Koen drives Serena along the coast to a farmhouse in his territory while handling a stream of pack business, reminding Serena how deeply involved he is in the Northwest’s daily life. At the house, Koen introduces Serena to Dr. Sem Caine and explains the real purpose of the visit: Sem’s grandfather, Dr. Silas Caine, spent decades examining children born in the Northwest and might recognize Serena’s scent if she had been there as an infant.

Inside, Serena meets Silas, Sem, and Layla, Sem’s partner and a pack midwife. Silas warmly calls Serena a halfling, sharing that old northern legends speak of children born from mixed unions and suggesting Serena is likely not the first of her kind. This reframes Serena’s identity as something old rather than unprecedented, even as the conversation returns to the immediate question of whether Silas remembers her.

Serena sits with growing anxiety while Silas tries to identify her by scent. Although Serena tells herself that her unknown origins do not define her, she still fears what recognition or nonrecognition might mean about her parents and her past. Silas ultimately shakes his head and cannot identify her, and Sem offers practical explanations, but the result leaves Serena both relieved and emotionally shaken. Wanting privacy, Serena steps outside alone despite Koen’s instinct to follow.

On the cliffside behind the house, Serena calms herself in the sea air until she suddenly realizes someone is approaching from behind. Assuming danger, Serena grips her knife and prepares to strike, but when she turns she finds a young naked Were kneeling before her in submission. The stranger calls her "Eva" and whispers, "As the prophet said. As the prophet wills," turning Serena’s moment of disappointment into a new and ominous mystery.