Content Warning: The source material features depictions of oppression, discrimination, and graphic death and violence.

“The weight of the Asteri’s gazes landed upon Lidia, singeing her very soul. She withstood it, as she had withstood all the other horrors in her life.”

Lidia’s lifetime of suffering and surviving is on display during her point-of-view sections. Unlike her companions, who only see the mask of the Hind, readers get a glimpse into her inner life; her misery inspires reader sympathy and solidifies the potential for her redemption.

“Sigrid let out a joyless laugh. Her eyes met Ithan’s, filled with nothing but hate, and then she faced Sigrid, Ithan’s dismissal clear. He was nothing and no one to her. Not even a wolf to acknowledge.”

Ithan’s lackluster opinion of himself is evident through the way he interprets this interaction with Sabine, the acting leader of the wolves. He accepts her dismissal as deserved, because he too sees himself as “nothing […] not even a wolf.” This is why he doesn’t consider himself a viable option for Prime Apparent, doubting his leadership potential.

“She had to get out of here. Before these people decided the risk she posed was too great, and dealt with her the smart way. Or before they decided they liked the sound of Midgard, of Rigelus, and knew she’d be a wonderful peace offering.”

Bryce distrusts the Night Court because she equates them with the oppressors of her own world. Bryce perceives her situation through the eyes of a potential conqueror, which guides what she reveals, to whom, and how.