Huddled together on the floor in the living room, I cradle Ben's body in my lap while Eyrica is sobbing against his shoulder and petting his head.

Her heartache grips me, giving me strength. Strength to be strong when she can't.

This injustice will not be forgiven, nor forgotten. Ben will be avenged. One way or another, Ben's murder will not go unheeded.

Even though Burk was the one who prematurely pulled the trigger, it was Ryan who sent him to kidnap us.

This was Ryan's mistake. And he knew it.

Emily is sitting next to us, her arms around both of us, rubbing our shoulders and trying to lessen the pain in all of our hearts.

"He was a good kid," Emily says, more so to Eyrica than to me. "Kairo was proud of him."

I study Emily from the corner of my eye. How would she know that? She wouldn't just say that to try and make us feel better. She isn't that type of person.

As if sensing my stare, she looks up and catches my eye. "He'll come to avenge him. I know he will."

Her voice is hushed and her eyes flick to the guard standing a few yards away from us, a gun in a holster at his side and his arms crossed over his chest. If he heard, he makes no indication. He shifts his weight from side to side. Even with a cool mask of indifference, the air around him is one of unease.

The front door bangs open and Ryan stomps in. Anger radiates off his shoulders as his murderous eyes take in the three of us huddled together around the dead body.

He curses as his eyes take in Ben before catching mine and narrowing.

I hold his gaze, not giving him the satisfaction of lowering my eyes in submission or fear.

Slamming the door shut behind him, he strides toward us.

"Take him," I whisper to Eyrica as I shift Ben from my lap and into her arms.

Taking a defensive position, I slip in front of Emily and Eyrica, using my body as a shield.

I may not be strong enough to take on Ryan, but I'm the strongest one in our group and I have to protect them from whatever Ryan throws our way.

He pauses a few feet away from us. His fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Give me the boy," he says. His voice is low, firm, masking the real emotions swirling deep within him.

"Why?" I demand. "So you can bury him and hide the evidence? Not gonna happen."

He takes a step toward me, his eyes bearing down into mine.

I rise to my feet so that we're on even ground.

Challenging him.

I don't miss the handgun tucked in the back of his jeans, but he doesn't reach for it.

"Give me the boy," he says again after staring me down for a minute.

"No."

He grits his teeth. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, little mate."

I raise an eyebrow in challenge. "Oh, no? I know Kairo will string you up by your balls if he doesn't outright kill you for what happened to Ben."

I don't actually know what Kairo will do when he finds out what happened, but I can't let Ryan know that. He should have thought about that when he tried to kidnap me.

I don't miss the fear that flashes briefly in his eyes.

He's scared shitless by Kairo.

As he should be with Ben's blood on his hands.

"I'll just tell him that it was the White Peak trying to save you, but my men tried to stop them, and poor Ben got caught in the crossfire," he says, all smug, but clearly all talk.

"If you think he'll believe a word you say over ours, you can think again," I growl.

"What makes you think you'll ever get a word into him?" he sneers.

I open my mouth, but he shouts over me to the guard.

"Take them to the cells. Leave the boy."

"Yes, Alpha," the guard says.

He steps toward us and I move between him and the girls.

Ryan grabs my arm and hauls me away from their side.

Screaming out in frustration, I try to fight him off, but he's stronger than me. Grunting, I attempt to throw him over my shoulder the way Keith taught me, but I can't get a firm enough grip.

Wrapping an arm around my body, my back against his chest, the cold end of a gun presses into my lower back.

My back stiffens on instinct and I still, muscles twitching.

"Keep fighting, little mate. I dare you," he says in a low voice against my ear.

Shivers crawl up my spine at his words as his breath nips on my earlobe.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I grind my teeth together. "I'm not your mate."

His grip on me tightens, digging the gun deeper into my back and making me cry out in pain.

"You should watch your mouth unless you want me to put my gun in it," he growls before he throws me against the wall.

My body hits it with so much force that all the air rushes out of my lungs and I collapse to the floor in a heap, gasping.

Thick, solid legs straddle my waist as two hundred pounds of pure muscle pin me to the floor. A strong hand yanks on my hair, pulling my head up from the hardwood as my body screams out in pain. The barrel of his gun digs between my shoulder blades.

I'm beaten. Not by fists or sheer force, but by the overwhelming agony of powerlessness.

I know I didn't stand much of a chance. Still, I had hope.

Still, it was futile.

I'm not strong enough to protect them.

I never was.

"Go," Ryan barks to the guard.

Hot, angry tears fill my eyes and through the blur, I see the man reach for Emily and Eyrica.

Emily rushes forward to shield Eyrica, but he throws her effortlessly away.

He's on Eyrica and tries to rip the boy from her arms, but she lunges at him. Her eyes take on the look of a predator and her canines begin to extend before she bites the arm that reaches for her.

Profanities stream out at the top of his voice as he punches her in the nose. It crunches before blood gushes down her face.

She doesn't let go. If anything, she clamps down even harder as he screams in agony.

He grabs her neck, and she immediately releases him.

Incapable of breathing through her broken nose and unable to fight him off as tears stream down her face, she gasps, crying in pain as she clutches her face.

Grabbing her arm, he hauls her up to her feet.

Ben falls to the floor with a thump as gurgling noises escape her lips, her body wracking with strangled sobs.

Emily's arms are pushing herself up from the ground, but she doesn't raise her head.

The look of defeat.

The guard grabs her by the arm, dragging her up, and then pushes her toward the basement door.

She doesn't look back, but follows obedient as he shoves them forward.

The sounds of their footsteps disappear down the staircase before Ryan yanks back on my hair, his lips next to my ear again.

"You see that, little mate?" he whispers.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I hold back the groan of pain bubbling up my throat, but it leaks out against my will.

His hold on me is unrelenting and he seemingly waits for that announcement of surrender before continuing.

"Doesn't matter how strong you think you are; I will break you."