Meryn passes through the ornate wrought iron gate depicting two direwolves and enters the castle courtyard. Anassa heals Meryn's cracked feet before galloping off and disappearing. In the courtyard, Meryn observes the Rawbonds separated into groups by their colored hair marks. She finds Izabel among the silver-streaked Strategos group, and Izabel explains the four packs: Strategos (leaders), Kryptos (spies, where Venna was placed), Daemos (warriors, where Jonah ended up), and Phylax (guardians, where Henrey stands). Meryn notes with resentment that nearly all the other recruits are from the privileged Bonded City, visibly healthier and wealthier than anyone from her home in Eastern.

At sundown, Egith Hartsfeld, Beta of the Strategos pack, announces that the gate is closing and leads the Rawbonds inside the castle. As they walk, Egith explains that half the castle is dedicated to Rawbond training under the king's watchful eye, while the other half belongs to the royal family and is forbidden. The interior stuns Meryn with its opulence—marble floors, tapestries woven with gold and silver, oil lamps, massive fireplaces, and imported flowers. When Henrey asks about the wolves, Egith explains they stay in pack terraces carved into the mountainside near the outdoor training grounds.

Egith brings them to the Rawbond common lounge, a massive circular room with dining tables, couches, fireplaces, and bookshelves. Four labeled doors lead to each pack's dormitory. Meryn and Izabel enter the Strategos quarters, which feature a luxurious antechamber and a bunk room with thirteen beds. Meryn is both awed and furious at the extravagance—soft linens, chandeliers, incense—knowing that commoners and frontline soldiers sacrifice and starve while the Bonded live in splendor. She realizes she has no personal belongings, unlike the other Rawbonds whose families delivered bags to the castle in advance.

The Rawbonds eat a lavish feast, and Meryn devours the best food she's ever tasted. Before bed, Izabel warns Meryn not to let her guard down, as recruits will soon compete aggressively to prove themselves the strongest. Meryn resolves to keep her head down, her focus still fixed on finding Saela and escaping her bond. Exhaustion overtakes her, and as she falls into a deep, dark sleep, a chilling voice chants "Lumina, Lumina, LUMINA" in her dreams.