Chapter Thirty-Seven: Secrets of the Old Coven and a Mother's Confession

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Tana lies awake three days before her Covenant Ball and wedding, tormented by thoughts of Wolfe and the erased memories. After a sleepless night, she confronts her mother about the lies regarding the old coven. Her mother explains that the mainland must believe dark magic no longer exists on the island; only the council knows the truth. Tana questions why her mother refuses to meet with the old coven to address the dangerous currents, learning that her mother prioritizes the wedding and mainland alliance above all else. Tana asks about moonflower, but her mother evades the answer, promising to explain later. Her mother then reveals she once loved Galen Hawthorne as a young woman, but accepted their relationship had no future. Tana reflects that, unlike her mother, she could not accept her time with Wolfe as limited, suggesting Wolfe might have been the absolute love of her life.

Key Events

Tana wakes after another sleepless night, thinking about Wolfe and her upcoming wedding.
She confronts her mother about the memory eraser and the old coven.
Her mother explains the political necessity of hiding the old coven’s existence.
Tana asks about the currents and why her mother won’t meet with the old coven.
Her mother reveals she is willing to let damage occur for the sake of the wedding and mainland alliance.
Tana asks about moonflower; her mother deflects, promising to discuss later.
Her mother confesses she had a past relationship with Galen Hawthorne when young.
Tana reflects on the differences between her mother’s ability to accept limited love and her own inability to let go of Wolfe.

Character Development

Tana: Grows more assertive in questioning her mother; feels hurt by secrets but also admiration. She struggles to reconcile her erased feelings for Wolfe with the new information about her mother’s past.
Tana’s mother: Revealed as pragmatic, secretive, and shaped by past love. She shows vulnerability but remains committed to the new order, choosing duty over desire.
Wolfe: Discussed indirectly; Tana realizes his passion was unique and that he might have been her “absolute love” by her mother’s standards.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Duty vs. Desire: Tana’s mother chose duty and found love within it; Tana couldn’t accept that her time with Wolfe was finite.
Memory and Identity: Tana’s lack of memories of Wolfe makes her question what is real, even as she glimpses her former self.
Secrecy and Trust: The coven’s survival depends on lies; mother-daughter trust is strained as Tana discovers deceptions.
Moonflower: Symbol of hidden danger and forbidden knowledge; its toxicity hints at deeper coven secrets.
The New Order vs. High Magic: Represented by mother’s contentment with low magic and Tana’s lingering doubts about the old ways.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter reveals the historical and political context of the coven’s secrecy, deepens the mother-daughter relationship, and provides a parallel love story that forces Tana to reconsider her own choices. It sets up the moonflower mystery and the impending wedding, while highlighting Tana’s internal conflict between duty and her unrecognized love for Wolfe.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Tana’s mother refuse to meet with the old coven about the currents?
She fears that doing so would reveal their existence to mainland representatives, jeopardizing the fragile alliance and the wedding.
What does Tana’s mother reveal about her past with Galen?
She had a brief, passionate relationship with Galen when young, but accepted it had no future because her loyalties lay with her coven.
How does Tana’s mother’s confession affect Tana’s view of her own relationship with Wolfe?
Tana realizes that by her mother’s standards, Wolfe should be the love of her life, because she could not accept their time was limited—unlike her mother who could.