A week into training, Meryn is physically battered and emotionally drained. She endures daily combat training, riding practice, strategy classes, and continued fruitless attempts to connect telepathically with Anassa. Each night she locks herself in her private room and tries not to think about Killian or his words in the garden. One morning, Leader Aldrich pulls Meryn and Henrey out of regular class for a private lesson, explaining that as outsiders to Bonded families, they lack foundational knowledge the others grew up with.

Aldrich teaches them about the four packs—Daemos (brutal fighters), Phylax (guardians), Strategos (tacticians and leaders, Meryn's pack), and Kryptos (shadow walkers and spies)—and the hierarchy within them, from alpha to beta to gamma. He explains that Sovereign Alpha Siegrid Therion, Stark's mother, commands all wolves across packs and serves as the king's second in command. Meryn learns the Therion family line has held this position for generations, meaning Stark will likely become Sovereign Alpha. Aldrich also describes direwolf mate bonds: rare connections between wolves that allow their riders to communicate telepathically across pack lines without the Sovereign Alpha's aid, and which can produce direwolf pups. He emphasizes that the wolf-rider bond is deep, spiritual, and permanent—wolves recognize their riders on a soul level and rejection after bonding means death for both.

After class, Meryn confides in Henrey about her sister Saela being taken by Nabbers. Henrey, from Blumenfall—a city closer to the front lines—has never heard of Nabbers, which disturbs Meryn and raises questions about why Siphons would bypass closer targets to kidnap children in distant Sturmfrost. They part ways for their next sessions.

At combat training, Stark has the Rawbonds practice mounted sword defense. Meryn, who has never wielded a sword before, struggles terribly. Anassa deliberately throws off her balance, refusing to cooperate. Meryn is repeatedly knocked off and beaten with practice swords. After Perielle lands a vicious blow to Meryn's ribs, Stark drags Meryn off Anassa, lifts her shirt to inspect the severe bruising on her torso, and asks Anassa to heal her. Anassa refuses. Meryn spits in Stark's face in defiance. Stark publicly humiliates her, calling her weak and a threat to all packs, and orders her to continue or die like Alix, a Kryptos recruit whose wolf killed her the day before.

Despite the abuse, Meryn pushes through. During her fury, she briefly senses something from Anassa—a dark eagerness or anticipation—before the wall slams shut again. By session's end, Meryn is covered in injuries and blisters. Stark delivers a final cruel taunt about her kill tattoo looking lonely. Meryn limps back to her room, passing the nightly revelry of Rawbonds engaging in casual sex as they search for their wolves' mates. Exhausted and broken, she opens her door to find Killian waiting inside for her.