Serena wakes tied up and realizes Irene has removed her tracker and left her behind, which means Irene is either being cautious or has guessed the Northwest’s plan and used the tracker as a decoy. Needing a chance to escape, Serena loudly demands to use the bathroom and pressures the two human guards into helping her without fully untying her. Because the guards do not know Serena can shift, Serena uses claws in her Were form to cut through the rope, incapacitates the older guard, and scares the younger one into fleeing.

Once free, Serena fully shifts into her wolf form and experiences both relief and instinctive clarity after being denied it for so long. Even while she remembers Koen’s warning that the cult often uses humans as shields, Serena does not let that stop her. She follows the cult’s obvious trail through the forest, using scent and the signs they left behind to track them toward the fight.

Serena reaches a clearing where the confrontation is already underway and fire is spreading from the battlefield into the trees. The chaos overwhelms her wolf senses, but Serena spots Pavel being overpowered by an unfamiliar fawn-colored wolf. Acting on instinct, Serena attacks the other wolf, giving Pavel the opening he needs to reverse the fight. Around them, armed humans are screaming and shooting, and Serena realizes the cult is being overwhelmed.

In the middle of the battle, Serena sees Koen in human form running toward the flames instead of away from them. When Serena understands that Koen is trying to save an unconscious human girl with auburn hair, Serena recognizes the girl as Nele’s sister. Terrified for Koen, Serena circles the fire and then follows him into it. Serena finds Koen emerging with the girl, and Koen lays her on the grass and checks for signs of life before beginning CPR.

While Koen focuses on reviving Nele’s sister, Serena notices Irene nearby, naked and barefoot, raising what looks like a rifle. Koen sees Serena and instantly recognizes her wolf form, but that moment of connection also means Koen does not notice the danger behind him. Realizing Irene is about to shoot Koen, Serena sprints forward and leaps over Koen and the girl to stop Irene herself. A gunshot cracks through the forest as the fire blows toward them, and Serena remembers nothing after that moment.