Dayton watches fae men surround Rosalina, sickened by their desire. A fae woman tries to arouse him, but he remains distracted, drinking to keep from acting on his feelings for Rosalina. He reflects that bringing her to the bar was foolish, though he wanted to give her freedom. Seeing her in Summer Realm clothing awakened primal urges, but acting on them would betray Keldarion’s command that none of them touch her. He recalls wanting to pull her into bed with him and Farron.

When a fae man pulls Rosalina onto his lap and kisses her, anger ignites in Dayton. His inner wolf rages as she pushes the man away. The man grabs her, revealing her human ears. Dayton intervenes, slams him onto a table, draws his sword, and severs the man’s hands. The crowd erupts, whispering about his rage. He drags a shocked Rosalina from the bar and into an alley.

Outside, she apologizes, explaining the man’s touch disgusted her. Rosalina notices his eyes glowing. Struggling to control his transformation, Dayton uses a mirror in his shell necklace to open a portal. They stumble into Castletree’s entrance hall. He explains his beast nearly emerged, then pulls her to him and kisses her passionately.

Dayton kisses Rosalina against the entrance hall wall. She reflects that other fae disgusted her, but she desires him intensely. When Dayton starts to perform oral sex, Rosalina feels self-conscious because Lucas always made her feel like a burden. She tells Dayton he can stop if he wants, but he insists nothing could pull him away. After her orgasm, he looks at her with a new smile she feels is just for her.

Farron appears at the stairs, looking stunned and sad. The mirror glows, and Ezryn emerges from patrol covered in black goblin blood, demanding to know what’s going on.

Ezryn yanks Dayton away, causing Rosalina to fall. He punches Dayton for disobeying Keldarion. Farron adds that Keldarion will kill Dayton for taking Rosalina from the castle. When Rosalina insists it was her fault, the princes ignore her. A fight breaks out, and Dayton accidentally hits Farron.

A chill fills the air as Keldarion appears, furious. He magically blasts Dayton into a wall and encases him in ice. Dayton melts free with his own magic and confronts Keldarion. Farron begins losing control to his beast, his eyes glowing. Keldarion signals Ezryn, who uses plant magic with iridescent roots to soothe Farron and prevent transformation. Keldarion scoops Rosalina up, throws her over his shoulder, and carries her upstairs. As the floor turns to ice, she realizes he is taking her to the Winter Wing.

Ezryn calms Farron’s beast with his voice and magical roots. When Farron confronts Dayton, Dayton blames them for overreacting. Ezryn tells Dayton that Rosalina is not a plaything. Farron punches Dayton, accusing him of using Farron as a substitute. When Dayton suggests jealousy, Farron realizes he is jealous—but also that watching Rosalina with Dayton was beautiful—he’s been holding back his own feelings for her out of loyalty to Keldarion. Dayton pins him against a wall and confesses he cannot stop wanting Farron despite knowing it will destroy him. They kiss passionately and go to Dayton’s chambers.

During foreplay, Farron fantasizes about Rosalina watching or joining them. They have intense sex, and afterward, Dayton holds him. Farron feels the scars on Dayton’s back and worries about his wolf growing stronger and time running out. When Farron describes making love as starlight filling his heart, Dayton deflects with a crude joke and tells him to leave. As Farron departs, he remembers that the Enchantress who cursed them called him a coward and notes that she was right.

Keldarion places Rosalina on his bed and offers her a change of clothes. While he steps outside, she sneaks a shot of fyrana, a powerful fae liquor, from his shelf. When he sees what she’s done, he explains that one shot of fyrana equals two bottles of fae wine, so he must now stay awake to ensure she does not choke.

Rosalina finds a beautiful ice sword under his bed and recognizes it as one of the five divine weapons Dayton mentioned. Ignoring Keldarion’s warnings, she swings it at a thorn. The vine disintegrates, but the castle rumbles, and part of the ceiling collapses. As Keldarion throws her clear of the debris, a new thorn grows immediately in the same spot. He explains the thorns are magically tied to Castletree and cannot be removed without causing decay.

Lying beneath him, Rosalina feels an intense attraction even as he pulls away from her to get her a glass of water. Drunk, she asks if the reason he hasn’t had sex in 25 years is that his heart is broken. She proposes a deal: She will drink water if he agrees to attend her ball. He accepts but assures her he will not find his mate there.

Rosalina wakes in Keldarion’s bed with a hangover, remembering he held her hair while she vomited. Mortified, she flees from his room. As she wanders the castle, she feels drawn to the locked door that leads to the forbidden High Tower, sensing the magic that emanates from it. Dayton appears and stops her from trying to open it, warning that some rules should not be broken. He tells her their encounter was a mistake and will not happen again. Hurt, Rosalina returns to her room.

Marigold brings breakfast—all the foods Rosalina suspects Keldarion chose to help her hangover. She resolves to focus on breaking the curse. Astrid and Marigold describe life before the curse as happier, with parties and visitors. It begins to snow. Astrid excitedly lists winter activities, including snowball fights and cocoa by the fire, but Rosalina tenses at the mention of ice skating. Mr. Rintoulo, a butler who transforms into a brown bear at night, delivers the guest list for the ball. Rosalina announces that Keldarion has agreed to attend, and they will find the princes’ mates.

