earn his trust, and uncover what he’s hiding.
Her target? Enzo Bianchi, the second son of their enemy famiglia — a man as dangerous as he is captivating.

One deal.
One month.
One enemy to seduce.

But in the criminal underworld, playing with hearts always comes with a price.

And Marina is about to learn the hardest truth of all:
Freedom was never part of the plan.
Not when two demons guard the way out.

Ad Finem Fidelis.
Loyal until the end, even if she never had a choice.

Chapter 1

ā‹„ Marina Arellano ā‹„

I stare at the mahogany door, my heavy breathing betraying the chaos bubbling inside me.

Since my path crossed with the most infamous mafia in Sicily, I’ve been called into this room only a few times, and not once for anything good.

The first time was when I was fifteen years old, when my mother died along with Don Angelo Romano.

It’s been almost six years, and I still remember it as if it were yesterday.

If I close my eyes, I can still see Mom’s smile when she told me that Angelo had proposed. It was strange, of course. What kind of man in expensive suits would put such a costly diamond ring on the finger of a troupe dancer he had met just a few weeks earlier?

But of course, I couldn’t say anything. The gifts shone too brightly. They dazzled everyone, let alone a woman who had once lost everything because of love.

Many were jealous—that’s what she said when they tried to explain that there was something suspicious about that gentleman with the easy smile that didn’t reach his eyes, the heavy Spanish accent, and the men who followed him like shadows.

I didn’t understand, even after I arrived in Italy. I couldn’t understand the language or why there were so many bodyguards. I didn’t understand the looks of disdain. I didn’t understand when, just one month later, I had to bury my mother beside the man she would still swear to love forever.

A car accident.

So simple.

So stupid.

Stupid, like the second time I was called into this room, months later, when I was unfairly punished. And right after I turned nineteen, when they called me here to say I’d finally begin my training.

But the worst reason of all was exactly five months ago… when they announced that my initiation into the mafia would take place the night after my twenty-first birthday.

Now, they’re calling me again, with just one month left before the deadline.

My hands are sweaty. I can even feel a drop of sweat trickling down my bare back.

It’s okay, Marina… just one more month—just one more month.

And then, I’ll never have to deal with the Romano family again.

With a shallow breath, I wipe my hands on the sides of my red dress and turn the handle. The door opens with the same effortless ease that always surprises me, despite how massive and heavy it looks.

The first thing I notice is the blend of two familiar colognes and the strong smell of cigar smoke. One scent is woody, old, dry, with a hint of something slightly sweet. Subtle, like aftershave, yet still thick in the air, captivating. The other is bolder, sharper, warmer, and spicier. Pepper? Or ginger? Or both.

Then, more intensely, I feel the eyes… the weight of those brown eyes that never fail to send a chill down my spine.

ā€œCome in, Marina.ā€ Cesare’s order makes me straighten up even more.

I take just two steps inside, and slowly turn around, very slowly, pulling my long hair to the front, letting them see my tanned, bare back as I close the door… Just for a moment, before the black waves fall back into place and hide my skin again, right where a damn tattoo will be soon if I can’t escape in time.

Slowly, I face them again, two of the five Romano, sitting at the long table, made of wood even darker and thicker than the door.

Matteo, the youngest, is sitting in his usual spot, third on the right. His eyes, a bit darker than the others’, stare at me like they could skin me alive. His head is tilted slightly back in that lazy, arrogant way, giving me a clear view of the dark skull-and-thorns tattoo on his throat. His black shirt, half unbuttoned, reveals glimpses of ink proudly spelling his surname across his chest.

ROMANO.

He doesn’t say a word, just watches me step closer, like a predator eyeing its prey. A dangerous beast that sets all my senses on high alert, nerves exposed in a way that goes far beyond fear—deep into something like fury in my veins. Something that makes me stare him down with open defiance.

But once again, that deep voice speaks, pulling my attention back: ā€œMarina.ā€

My head turns slowly toward the man sitting at the head of the table, a seat that should belong to the Don, but is currently being occupied by the second-in-command.

Cesare Romano.

The second son. La Pantera.

The most dangerous man I’ve ever known.

ā€œDid you finish your training?ā€ he asks, his back relaxed against the leather chair, fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

His eyes, lighter than his brothers’, a honey-brown with golden edges, are just as deadly. Not wild like Matteo’s. Not sharp, raging, and unhinged, like the eyes that earned the youngest his reputation for madness and bloodlust.

Cesare’s are cold, calculating, and ruthless. There’s emotional distance, yet an almost obsessive focus. He watches and studies, not like a man preparing for an exciting hunt, but like someone who knows that no matter how much the prey runs, fights, or screams, it will never escape.

ā€œYes.ā€ I find my voice somehow, but it comes out hoarse and uncertain. I swallow hard and lift my chin a little higher, like that’ll make me look less weak. ā€œFour months ago.ā€

Why did they call me here? Did someone say something again?

