"I don't remember the pigs being a thing before,

" Zoe grumbled as she followed Zagan down another row of the grunting, smelly creatures that were rooting around in their hay-filled areas. They appeared to be well cared for at least.

"They provide food for the alyko who live here,

" he explained.

"So you don't keep all the alyko locked next to pigs?

" she asked, not seeing evidence of anyone else so far.

"No. They are quite happy on this island, I think,

" he said thoughtfully.

Zoe scoffed, but he ignored her. She wondered if he actually meant the pigs were quite happy on the island rather than the alyko.

"Even pigs as neighbors is an improvement on how I was treated,

" she grumbled again.

"What happened to the dungeon?

"

"I don't do that anymore,

" he said curtly.

She stared at his profile as they walked, surprised by the change.

"Why? Why was I so lucky?

"

He sighed, glancing at her as he did.

"I realized it was not conducive to bringing out abilities.

"

"You don't say,

" she replied. Perhaps that was why she had such a hard time manifesting any abilities while she was here.

"So do you still brainwash everyone? Or how do you keep the powerful members of your collection in check?

"

Zagan clenched his jaw in restraint. He felt protective of Zosime, sure, but he also had the strong urge to backhand her at the moment for her smart mouth and sarcasm. Perhaps this was truly what it was like to have a child.

Zoe sighed in defeat, realizing he had tired of answering her questions. She trudged along beside him a short distance more before they stopped in front of a tall cage similar to the one she had awoken in.

At first she didn't see anyone. It just looked like a bunch of hay piled and strewn about. Zagan rapped the back of his hand against the metal of the door, and then a mass of black hair appeared. Sage crawled out from behind the pile of hay in the corner, his bright green eyes looking back and forth between Zoe and the vampire.

"That's Sage,

" her mouth dropped open.

She knew about Sage, because his older sister Selah was on her team. Zoe and Selah had worked closely together, particularly when the alyko map was first getting set up. Selah was one person Zoe would have considered as a friend. Whether or not that was in fact the case was hard to say.

It was uncomfortable to think about her interactions with others as the scientist Zosime. She was so focused on the work that she likely missed out on all the nuances of feeling and emotion and the deeper personal lives of those around her. The perfect example of this was the fact that Selah's younger brother was apparently an alyko, and she had never caught on to that fact. So why had Selah helped with the project? Did she even have a choice?

It was the perfect cover, now that Zoe thought about it. What better way to keep Andreas and the other elders from questioning her or her brother if she was complicit in developing the alyko project? And she also had the scoop on all the ways they were tracking alyko, what they were doing with them, what other packs were involved… all details that would be beneficial to know if one were trying to hide.

And Selah had succeeded. She hid her brother well up until now. The fact that he had been caught by Zagan accidentally was just… bad luck. An alyko couldn't hide from the vampire once they crossed paths. It was like he could smell it on them, even though Zoe knew that wasn't actually the case. But it was eerie how good he was at identifying them.

Selah was going to be devastated. She always spoke so fondly of her brother, and here he was—the spitting image of her. The resemblance was uncanny.

"You know him?

" Zagan asked, his eyes narrowing on the young boy. A male alyko. It was so rare.

"I do,

" she replied, glancing away from the boy who likely knew her as well. Who knows what his sister had said about her. It couldn't have been good, and it sent a shiver of guilt through her now.

"What will you do with him?

"

Zagan glanced at Zoe before turning back to look at the male—another rare find from the Hallowell pack. The way Zoe's heartbeat had sped up upon seeing him indicated surprise and possibly fear. She cared for the child.

"He will be tested to determine what level of containment is necessary,

" Zagan finally answered.

Two words stood out to Zoe from that statement—testing and containment. She wondered if the tests had changed much since she had been here.

"I will stay with him,

" she offered.

Zagan shook his head and chuckled.

"I don't think so.

"

"I do. I am staying with him. Here, take your jacket,

" she said, removing it and throwing it at his chest for him to catch with one arm. He glared at her.

"I am not leaving you out here,

" he snarled.

"And why is that?

" she asked, crossing her arms back over her chest.

"You are leaving him out here. Put me in with him.

"

Inside the cage, Sage's brow furrowed in confusion. If he wasn't mistaken, that was Zoe. But he never expected her to be one to stand up to the vampire or offer to stay with him.

Zagan grabbed her arm in warning. She tried pulling away from him, but the vampire might as well have had a steel vise for a hand. He just continued to glare at her, his eyes hardening further in anger as she continued tugging in an attempt to retrieve her arm.

Without another word, Zagan began walking with her away from Sage's enclosure.

"You are hurting me!

" Zoe yelled in objection.

"You are hurting yourself by trying to get free,

" he growled, not looking at her.

Finally she stopped fighting, stumbling along beside him as he kept the grip on her arm.

"Slow down at least,

" she whined, tripping dramatically so that he had to lift her back up to her feet.

"Where are we going?

"

"To get you a change of clothes,

" he mumbled, sending invisible daggers with his eyes to the male lycans whose ears had perked up at their approach.. He saw their eyes raking Zosime's body, and he finally threw the jacket back over her shoulders before grabbing her arm again to lead her to the castle.