Evan doesn't like this one bit.

Ryan only called them over to gloat and to present the hostages. He didn't want to negotiate. He just wanted to rub salt into the wounds. They knew he had Zara, Alicia, Emily, and Aunt Vicky and Nicky. What more did he want?

Of course, the alphas want to try and settle things peacefully. They had already tried that though, and it didn't work. True, this time they have the Silver Stars, the Tallimook, and the Rainier Ridge packs to aid them. With them as allies, maybe Ryan will back off now that he is out-numbered.

At least, they hope they out-numbered Ryan now. They still do not have definite numbers established.

Everyone who attended the alphas' meeting the other day is going to confront Ryan. The plan is to have Keith leave with them after, and then double back to meet with Ryan on his own.

They all know Keith can do it, but they worry that Ryan won't fall for it and will stab him in the back.

It is terribly reckless, but Keith insists they at least let him try. He is willing to die for his alpha, his sister, and her unborn child if it means ensuring her safety.

Evan, however, is ready for revenge. Ready to get back at Ryan for kidnapping Zara, for what he did to his pack, and for how he murdered Megan. Ryan was never punished for that, and Megan's family deserved some consolation for their loss. Evan had never been able to face them after that incident and he would like to one day assure her family that their daughter's murderer had been brought to justice.

Ryan may be his brother, but everything he had done was inexcusable and punishable by death in shifter society.

He wasn't Evan's big brother anymore. That thought made everything more bearable.

As the sun rises in the east, Clyde, Rick, Eric, and Clark watch the small procession before them just outside the alpha's house. Heidi, Clyde's mate, and the future alphas, Owen and Leah, stand off to the side to watch them leave. They will remain at the pack house to ensure its own safety.

Standing next to Evan is Brianna and his parents as Clyde gives a small speech to everyone present, but Evan tunes him out. Not needing the pep-talk, he waits until Clyde gives the order for them to head out.

They shift into their wolf forms and begin the trek south across the Silver Star terrain and to the river that separates the Silver Star's territory from the White Peak's territory.

A pair of Ryan's guards wait for their arrival and howl back to Ryan at the White Peak pack house, their voices rising and falling in the crisp morning air.

The pair of rogue wolves escort them through the woods, all the while they continuously watch their backs for unsuspecting rogues to come running out from behind the bushes and attack them.

Even with four alphas, their betas, and head warriors, they are an intimidating sight to behold, and any lone rogue would be stupid to attack them unless he wanted to be immediately slaughtered.

As one of the weakest members in their group, and quite possibly the biggest target for Ryan, Evan keeps his guard up.

The closer he gets to the pack house, the more his anger and hatred towards Ryan begins to bubble up. After all these years of believing Ryan was dead, and mourning the death of Megan, it is finally spilling over him. Stealing Zara, his home, his life—how dare he! Did the bastard have anything good left in him?

He wants to kill Ryan himself. A part of him itches to be the one to avenge Megan's brutal murder. He owes her that much.

And yet, could he do it? Would Zara accept it? Yes, she's still new to their world, and yes, Ryan deserves it, but he still doesn't think she's capable of handling it well. She's still far too naïve.

If Ryan hurt her in any way though... She'll probably get over his death faster.

As their party leaves the woods and steps up to the former White Peak pack house, they shift back into their human forms and don clothing that had been carried by a few wolves in their group.

Swallowing, Evan looks up at the two-story house that had once been a place of comfort and family. He didn't miss the fresh scent of Zara and Emily that seemed to waft over to them from the back of the house before he shifted back into his human form. Alicia, and Aunt Vicky and Nicky's scents lingered faintly around the house as well—as well as the metallic scent of blood.

The hairs on the back of Evan's neck stand on end, long after he returns to his human form, the metallic scent still lingering in his nostrils. He closes his eyes as he takes in a lungful of air. Earth and rotting leaves fills him and clears his mind. Reminding himself to calm down, he chides himself about the dangers of letting his rage get the best of him.

Anger will only blindside you right now. We can't give Ryan the upper hand.

Silently, he prays that Zara isn't injured as the front door opens.

Opening his eyes, they narrow into slits as Ryan steps out with Keith's mate close on his heels.

Keith's mate—whatever her name is—isn't his concern unless she has laid a hand on Zara, Alicia, Emily, or his aunts. If she has, then he will have a bone to pick with her. As of now, though, Keith made it clear that she was his to take care of. No one in their group had qualms about it and agreed to let him handle the situation regarding her.

Ryan scowls at them as he steps down the porch and stomps toward them with the olive-skinned woman close behind.

"The hell is all this?" he demands as his eyes sweep around the large group.