It really could be for anything; another lie cooked up by that bitch Chiara, or some complaint that Zio Arturo whispered in Cesare’s ear. None of that would be new.

But what really twists my stomach, what makes my chest go cold, is that, for the first time, I truly have something to feel guilty about… Something to fear—my seeking for freedom.

My betrayal.

But Cesare looks at me, calm, composed, cold. And that slightly eases my nerves. If he knew about my escape plan, he wouldn’t be so calm. I’d likely already be dragged to the Cripta del Dolore, a place that, as the name indicates, is literally a crypt built for pain.

When he finally speaks, though, my heart skips a beat: ā€œGood. I called you here because I have a job for you.ā€

My brows knit together slightly, unable to hide my confusion. There’s still a month until my birthday, and a month until the initiation. I’m not part of famiglia yet.

What the hell does he mean, a job?

Matteo glances away, snorting—a low sound, but sharp enough to reach me. I glance at him just in time to see the blatant annoyance on his face. He doesn’t bother hiding it. He doesn’t look at me, but I can feel the air thickening with the barely-contained madness radiating from him.

Cesare, on the other hand, doesn’t care in the slightest. His attention stays fixed on me as if nothing in the world could distract him, and that’s definitely not a good sign.

ā€œWhat job?ā€ I ask, realizing too late that he’s probably relishing my anxiety.

He leans back. At some point, he had leaned forward, and I wonder if it was on purpose, to intimidate me even more. But now, he’s back in that usual straight-backed, elegant, commanding posture. Like this, with his sharply cut features and that controlled expression, he looks older than just thirty.

ā€œI want you to seduce Enzo Bianchi and win his trust.ā€

I nearly choke.

That name, slipping from Cesare’s lips with carefully measured disdain, sends an instant chill down my spine.

My eyes widen slightly, and every single muscle in my body tenses.

Cesare wants me to seduce a Bianchi.

And not just any Bianchi… Enzo.

The second-born, and most likely, heir of the Fratellanza.

And the sworn enemies of the Romanos.

Last Chapters

You Might Like šŸ˜

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

1.1m Views Ā· Ongoing Ā· Becky j
"Mate is here!"
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

1.5m Views Ā· Completed Ā· 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.Ā  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.Ā 

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.Ā 

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
The Human Among  Wolves

The Human Among Wolves

633.2k Views Ā· Ongoing Ā· ZWrites
"You actually thought I cared about you?" His smirk was sharp, almost cruel.
My stomach twisted, but he wasn’t finished.
"You're just a pathetic little human," Zayn said, his words deliberate, each one hitting like a slap. "Spreading your legs for the first guy who bothers to notice you."
Heat rushed to my face, burning with humiliation. My chest ached — not from his words alone, but from the sick realization that I had trusted him. That I had let myself believe he was different.
I was so, so stupid.
——————————————————
When eigteen-year-old Aurora Wells moves to a sleepy town with her parents, the last thing she expects is to be enrolled in a secret academy for werewolves.
Moonbound Academy is no ordinary school. It's here young Lycans, Betas and Alphas train in shifting, elemental magic, and ancient pack laws. But Aurora? She's just...human. a mistake. The new receptionist forgot to check her species - and now she's surrounded by predators who sense she doesn't belong.
Determined to stay under the radar, Aurora plans to survive the year unnoticed. But when she catches the attention of Zayn, a brooding and infuriatingly powerful Lycan prince, her life gets a lot more complicated. Zayn already has a mate. He already has enemies. And he definitely doesn't want anything to do with a clueless human.
But secrets run deeper than bloodlines at Moonbound. as Aurora unravels the truth about the academy - and herself - she begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Including the reason she was brought here at all.
Enemies will rise. Loyalties will shift. And the girl with no place in their world...might be the key to saving it.
The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

3.1m Views Ā· Ongoing Ā· chavontheauthor
ā€œYou’re mine, little puppy,ā€ Kylan growled against my neck.
ā€œSoon enough, you’ll be begging for me. And when you do—I’ll use you as I see fit, and then I’ll reject you.ā€

—
When Violet Hastings begins her freshman year at Starlight Shifters Academy, she only wants two things—honor her mother’s legacy by becoming a skilled healer for her pack and get through the academy without anyone calling her a freak for her strange eye condition.

Things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that Kylan, the arrogant heir to the Lycan throne who has made her life miserable from the moment they met, is her mate.

Kylan, known for his cold personality and cruel ways, is far from thrilled. He refuses to accept Violet as his mate, yet he doesn’t want to reject her either. Instead, he sees her as his puppy, and is determined to make her life even more of a living hell.

