"Who sent the damn flowers?"

Adam was furious, Jace was annoyed, and I was scared out of my mind.

Liu sat beside me at the conference table and Jace stood on the other side of the room as Adam paced around it.

"The guards said they didn't see anyone enter the room. Whoever did it came in through the balcony doors," Jace said.

"Sorry about your house," Liu whispered to me.

She pushed the pictures of my old home in flames towards the center of the table.

"It's okay," I assured her. "I upgraded anyways."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Jace said to Adam.

Adam stopped pacing and glared at him.

"You think it's a coincidence?" he asked incredulously. "These flowers are not in season, so someone had to put a lot of effort into getting them here. They're the exact same color as the ones in the photo and there's seven of them just like in the photo."

"It's too much to be a coincidence," Liu said, agreeing with Adam.

She didn't seem to notice the glare that Jace shot her, but I did.

"Can we please focus?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. "If It isn't a coincidence, that means we have a lot of theorizing to do."

Adam placed his hands firmly on the top of the seat across from me.

"I agree."

We all thought about this for a few moments before Liu spoke up.

"Do tulips have any significance in your family?" She asked.

I shook my head.

"My mom's favorites are sunflowers. My dad on the other hand, well... I don't think he cares for anything living so I wouldn't say he has a favorite kind of flower."

"What about the color red?" Jace asked.

I shook my head and Adam sighed heavily.

"We'll keep thinking on it. For now, I want everyone to be cautious of anyone acting suspicious."

"It would have to have been someone outside of the meetings," I said.

"How do you mean?"

"You were in a meeting with all of these people when I went back to the room. The person who put them there must have gone during that time, when no one would have been walking the halls."

Liu shook her head. "No, because they were on a lunch break. However, if it was one of the Alphas or Betas, I doubt any of them would have had the guts to do it themselves. Even if we catch the person who put them there, we might not find out who wanted them there."

Adam nodded in agreement.

"Let's call it a night, but keep thinking on this. Let me know if you two come up with something or if you find anything new."

It was late. We had all met right after dinner that night because it was the first time Adam or Jace would have been able to meet due to the meetings they'd been in all day. Liu and I had managed to keep the flowers under wraps throughout the day, only telling Jace and Adam that evening.

Dinner was awkward. I avoided Diedrick like a disease and I was wary of everyone. I knew the possibility was great that I was standing in close quarters with the person who had put the tulips in Adam's room. I also knew it was a possibility that I was sleeping under the same roof as the person who likely had my house set on fire and who knew where my parents were.

It was weird to think that the two instances could be connected. It was even more horrifying, however, that the thing connecting the two instances was me and seven red tulips.

I didn't know of anyone in that castle that cared so little for me to go through the trouble of setting my house on fire, planting seven tulips in the mulch, and then putting tulips in Adam's room to scare me.

It was seemingly pointless, but it sent chills down my spine nonetheless.

Adam and I left Liu and Jace in the conference room and went back up to his bedroom. Once there, I watched him as he took the vase of tulips, opened the balcony doors, and threw them off the side of the ledge.

I was halfway thankful for this act of recklessness because it meant I didn't have to look at them any longer.

Walking into the bathroom, I shut the door behind me and sighed.

I walked over to the bathtub and turned on the hot water. Stripping out of my dress, I sat down in the bath and sighed. As the tub was filling up, I poured in the bubble bath and laid back to relax.

I could feel my body slowly beginning to settle down, but my head was still spinning and turning over the situation. I was so overwhelmed that when I started to cry, I wasn't in the least bit surprised by the tears. I just held my hand over my mouth, trying to be quiet. The last thing I wanted was for Adam to hear me and try to come in.

I didn't want to be comforted or to be told 'everything was going to be fine.' I wasn't an idiot, I knew everything wasn't fine.

I wanted to find my family and to be left alone by whoever was trying to mess with me. I wanted to fall in love with Adam like a normal person and not have to worry about the drama that surrounded me.

I sat in the bath until the water turned cold and my tears had dried up.

It wouldn't have surprised me to walk out of the bathroom and see Adam in the bed already asleep. It was past midnight and we were both mentally drained. However, when I came out of the bathroom, Adam was sitting on the couch, staring off into space.

When he heard me, he looked over and gave me tired smile.

"Feeling better?" he asked me.

I nodded and walked over to the wardrobe to get out something to sleep in. I changed and put the towel back into the bathroom as Adam walked in behind me and started the shower.

Undoing the bed, I slid underneath the covers and closed my eyes.

A few minutes later, Adam came out of the bathroom.

"Let's switch sides," he suggested, walking to my side of the bed.

"Why?"

"Because," he said. "I want to be near the balcony doors."

I groaned, having already gotten the sheets warm on my side. Adam laughed at this and put his arms under me and lifted me up to set me on his side of the bed. After he had done so, he climbed in the bed and pulled the covers over the both of us.

Adam found my hand underneath the sheets and entangled his fingers with mine. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body against his chest.

"Get some sleep," he said.

"I can't."

Despite how tired I was, my mind was still reeling.

"I'll find whoever did this," he promised me. "Go to sleep."

After a few minutes had passed, I felt my mind slowly start to ease and, in the comfort of his arms, I finally fell asleep.

- - -

Adam was still in bed with me when I woke up the next morning.

I could hear his heavy breathing as I pulled his arms from around my waist. This was easier said than done. The man had a grip that would rival a toddler on their father's leg.

I looked at the clock and noticed it was still early in the morning. Adam's meetings wouldn't begin for a few more hours.

