Cassian arrives at the town house with pine boughs for Solstice decorations, teasing Feyre until the two fall into easy banter and begin drinking Rhysand’s wine. Their decorating turns messy and drunken, prompting Azriel to arrive and silently fix their garlands and wreaths while Cassian and Feyre lounge by the fire.

Rhysand, Mor, and Amren join them, and the gathering becomes playful until Amren provokes Cassian by mentioning Nesta’s expected Solstice appearance and suggesting Nesta may arrive drunk. Cassian’s mood hardens, and Feyre warns Amren to leave Nesta alone. Amren then announces that Varian is coming, making clear that the holiday gathering will include more complicated interpersonal tensions.

Feyre goes to the kitchen, where Elain is helping Nuala and Cerridwen prepare dinner. Feyre asks whether Nesta will come, and Elain reveals Nesta has refused not only Solstice but all future family gatherings, saying Feyre and Elain have their lives and Nesta has hers. Elain’s anger and pain reveal that Nesta’s withdrawal is hurting her deeply, while Feyre recognizes Elain’s own grief and unresolved trauma beneath her composed smile.

At dinner, Azriel quietly takes a heavy dish from Elain and insists Cassian wait until everyone is seated before eating. Rhys explains to Feyre through their bond that Azriel’s reaction likely comes from old scars about how Azriel’s servant-born mother was treated. The meal then turns comic as Amren complains about the inconveniences of eating and bodily functions in her High Fae body, but Elain’s questions about Amren’s chosen female form lead to a sharper exchange about whether Elain can ever become human again.

Amren bluntly tells Elain there is no returning to human life, and Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel redirect the conversation before Elain’s light can dim further. After dinner, determined to confront Nesta, Feyre goes with Rhys to Nesta’s apartment, finds her absent, and allows Rhys to locate her. Rhys winnows them to the Wolf’s Den, a miserable tavern, where Feyre decides to enter alone so Nesta will not feel ambushed.