A visible vein throbs in Ryan's temple as he pauses several yards away, and Evan presses his lips together in an attempt to conceal his smirk.

The woman's face is more collected than Ryan's and she looks almost bored. She takes a quick look at everyone, her eyes not even pausing momentarily on Keith.

Evan chances a quick glance at Keith to see that he's maintaining control over himself as well, mirroring her expression despite the tight lock he has on his jaw.

Rick is the one to take a step toward Ryan as the true alpha of the White Peak Pack and territory. "You have broken through our borders, so we have broken down our borders to form alliances against you. Should you refuse our terms and conditions, you will have more than you bargained for standing against you and willing to fight till the death."

Gnashing his teeth together, Ryan snaps his head to his female beta next to him. "Take the hostages out back."

She inclines her head slightly before spinning on her heel, her long dark hair flying behind her, and returning to the house.

Ryan looks back at Rick. "You mean to tell me that if I kill all of you, I get their land as well?" The corner of his lips twist up. "That doesn't seem like a fair bargain for them. All in the name of getting your land and shifters back, huh?"

Ryan's eyes flick quickly to Evan's before returning to Rick's. "This still works in my favor."

"You are a threat to their borders as well. They have every right to be here with us," Rick says.

The little smirk on Ryan's face widens. "You're catching on now."

A commotion at the back of the house catches everyone's attention.

"Looks like Jade's got everyone outside now. You are free to go around back," Ryan says with a sweeping gesture of his hand to the right of the house.

"Stay on guard," Evan's father whispers into his ear as they start around the house with Keith in the lead and Rick taking up the rear.

Evan nods, as if he needed the warning. This could be a trap. He expects nothing less from Ryan now.

Truth is, Evan doesn't know what to expect from Ryan except the extreme. A part of him doesn't want to believe that there's an inkling of good left in him. It's always easier to see the world in black and white than in shades of gray.

The only soft parts he hopes Ryan still has are the parts that make him easier to kill.

His heart pounds within him at the thought of seeing Zara. Certain that she's still alive, but in what kind of condition? And is her life still at risk right now, or is his own life more at risk?

Giving his head a gentle shake, he reminds himself that Ryan is only one man, while he is surrounded by four powerful alphas and their strongest shifters at well.

If Ryan tries anything now, he's as good as dead. There is no chance of him getting away with murder with all of these witnesses around.

The slaughter, if such an attempt were made, makes him shiver and he quickly pushes the images from his mind.

The patio at the back has four guards, each with pistols bulging in the side pockets of their black shorts.

Standing just behind the huddled group on the ground, Jade folds her arms across her chest. The sliding glass door to the kitchen is a few feet behind her.

Evan and everyone else in their group gathers in front of the hostages a few yards back, and Evan quickly takes in Zara's condition in the group.

He can see the whites of her eyes as she makes eye contact with him, but a gag in her mouth renders her speechless, as it does Alicia, Emily, Vicky, and Nicky. Their hands are all bound behind their backs and ropes tied around their necks.

Nicky and Vicky have their heads lowered, while Emily presses her body as close to Alicia as she can. Alicia's expression is firm, her eyes appearing glazed over as she looks through them all in order to maintain her composure. Fear is not evident on her face, though he is certain that she is terrified, if only for her unborn child and her pack.

Zara looks away, but not before he catches the dread, worry, and confusion in her eyes.

'Promise me we won't get separated.' Zara's voice rings through his mind from yesterday morning.

'Promise me.'

He pushes down the rumble in his throat and looks away in order to hold himself back. He wants nothing more than to go to her side and cut those ropes from her neck and wrists, but he knows that if he takes one step toward her, any one of those guards will pull a gun out and shoot him—or worse, her.

For Zara's sake, he forces himself to remain still.

Likewise, for his alpha, he can't move lest he put Alicia's life at risk as well. He promised to protect her and be loyal to her for the rest of his life, and he has to uphold that promise.

He hopes he will never have to choose between his alpha and his mate. He doesn't know if he can live with himself after such a decision.

He struggles to swallow as he clenches his hands into fists at his side.

"What will it take to free them?" Rick asks Ryan as he comes around the side of the house.

"Complete and total submission to me," he says, as if the answer should be obvious.

Rick's jaw muscles grow taut, as he attempts to keep his anger in check.

"Can't we work out a deal?"

Ryan's eyes narrow. "Such as? I have everything I want now. I have my inheritance, my land, my title, my pack. What could you possibly have to bargain with?"

Taking a deep breath, Evan raises his head, holding it high, and locks eyes with Ryan. "My life for theirs."