Chapter 54

Feysande retreats alone to a mountain cabin to process her discovery that Rhysand is her mate and her abandonment of him while injured. She spends days painting elaborate decorations throughout the cabin, exploring her feelings about the bond and her previous relationship with Tamlin. Mor arrives with supplies and encourages her to hear Rhysand out, and through conversation with Mor, Feysande comes to accept her role as Rhysand's mate and part of his family.

Feysande arrives at an isolated mountain cabin in the Spring, likely prepared by Mor, and fills a bath to wash away three days of grime. While eating soup, she wrestles with the revelation that Rhysand knew she was his mate while she was with Tamlin, oscillating between anger at his silence and understanding of his reasoning. She reflects on leaving Rhysand injured in mud after promising never to abandon him, recognizing her own cowardice. Boredom drives her to explore the cabin, discovering it functions as a family retreat with shared responsibilities and intimate history. She finds art supplies—paint, brushes, and canvases left by Amren—and begins painting obsessively for two days, covering the main room's surfaces with decorative scenes of nature's seasons and portraits of Mor, Cassian, Azriel, Amren, and Rhysand. When Mor arrives, she surveys Feysande's work with approval, particularly the Illyrian wings on the mantel and silver eyes painted above the bedroom threshold. Their conversation shifts to Mor's obligations to visit the Court of Nightmares and her parents, whom she holds in contempt. Feysande inquires about Mor's relationships with Cassian and Azriel; Mor confirms she ended involvement with Rhysand's friends after Cassian but reveals Azriel maintains secret lovers and would never pursue her due to his self-perceived inadequacy. Mor asks Feysande to paint the eyes of all four core members—herself, Cassian, Azriel, and Amren—watching over the cabin. When Mor asks if being Rhysand's mate is truly so terrible, Feysande acknowledges it is not, finally accepting her place within the family.