As the free-for-all battle erupts in the arena, Meryn immediately uses her Alpha powers to expand her consciousness through the pack unity bond, touching each packmate's mind simultaneously. She discovers that whatever the king unleashed with the wolf-pommel sword is compelling all the direwolves to attack each other, overriding their bonds. Meryn counters this by flooding her pack with her own rage and will, snapping the king's hold on them and unifying them under her command.

Meryn orchestrates her pack's movements through rapid mental orders, coordinating their wolves to defend one another while making their coordination appear coincidental to avoid the king's suspicion. She directs pairs to rescue each other from attacking wolves, manages threats from Kryptos and Daemos packs, and gradually repositions her entire pack toward the king's platform. When Allegra is injured by a Phylax wolf, Meryn uses the pain to sharpen her focus and orders a tactical retreat behind cover. The pack forms a protective arc near the king's platform, appearing vulnerable and cornered rather than threatening.

Once her pack is in position, Meryn sends a final emotional pulse to her packmates, instructing them to hold formation and keep each other alive no matter what happens next. Anassa confirms Meryn's resolve, and together they make an impossible leap onto the king's platform. Meryn kicks the glittering wolf-pommel sword from King Cyril's hand and, compelled by an overpowering instinct, picks it up. Ancient magic surges through her veins as the sword responds to her grip.

As Anassa kills a guard, Meryn faces the king, who shows only mild surprise and amusement. She declares "This is for Saela" and beheads King Cyril with his own sword. The arena falls silent as the king's blood splatters across Meryn, the throne, and the stone. However, Meryn's moment of triumph is immediately destroyed when Killian, rather than supporting her, reacts with apparent horror and fury, ordering the guards to seize her for killing the king.

Meryn is stunned by Killian's betrayal. Guards storm the platform, and Anassa is struck down by a weapon before she can defend Meryn. In a fleeting moment, Meryn catches Killian's expression shifting—his lips twitch upward in a tiny, satisfied smile, his eyes calculating. Before Meryn can process this revelation that Killian has apparently manipulated her, she is struck in the back of the skull and loses consciousness.