Looking at him, I could tell he had gotten little sleep last night. He had dark circles around his eyes. In fact, he was in such an exhaustive state of sleep, he was nearly snoring.

I felt a pang of guilt in my chest.

I couldn't imagine the stress this probably put him under. He had so much to deal with already with the Centennial and Europe on the line. The added stress of the tulip's arrival was just the cherry on top.

I got out of the bed quietly and changed into comfortable clothes before brushing my teeth. After doing so, I called and asked for breakfast to be sent up to the room.

I had no sooner pulled the cart of food into the room when Adam sat up in the bed quickly hearing the door shut.  He looked around before relaxing when he saw me pouring milk into my cereal.

"Why are you awake this early?" He asked. His voice was deep and husky from sleep.

"I couldn't sleep. Want breakfast?"

He got out of the bed. "I'm going to shower first."

Adam went into the bathroom and showered. He changed into slacks and a button-down and put on a tie to cover the now-purple bruise on his neck.

I had finished my cereal by the time he sat down and poured cereal into his own bowl.

"I don't want you to stay in here by yourself today," Adam said.

My eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

"It's not you that I don't trust," Adam said assuringly. "It's everyone else in this bloody castle that I worry about."

"One other thing," he added. "Don't talk to Jace about anything else."

"Why?"

"I'd trust Diedrick Schneider with my life quicker than I would Jace, and I think Jace knows that. He was all too quick to try and put the blame on the Germans last night."

"And you don't think it was them?" I asked.

Adam shook his head.

"Why?"

He smiled. "I can't tell you just yet, but you'll know soon enough."

Weird. Why won't he tell me?

"So why do you think Jace has something to do with it?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure he does, but don't you think it's weird that we were the only three people who knew about those tulips and now they've shown up here, in this castle, thousands of miles away from your house?"

I nodded. "I see your point."

He put his hand on my thigh.

"I don't mean to worry you, Evelyn. Just be careful. You're smart, so I know you will be."

He finished eating and left for his meetings. As I watched him walk out the bedroom door, I couldn't help but worry.

If an Alpha can't trust his Beta, who can he trust?

- - -

Later that day, I ran into Liu, who told me Jace had expedited the search for my dad.

"And my mom?" I asked her.

She faltered.

"Well, Jace seems to think that your dad might have something to do with the tulips. I'm sure we'll find your mom if she's with your dad," Liu said.

I sighed.

She's the one I want to find, I wanted to say. I don't give a rat's ass about my dad.

"How are you doing?" Liu asked me. "Are you still shaken up from yesterday?"

I shook my head. "I'm more exhausted and ready for this all to end."

We continued to walk down the hallway, into an empty sitting room.

"Can I ask you a favor?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Anything."

"Have you ever shifted?"

Liu nodded slowly. "Of course."

I took a deep breath.

"Do you think you could show me how?"

"You've never shifted?" She asked me incredulously.

I shook my head, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, of course I can show you," she said. "I just can't believe you've never shifted."

I shrugged.

"I mean, my parents didn't care enough to show me how to," I said. "Vega told me it hurt like hell, which is another reason I've never shifted, I guess."

"It does hurt the first time," she said honestly. "But after you get used to it, it's just like popping knuckles."

I cringed and she laughed.

"We can go down to the gym tomorrow sometime and I'll show you," she said.

Of course, there's a gym in this castle. Why wouldn't there be?

"Was this what you were going to ask me about at the Arrival Gala the other night?" She asked.

I was hoping she had forgotten about that, I thought as I shook my head.

"What were you going to ask me then?"

I sighed.

"I was going to ask you about Jace..." I said honestly.

I saw her gulp and her whole demeanor changed.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I knew that was going to cross a line. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Liu took a deep breath.

"No, it's fine. I just... I don't talk about it a lot," she said. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did he reject you?" I asked. "I mean, you're smart and you're gorgeous. I don't understand why."

She shrugged looking down at her hands.

"My parents seem to think I've dishonored my family, especially my dad. That's why I have a job here at the palace. My dad seems to think I'll win him back someday. I have to wear makeup to work and I have to talk to him."

"Isn't it painful, though?" I asked her. "To have to see him every day?"

Liu took a deep breath. "I've gotten used to it. It's been almost two years now. But some days are harder than others. Sometimes he'll ask me how I'm doing or he'll come over to my house for dinner. It delights my parents, but it's hard when he leaves and doesn't speak to me for a few days after."

My eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you think he's just scared of the commitment?"

"Maybe. I know he's had girlfriends, but they never last long at all. In a twisted way, it makes me happy," she said smiling.

I laughed at this.

"I hope you work things out," I said, taking her hand in mine.

She smiled at the thought. "He has a lot of growing up to do, but maybe one day."

I looked up at the clock. Adam would be out of his meeting in a few minutes.

"I think I'm going to go and start getting ready for dinner tonight," I said. "I'll see you tonight, Liu."

She smiled at me as I left the room and began to walk back up to Adam's bedroom.

Jace is such an ass. Why would he reject that poor girl and then lead her on like that?

She clearly still loved him. I saw the way she looked at him and the look on her face when I told her that I hoped it worked out. I had lied when I said that, though. He didn't deserve her. The problem was that she would never realize it.

I had just made it back to Adam's room and had begun to look through dresses when he came into the room.

"You're not going tonight," he said firmly.

His attitude caught me off guard.

"Why is that?" I asked, not amused.

He said nothing, only pointed out the window at the sunset.

At first, I couldn't tell why the sunset was significant, but then I saw the full moon.

Shit.

- - -