The Thornbound Vow
An exiled prince returns to a throne room he fled in blood and finds his dead father's spirit waiting in the ashes. Rowan Vael left the Blackthorn Court believing he had escaped the crown's curse, but the throne he abandoned still holds his brother Aldric , and a vow their father made before his death, a vow that has begun to rot the kingdom from within. With Maren at his side and old allies like Kael Ashford, Cassian Verne, and Thessaly returning to a court riddled with betrayal, Rowan must unravel the bargain King Aldric struck in his final hours. Each answer leads deeper into the thornbound magic strangling the realm, and each choice tightens its thorns. Ysolde Verne guards secrets that could free the crown , or consume it entirely. As the spirit of his father grows stronger and Aldric slips further from himself, Rowan faces the only question that matters: Is the vow meant to protect the throne, or to feed it? To save his brother and stop the curse from spreading, Rowan must take the seat he swore to renounce , and risk becoming the monster his father became.