Serena presents her plan to use herself as bait so Vampyres will focus on her instead of Ana, but the group rejects it immediately. Lowe, Saul, Alex, Amanda, Jorma, and especially Misery argue that the plan is reckless and unacceptable. Serena insists that she is not trying to die and believes drawing attention away from Ana is a necessary sacrifice.

When Serena yawns and shows how exhausted and injured she is, Koen abruptly ends the meeting and carries her to bed because the soles of her feet are still damaged. In private, he gives her a satellite phone and Serena briefly assumes he supported her plan to protect Ana. Koen corrects her: he did not object because he intends to stop her by force if necessary, even threatening to lock her up rather than let her endanger herself in his territory.

Serena keeps arguing because she sees her plan as a strategic trade-off, similar to the sacrifices others have made. She proposes a more specific version: Koen could keep her in the Northwest, make her visible, let Vampyres come after her, and have his patrols capture them so Ana stays hidden and Owen can gain leverage over the council. Koen rejects the idea on practical grounds, saying Serena lacks the resources to carry it out and pulling away when she tries to persuade him physically.

The conversation shifts to Serena's physical condition. Koen notices that Serena is not hungry or thirsty and suggests hunting together, which leads to a discussion of her inability to shift. Serena claims she cannot shift because the moon is too small, but Koen's questions make it clear that he suspects she is lying and that her hidden truths prevent him from protecting her properly.

Koen orders Serena to sleep and tells her that when she wakes, he will send her back to the Southwest. He warns that if she keeps lying, he cannot keep her with him. Desperate to stop him from acting on incomplete information, Serena finally blurts out the truth she has been hiding: she has not been able to shift in months.