After a bruising training session with Tillia, Odessa notices the Guardian leaving camp alone and decides to follow, convinced he is pursuing a lead on Lyssa. He catches her trailing him near the watchtower; after confirming Evangeline is safe in the commons, Odessa presses to join, reminding him of his promise to let her help. He relents and reveals scouts found a tarkin den likely linked to the recent attack, and they are going to investigate.

As they travel through the forest, Odessa struggles with her conflicted attraction to the Guardian and her loyalty to Zavier. When she stumbles, the Guardian steadies her, intensifying her discomfort; she asks him not to touch her again, and he turns curt.

At a rocky outcrop, they find tracks from the female tarkin and deduce she recently gave birth. Inside the den, they discover three dead pups who appear to have starved after the mother’s death. Hearing a faint cry, Odessa finds a fourth pup still alive and moves to save it as the Guardian raises his knife to end its suffering.

Odessa argues that death is not the only mercy and insists on keeping the pup alive until it can fend for itself. Concerned about Lyssa, the Guardian nicks the pup’s leg to test its blood; it runs red, suggesting it is not infected. Odessa promises that if the pup later proves infected, she will kill it herself.

The conversation turns to the Guardian’s own condition. He admits past intimate contact did not transmit Lyssa, reinforcing that transfer seems to occur through bites. He then asks Odessa whether she would kill him if he lost control. Understanding he is asking for a final mercy, Odessa swears that she will.

In the aftermath of this vow, the Guardian addresses Odessa by her first name and decides she has earned his. He tells her his true name is Ransom, giving her a crucial piece of trust as they leave with the surviving pup.