The Bride of Blackthorn Gate

She was sent to marry the monster. But the monster was never the one who needed killing. Every seven years, the kingdom sends a bride to Blackthorn Gate-a cursed fortress where thorns choke the road, roses bloom over graves, and the guardian waits in the dark. Selka Veyne arrives in a black wedding gown with chains on her wrists, a dagger under her skirts, and a royal command carved into her blood:Marry the guardian.
Earn his trust. Open the gate. Aven Tor has guarded Blackthorn for twenty-one years. Feared as a beast, bound by old magic, and blamed for every bride who never returned, he knows the truth the crown buried with the dead. The brides were never sacrifices. They were keys. And Selka may be the last one the kingdom needs to break the ancient bargain forever. But the closer Selka gets to Aven, the harder it becomes to tell duty from desire, betrayal from survival, and monster from man.
Because Aven is not the villain in her story. He may be the only one willing to stand beside her when the gate opens.