During wellness checks, healer Ellis proposes to remove Wren Darlington's burn scars. Wren panics internally because healing might reveal the bloodmark beneath her skin that identifies her as a powerful Modified, a mark Uncle Jim once tried to erase. She rebuffs Ellis’s touch and, when Captain Cross Redden approaches to ask why she is resisting, Wren crafts a persuasive explanation that her scars are part of her identity and memories, citing a thornbush incident from childhood. Ellis accepts her refusal and moves on, and Wren is relieved her secret remains safe.

That night, feeling raw from defending her scars and missing Uncle Jim, Wren stays in rather than going to the pits. Cross arrives tipsy with a bottle and, after some teasing, places Wren’s hand on his chest to show where Ellis once removed a scar from an arrow wound caused by his brother Roe. Cross shares family context: General Merrick Redden idolized Cross’s mother Vinessa and kept the family out of public view, and Roe has long been jealous. The removed scar had served as a reminder not to fully trust his brothers, and without it he sometimes forgot.

The talk leads into intimacy. Cross insists Wren’s scars are not ugly but beautiful, calling them a testament to her strength, and kisses the burn tissue on her thigh. They have sex, and Cross stays the night, which is uncommon for them.

In the morning, Wren studies Cross’s tattoos but keeps her emotional distance by not asking their meanings. Cross, sleepless, asks if they will ever fully trust each other. Wren answers realistically that complete trust is impossible; she offers “mostly” as the limit of her honesty and reliability, and they slide back into physical intimacy. Wren privately recognizes she is nearing a point of no return in the relationship but chooses to focus on the momentary comfort.