Meryn arrives at her childhood home to find her mother remarkably lucid and healthy—a dramatic change from the vacant, ill woman Meryn has known for years. The house is clean, bright, and filled with the smell of baking bread and spiced beef stew. Her mother has been baking, wearing a fresh dress and an apron, her eyes clear and bright. Anassa surprises Meryn by bowing respectfully to her mother, who is delighted by the direwolf and calls her "a queen among wolves."

Inside, Meryn learns that "Lee" (Killian's alias) has been visiting her mother weekly, bringing food, firewood, and tradesmen to fix the house. Her mother clearly adores him and calls him "a keeper," not knowing he is the crown prince. Meryn feels a powerful urge to confide everything—about Killian, the castle, and her training—but holds back, recognizing she has grown beyond the child who once shared everything with her mother. She makes a fierce vow to her mother: she will finish training, find Saela, and bring her home, even if it means killing every Siphon in Astreona.

Igor arrives and shares a warm, emotional reunion with Meryn. However, the mood darkens when Meryn asks about the Nabber attacks, assuming they had stopped after she and Killian's efforts. Igor reveals the attacks have actually increased—three more children were taken in the past week alone. Meryn is shaken, feeling she has failed, and resolves to speak with Killian about the situation later.

The conversation shifts to the upcoming Forging Ball. Meryn dreads attending as a commoner among wealthy Bonded families. Her mother excitedly leads her to the bedroom and retrieves a family heirloom: an opal pendant set in intricate old goldwork. As her mother places the necklace around Meryn's neck, the stone feels unnaturally warm, almost alive. Meryn notices her mother briefly slip into a vacant stare before recovering, and catches expressions of relief, fear, and triumph crossing her face. Anassa also shows sudden, unexplained interest in the pendant through the bond.

The family shares a bittersweet meal together—missing Saela—before Meryn departs at dusk. She says emotional goodbyes to her mother and Igor, mounting Anassa for the ride back to the castle. As she looks back at her childhood home, Meryn is overcome by a sense of mourning, realizing that her life has irrevocably changed. She understands that upon graduating, she'll be expected to live in the Bonded City, and this place may never truly be her home again.