In Chap­ter Eigh­teen titled “Teal,” the sto­ry unfolds as Bran­thor strug­gles with his injuries, hav­ing been shot mul­ti­ple times by Teal’s broth­ers. Despite his heavy frame, he attempts to reas­sure Teal that he can man­age as they nav­i­gate the wilder­ness togeth­er. Teal express­es con­cern over his wounds, real­iz­ing he is coat­ed in blood but is in dis­be­lief at his resilience. As they slow­ly make their way toward Moss­dale, Teal attempts to shift the blame for their predica­ment away from Bran­thor, defend­ing her deci­sion to leave her fam­i­ly for a moment of peace.

Their con­ver­sa­tion deep­ens as Bran­thor ques­tions why Teal nev­er spoke about her broth­ers’ cru­el­ty, prompt­ing her to reveal her embar­rass­ment and the oppres­sive nature of the Peace­mak­ers, the author­i­ty her fam­i­ly holds. Teal explains that once bound in mar­riage, a bride’s fam­i­ly relin­quish­es claim to her, which is sig­nif­i­cant in their cur­rent sit­u­a­tion. The bond between Bran­thor and Teal evolves as he apol­o­gizes for his ear­li­er deci­sions. In a light-heart­ed exchange, she calls him her “idiot,” and although Bran­thor express­es guilt, Teal reas­sures him, reflect­ing on their con­nec­tion.

As they reach a crit­i­cal point, Bran­thor insists Teal fetch help while he rests, acknowl­edg­ing his vul­ner­a­bil­i­ty. Before she leaves, he solemn­ly declares she is his mate, vow­ing to sign the mar­riage con­tract upon reach­ing Moss­dale. Their part­ing moment is ten­der, marred by Bran­thor’s dis­com­fort from his injuries. Teal rush­es toward the vil­lage, reflect­ing on her past as she recalls the pain inflict­ed by her broth­ers, but focus­ing instead on secur­ing help for Bran­thor.

Teal arrives at Ori­on’s house, seek­ing imme­di­ate assis­tance for Bran­thor. She finds solace in Maren’s embrace and informs them of Bran­thor’s dire con­di­tion. With­out hes­i­ta­tion, Ori­on and his broth­ers leap into action, and Teal final­ly feels sup­port­ed, not­ing the exhaus­tion in her own body. As they race back to Bran­thor, her new friends promise care and sup­port, solid­i­fy­ing a new­found sis­ter­hood in her life filled with hard­ship. This chap­ter illus­trates themes of loy­al­ty, the sig­nif­i­cance of cho­sen fam­i­ly, and the strug­gles of over­com­ing the scars of the past.