As if dealing with Kylan’s torment isn’t enough, Violet begins to uncover secrets about her past that change everything she thought she knew. Where does she truly come from? What is the secret behind her eyes? And has her whole life been a lie?
Goddess Of The Underworld

Goddess Of The Underworld

645.5k Views Ā· Completed Ā· Sheridan Hartin
Left at a pack border with a name and a stubborn heartbeat, Envy grows into the sharpest kind of survivor, an orphaned warrior who knows how to hold a line and keep moving. Love isn’t in the plan…until four alpha wolves with playboy reputations and inconveniently soft hands decide the girl who won’t bow is the only queen they’ll ever take. Their mate. The one they have waited for. Xavier, Haiden, Levi, and Noah are gorgeous, lethal, and anything but perfect and Envy isn’t either. She’s changing. First into hell hound, Layah at her heels and fire in her veins. Then into what the realm has been waiting for, a Goddess of the Underworld, dragging her mates down to hell with her.

When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
The Prison Project

The Prison Project

1m Views Ā· Ongoing Ā· Bethany Donaghy
The government's newest experiment in criminal rehabilitation - sending thousands of young women to live alongside some of the most dangerous men held behind bars...

Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?

Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.

Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.

Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...

At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…

Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?

Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?

What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…

A temperamental romance novel.
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

1.9m Views Ā· Ongoing Ā· Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Invisible To Her Bully

Invisible To Her Bully

429.7k Views Ā· Ongoing Ā· sunsationaldee
Unlike her twin brother, Jackson, Jessa struggled with her weight and very few friends. Jackson was an athlete and the epitome of popularity, while Jessa felt invisible. Noah was the quintessential ā€œItā€ guy at school—charismatic, well-liked, and undeniably handsome. To make matters worse, he was Jackson’s best friend and Jessa’s biggest bully. During their senior year, Jessa decides it was time for her to gain some self-confidence, find her true beauty and not be the invisible twin. As Jessa transformed, she begins to catch the eye of everyone around her, especially Noah. Noah, initially blinded by his perception of Jessa as merely Jackson’s sister, started to see her in a new light. How did she become the captivating woman invading his thoughts? When did she become the object of his fantasies? Join Jessa on her journey from being the class joke to a confident, desirable young woman, surprising even Noah as she reveals the incredible person she has always been inside.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.1m Views Ā· Completed Ā· 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!
Alpha Twins' Mate's broken Human

Alpha Twins' Mate's broken Human

160.8k Views Ā· Ongoing Ā· dragonsbain22
Chiara was raised in the orphanage of the Silver Aspen pack. Not an overly large Pack, but a strong Pack. As a human, she takes the brunt of the pack's bullying, especially the "Ranked Squad" as she calls them. When she turns 18 earlier than she thought, and gets a wolf, will she be able to accept what she is after all the abuse? Accept her wolf? And accept the Twins as her mates? Or will she retreat into herself and leave the Twins struggling to reach her to make things right? Read along to find out.
A Lesson in Magic

A Lesson in Magic

229.9k Views Ā· Completed Ā· Kit Bryan
One day I'm dealing with cranky toddlers and parents who work too much to actually parent, the next my life is turned upside down and I'm working in a bar for supernaturals. I might not know how to mix drinks, but strangely enough the skills needed to deal with misbehaving children seem to work well enough on vampires, werewolves and even witches. The good news is this job is interesting and hey, my boss might be a demon but I'm pretty sure that under all the grumpy expressions he is a total softie. The bad news is that humans aren't supposed to know about all this magic stuff and so now I'm magically bound to this bar until I can convince them that I won't go telling everyone. Or I die, whichever comes first. Sadly dying is seeming more and more likely because someone is after me. I don't know who or why but they are dangerous and they have magic. So I'll domy best to survive, and if that means spending some extra time with my scary but gorgeous boss then so be it. I'll convince him to trust me if it's the last thing I do.
Claimed by the Alpha's Love

Claimed by the Alpha's Love

178.5k Views Ā· Completed Ā· Riley
I'm Tori, a so-called "murderer" who has just walked out of prison.
Four years ago, Fiona's meticulously planned conspiracy turned me from an ordinary omega into a prisoner carrying the weight of a murder charge.
Four years later, I return to a world that has changed beyond recognition.
My best friend Fiona, who is also my stepsister, has become the perfect daughter in my mother's eyes. And my ex-boyfriend, Ethan, is about to hold a high-profile mating ceremony with her.
The love, family bonds, and reputation that I once cherished have all been taken by Fiona.
Just when I had reached my breaking point, questioning the very purpose of my existence, the legendary Alpha Lucas of Moonhaven suddenly appeared in my life.
He is powerful and enigmatic, a figure that all werewolves hold in awe.
Yet, he shows an extraordinary persistence and tenderness towards me.
Is Lucas's appearance a gift from fate, or the start of another conspiracy?