Meryn regains composure after Killian's escape, finding solace in Stark's calm presence beside her. Though shaken, she refuses to fall apart and immediately asks about her sister. Stark explains that he, Venna, and pack members raided the buried dungeons, eliminating complicit royal guards, and recovered the kidnapped children. The other children are being returned to their families, while Saela waits in Stark's office under Venna's guard.

Meryn and Stark walk through the castle, and Meryn notices the shadows around her shifting and following her every step—a manifestation of her Sturmfrost power, though the enchanted bracelet from Killian limits her full abilities. At Stark's office, Venna greets Meryn with relief, and Meryn rushes inside to find Saela wrapped in a blanket. The sisters share an emotional reunion, with Saela clinging painfully tight. Meryn promises her that everything will be different now.

After Stark respectfully leaves the room, Meryn tells Saela everything: their Sturmfrost royal heritage, their mother's magic, Anassa's choosing, and finally the devastating truth about their mother's death at Killian's hands. Saela grieves but shows resilience, declaring they are their mother's strong daughters. When Saela asks if she can become Bonded, Anassa reveals a crucial truth—the deadly Bonding Trials were never designed by the direwolves. They were imposed by the king to limit the Bonded population and prevent uprising. Meryn realizes she now has the power to change the Trials entirely.

Meryn calls Stark back, along with Daemos riders Helene and Grigore. Through Anassa's amplified pack bond, Meryn broadcasts the truth of her identity to all Bonded across Nocturna. Grigore drops to one knee and addresses her as queen. But the moment is shattered when Saela suddenly collapses in violent convulsions. Helene rushes to help, but Saela—transformed by Killian's parting act—tears open Helene's throat with newly grown fangs. Grigore identifies Saela as a Siphon.

Stark restrains Meryn as she screams and the shadows in the room surge out of control, snuffing out all light. Meryn understands Killian's parting threat: he has corrupted Saela into a Siphon as his final weapon against her. Consumed by fury and grief, Meryn vows to find a way to save her sister and then hunt Killian to the ends of the earth, embracing her identity as Meryn Sturmfrost, Queen of Nocturna.