Tharion Ketos cleans his wounds in a private bathroom beneath the Viper Queen’s fighting ring after a brutal match against a minotaur. He tries to steady himself through pain and shame, reflecting that he chose to bind himself to the Viper Queen and has been effectively trapped in her warehouse warren, cut off from the river and his former life in the Blue Court.

Ariadne, the dragon fighter, arrives to prepare for her own bout. Their sharp banter turns personal as Ariadne suggests Tharion’s flirtation is a “shield,” then helps wipe blood from a cut he can’t reach. Tharion needles her about abandoning his friends during a previous crisis, and Ariadne deflects, revealing little beyond that she learned to fight through “survival.” When Tharion insists they did not expect the worst of her, Ariadne leaves with conflicted anger.

Back in the pit, Ariadne performs for the crowd, trapping three lion shifters behind walls of fire. Tharion absorbs public hatred from Blue Court mers who call him a traitor and disgrace, one even dumping beer on him. Before he can retaliate, a guard summons him to the Viper Queen’s private quarters.

The Viper Queen reprimands Tharion for ending his match too quickly and admits she ordered Ariadne to prolong her fight to compensate. She then offers Tharion her addictive venom as a “pick-me-up,” leveraging his binding to compel compliance. Tharion drinks, the high erasing pain and exhaustion, and the Viper Queen marks her ownership with touch and threat before implying she intends to use him further.

The scene shifts to Ithan Holstrom in the Meat Market with Tristan Flynn, Declan Emmet, and Marc, who are unsuccessfully hunting for information about Bryce Quinlan’s disappearance and Ruhn Danaan and Hunt Athalar’s imprisonment. Ithan argues they should not abandon Tharion, while Flynn insists Tharion chose to defect; tension grows as their helplessness and fear surface.

Sigrid Fendyr—newly freed from the Astronomer’s captivity—pushes to confront a satyr salt dealer tied to the Astronomer, but the group stops her, reminding her she is effectively a “ghost” and a target for Sabine. They pivot toward a plan: contact the hidden mer ship that helped their friends escape before, and use Tharion as the way to reach it. As they prepare to approach the Viper Queen’s door and argue over escorting Sigrid home, Marc scents danger; Ithan and Marc detect the smell of converging wolves closing in on the Meat Market.