For centuries, the kingdom has honored an ancient pact. Every spring, when the first roses bloom, a young woman is offered to the Fae. No chains. No sacrifice upon an altar. She is dressed in white, crowned with flowers, and led into the forest where the Thorn King waits. By dawn, she is gone. The kingdom tells itself the maidens are honored guests in the Fae realm. The truth is simpler. None have ever returned. This year, the chosen woman is a village herbalist whose family was selected by lot. Curious to a fault, she has spent her life wandering places she shouldn't, asking questions better left unanswered, and chasing stories most people dismiss as nonsense. While others feared the deep woods, she explored them. While others whispered tales of the Fae around hearth fires, she listened with fascination. She expects death, slavery, or some cruel fate hidden behind centuries of pretty lies. Instead, she finds herself in a palace of silver trees and moonlit gardens. And the Thorn King is not what she expected. Beautiful. Terrifying. He has ruled for centuries without challenge. Kings bargain with him. Monsters kneel before him. Even the ancient creatures lurking beyond the borders of his realm speak his name with caution. Yet beneath the elegance, beneath the velvet smiles and silver tongued charm, there is something wild lurking beneath his skin. Something sharp. Something hungry. And when his gaze settles on her, she cannot decide whether she has been chosen... or marked..