Bought by the Pain Hunter

The bride market offers women a choice. I walked in ready to pick someone survivable-not someone terrifying. Not someone I wanted.In Alia Terra, monsters rule. The only way out for a broken, unmatched woman like me? Sell myself at auction-and hope I don't regret it.But when the bidding begins, it's not the sleazy merchant or the four-armed aristocrat who makes my blood burn.It's the shadow in the back of the warehouse. Towering. Unmoving. Watching.When he speaks, the others fall silent.And when he wins me, I know I've made a mistake.Because Kiakoa isn't just a monster-he's a pain hunter. Feeding on agony. Built for destruction. And somehow, gentle with me.Until he's not.Until he touches me like he needs me to live. Until I start craving the heat of his skin and the violence in his voice. Until I realize...He's not going to break me.He's going to ruin me.