9. Tessa

Penelope prepares Tessa for a formal dinner, dressing and adorning her. Theon arrives, draws close, and asks Tessa to “pretend” for one night that she accepts their bond and to speak only when addressed. He gifts her diamonds, including a choker, and escorts her to dinner with Valter, Cressida, Axel, Luka, and Eviana.

During the meal, Sources receive plainer food while the Legacy dine richly. Valter announces early arrival at the Acropolis for the heirs and hints at alliance letters. He then raises Theon’s potential Matches. The thought devastates Tessa. When she drops a fork, Valter questions her manners; Theon orders her to the wall, then—after pushback—makes her kneel beside him. He toys with her hair as the family resumes talk of Matches and schedules.

Tessa experiences rising claustrophobia, seeing the choker as a collar. Breathing tightens; she claws for the clasp. Sensing crisis, Theon abruptly ends the dinner and leaves with her. In the corridor, Tessa accuses him of treating her like a dog. Under Entrancing pressure, she admits she needs the necklace off; Theon removes it.

Back in Theon’s rooms, Tessa flees to the balcony, discards jewelry and shoes, and screams into a thunderstorm, finding cold rain a numbing release. Theon gently removes hairpins and, with Luka and Axel present, towels her dry and brings her to the fire. She changes into warm clothes, refuses to sleep near him despite the bond’s pull, and he leaves her with a heavier blanket.

As plans for a morning meeting with Metias and Pavil loom and Matches remain a threat, Tessa stares into the fire, recognizing her containment. She decides she cannot survive as a collared Source and resolves to escape, even if it means hiding among mortals.