I have heard of step-fathers being way over protective of the step-daughters more than once. My advice since he is not her real father and her safety and relationships actually fall into the hands of her real mother who is related to her by blood, I would say definitely do not give up.

Now about something else I thought about while reading your posts, sean wookie, I am going to go into some fuzzy territory right here so forgive me, but do you know if the step father abuses her in any way? With the comment you said her step-father made about her, and him wanting her to have no relationships ( meaning possibly he wants to be the only guy in her life ), and her not having many friends ( which could mean she is reclusive which can come from mental or physical abuse ), and she is at that age where the step-father can still maintane controll over her. Also, he does not let her go out of the house, which can also mean he is very possesive and does not like it when he does not know what she is doing. And I do not know if you meant it this way, but the fact that she needs lots of hugs means she is a sign of emotional abuse. All this can point to many kinds of abuse. I have seen so many abuse cases with step-fathers that I may be overthinking this, but for some reasons the way you described his reaction to you calling her something about it just does not feel right to me. I am not telling you to come right out and ask her if she is having any problems at home, but keep an eye on here and her home life. Once again I may be overthinking this, but all the signs are there.