Rhys winnows Feyre to the Illyrian camp before taking her back to Velaris because the fresh mating bond has left him dangerously feral. Cassian immediately recognizes Rhys’s edge and deliberately taunts him, joking about Feyre until Rhys attacks. The violent fight in the mud is intentional on both sides: Cassian gives Rhys a way to burn off his aggression without unleashing his full power on the camp.

While the two males brawl, Mor appears at the house and welcomes Feyre to the family. That simple acceptance deeply affects Feyre, who understands that she is being claimed not just as Rhys’s mate but as part of this circle. After an hour, Rhys and Cassian finally exhaust themselves enough to stop.

Once inside the house, Feyre’s desire for Rhys flares again, and they have sex on the kitchen table. The encounter also serves a practical purpose, easing the last of Rhys’s tension after the mating bond’s intensity. When Cassian knocks, Rhys helps Feyre clean up, and the four of them winnow back to Velaris.

At the House of Wind, Mor, Azriel, Amren, and Cassian are waiting. They rise together, bow to Feyre, and pledge to serve and protect her, formally acknowledging her new place in their court. Feyre thanks them but asks that they be her friends before her servants, and the moment turns warm and familial. After dinner and teasing conversation, the group leaves for the mortal lands, carrying the orb so they can answer the queens’ summons and show them the hidden city they have all sacrificed to protect.