Ezryn finds Keldarion in the High Tower studying four enchanted roses planted when the curse began, including his own sapphire-blue rose. Keldarion admits he is often tempted to crush his flower and fully transform. He asks Ezryn if they deserved the curse. Ezryn agrees that they did, prompting Keldarion to reflect on their past wickedness and his betrayal of the Vale.

Ezryn asks why Keldarion took Rosalina to his chambers. Keldarion claims it was to keep her safe, privately recalling his jealous possessiveness over her. Ezryn asks if Keldarion knows something about Rosalina. Internally, Keldarion resolves that he will not let her break the curse, believing it will doom her. He would let his realm fall before letting her suffer. Ezryn mentions the last time Keldarion brought someone into their fold and recalls that it ended badly. He asks Keldarion point-blank if he made a bargain with Caspian, the Prince of Thorns, but before Keldarion can answer, the sun sets, transforming them both into beasts. As wolves, Ezryn lies beside Keldarion to comfort him. Keldarion believes there is no hope left for him since the Prince of Thorns took everything he held dear.

Weeks pass, and Rosalina is busy with ball preparations. Tailors are hired in each realm; Keldarion refuses to travel, so Marigold measures him, and he insists Rosalina receive a proper dress. In the library, she watches Farron and feels butterflies. When a window blows open with snow, she brushes snowflakes from his hair. They discuss their favorite seasons, and she describes loving all four. He tells her that her eyes resemble a sunrise in the Autumn Realm and admits he may not miss home as much as he should, implying he feels at home in Castletree. He confesses the curse has been a way to avoid ruling responsibilities, which he believes is proof of his cowardice.

Mandaria and Paavak, event coordinators from the Winter Realm, arrive with updates. Rosalina gives them romance novels, revealing she has started an informal book club with the staff. Farron tells her she has brought hope back to Castletree and its inhabitants. Rosalina apologizes for her encounter with Dayton. Farron says she has nothing to apologize for, confessing that while he initially felt hurt, watching her with Dayton was also beautiful. He says they’re now even since Rosalina once watched Farron with Dayton together. Rosalina says once the princes find their mates, her story will be over.

At the solstice ball in the Winter Realm, Ezryn sits on a dais with the other princes, feeling trapped. Dayton tells him to relax for Rosalina’s sake. Ezryn reflects that while Rosalina is impressive, she does not belong to him, and he should keep his distance. He observes guests looking at Keldarion accusingly due to his long absence. A herald announces each eligible fae one by one, but none of the princes feel a mate bond.

When Rosalina is announced, she descends in a stunning navy velvet gown and diamond necklace. Feeling a flutter in his chest, Ezryn stumbles and falls off his throne. Keldarion allows her to approach. The princes greet her, all stunned by her appearance. She jokes with Keldarion, and for the first time, all four princes laugh together. Ezryn sees the crowd whispering about the human woman’s intimacy with the princes. He notices Perth Quellos, the vizier, watching Keldarion and Rosalina with a look that makes him uneasy.

Rosalina urges the princes to mingle and dance. She successfully pushes Dayton, Farron, and Ezryn onto the dance floor. Ezryn dances with a fae woman but feels no spark, keeping his attention on the dais. He sees Keldarion has chosen Rosalina as his dance partner. As the ballroom watches in shock, Ezryn feels peace and murmurs that Keldarion is dancing with their girl.

Keldarion asks Rosalina to dance, saying she is the only one he wants, and she reflects on her impossible life and her past with Lucas. Keldarion describes his feelings for her as an eternal fire. She laughs, thinking he’s joking, but he pulls her onto the dance floor. He’s an extraordinary dancer. He reveals that the diamond necklace she wears belonged to his mother and tells her it’s a gift for waking the high princes up when they’d begun to grow hopeless. When she asks if she is still his prisoner, he reframes their relationship, claiming she was never his prisoner and that he was always hers.

He says he has decided to spend the time before his beast takes over doing what is right, declaring he will take no other dance partner but her. Rosalina realizes he has given up on breaking the curse. She pleads with him to try to find his mate for his friends and his people. Keldarion snarls that he would rather die than have the curse broken. Heartbroken, Rosalina calls him a “selfish bastard” and says that his stubbornness is why he is cursed. She flees the ballroom in tears.

Rosalina runs into a snow-covered garden and collapses by a fountain, crying, furious with Keldarion for giving up. Perth Quellos approaches with apparent kindness. His tone shifts, and he asks how long she has been in love with Keldarion. He verbally abuses her, calling her a pathetic stray, a distraction, and a whore. He tells her she does not belong in the Enchanted Vale and her presence causes instability. Immobilized with fear and shame, Rosalina feels the way she did with her abusive ex, Lucas—unworthy and unloved. Perth tells her he will arrange her departure to the human realm.

As he leans closer, Perth is violently ripped away from her and thrown to the ground. Ezryn stands before Rosalina, having come to her defense.