Seeing Evan break down is too painful for me to bear.

I can't tell him that my father is behind my kidnapping, not Ryan. That once all of this business with Ryan is over, Kairo won't set me free. He's made that clear that I'm his property now, along with Emily and all of my half siblings.

I can't reassure him that Ryan can't touch me—even if he wanted to.

I don't know what the deal is with Ryan, Kairo, or even Jade for that matter, but I know I have to keep my head low, and my guard up. I need to fool everyone into thinking that I've accepted my fate. I can't even reassure Evan of my plan. I just hope that he doesn't give up on me because I won't give up on him, even if it doesn't look that way.

Two equally powerful men follow Rick and Clyde into the house to discuss matters for some ungodly amount of time. I avoid everyone's gaze, clamping my eyes shut and closing my ears from the sounds of crying.

Be strong, I remind myself.

This is the only way I know how.

When the alphas leave the house, Rick gives brisk orders for them all to leave the territory.

No information is leaked out for me to hear. Maybe that's for the best. I can't count on them to save me. I have only myself to rely on.

I avoid making eye contact with Evan before he leaves with everyone else.

There's some shame in being held hostage, but more than anything, I can't bear to face him now. I hate that I'm a burden on his heart and on my pack's minds. Worst of all is that none of them know the truth.

"Get your asses inside."

Ryan's voice cuts through my thoughts after everyone's gone.

I struggle to rise to my feet without the use of my arms, as does everyone else around me.

Jade slides the door open and we trudge inside.

I'm the last to enter and as I step in, a strong hand grips my arm and pulls me back.

Whirling around, I find myself face-to-face with Ryan's cold, hard gaze. He's several inches taller than me and as much as I want to spit in his face, I simper like a puppy instead. Then, of course, there's the gag in my mouth to silence me like the prisoner I am.

He grabs my face between his fingers and squeezes my cheeks and lips together in his callus hold. His grip is so fierce that I feel his nails digging into my cheeks where the cloth gag can't protect me. Tilting my head up, my eyes lock onto his and even now, I can't bite back the hate I have for him.

It translates through my eyes as his narrow down at me.

"Kairo thinks he can have you all to himself. He's seriously mistaken."

Jade's quick to react, and grabs his arm to restrain him. "Harm a hair on her head, and I'll knock your brains out."

Digging her nails into his arm, she retches his hand away from my face.

Despite my attempts to hold back my fear and anger, his grip on my face has brought tears to my eyes. Through my blurred vision, I see her emotionless face as Ryan glares at her.

He pulls away from her with a glare.

"Puppet," he spits.

"Pussy," she counters.

Jade's hand finds my shoulder and she grips it firmly, but not painfully as she applies pressure to signal that I should go inside now. Her green eyes are still fixated on Ryan, but the muscle in her jaw hints at her anger towards his actions.

Or maybe it is anger towards Ryan in general?

Either way, I have no choice but to heed her physical command and walk into the house.

Jade puzzles me even more now. What exactly is her connection to Ryan? When I first saw her, I thought she was Ryan's beta. Am I wrong?

I rake through my mind for Kairo's words, the few that I managed to pick up this morning anyway. He had been furious with Ryan, and Jade had delivered the message.

Is Jade working for Ryan? Or is Kairo working for Ryan? Or am I way off all together?

I can't trust Jade or Kairo for answers, but maybe Anton will know? Anton can tell me, right? He'll tell me the truth. I mean, I am his sister.

Two more guards stand at two opposite corners of the kitchen, their dark eyes watching us attentively. One looks Hispanic and the other a mixture of unknown heritage with olive skin and dark brown hair.

Alicia's eyes narrow in anger when she sees me. My face stings from his nails digging into my skin. Maybe his nails pierced through and there was blood she was glaring at?

Either way, I move to Alicia's side next to Emily.

Emily's gaze is locked on the tiles under her feet as she leans against Alicia's body for comfort and support.

Frowning, I look up to meet Alicia's gaze. Her eyes have softened now, and without words, I know she is telling me to watch my back and look after Emily. I give her a nod, swallowing with some difficulty.

Jade enters then with Ryan behind her. She looks calms and collected, while he's silently fuming and glaring daggers into her back.

"If you require anything else, you know how to reach us," Jade says to him. "For now, I will return what belongs to Kairo."

"Zara's staying with me," he growls.

His declaration doesn't come as a surprise. Of course he wants a piece of me. He wants to make Evan's life miserable before he tries to kill him, and what better way than to hold the other half of his heart in his clutches?

Whatever happened in their past was rearing up its ugly head, now forcing me to get involved.

Jade's expression hardly falters, but her eyes harden a touch. "I lay no claim myself on his possessions, but you are in no position to argue with him. He got you your land and title back. Gave you a pack to lead. You would dare try to steal something from him?"

Ryan's teeth gnashed together, not even trying to hide his mounting fury towards the woman. "He can have her back when I'm done with her."

My eyes widen. No freaking way.

"Take it up with him yourself, then. I have a responsibility to return his possessions to him, not to take orders from you."

Okay, as much as I dislike my father for kidnapping me and drugging me, I have to admit that I'd much rather join him at his camp than to sit idly alongside Ryan so he can do whatever sick, twisted things he has in mind for me. Plus, I have a better chance of surviving and returning to Evan with him than I do with Ryan.

And right now, Jade rocks. I can't stop myself from grinning as she riles Ryan up, making him look like a fool, while she's cool, calm, and collected.

Score one point for Daddy and Jade.

Wait, that sounds wrong on so many levels.

I steal a quick glance at Alicia. She maintains a neutral expression, but I can see her eyes are calculating everything before us.

When I look back at Ryan and Jade, her eyes are watching him closely, while he's glaring at me and trying to unhinge his clamped jaw, working it left and right as the wheels continue to spin in his head.

"Fine," he grunts with finality, never taking his eyes off me. "But if I have need for her again, he better let me have her."

Jade inclines her head slightly before her hard eyes turn back to our group.

A silent fury rages behind those emerald eyes for a split second before she blinks and the fire has been extinguished.

All of a sudden, it dawns on me that I really don't know Jade at all. It would seem that she's not on Ryan's side, but Anton did say that aside from Kairo, only Jade is allowed to administer physical punishments.

And although I've been on my best behavior, she is pissed.

And Kairo will be pissed.

Now, it seems as though it doesn't matter which side I'm on, I'm going to get a beating.

"You heard him," Jade says. "Let's go."