Sarai tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Sabine to arrive. It had already been fifteen minutes since she and Rafe reached the office, and they'd even sent word beforehand. Once their work was done at the warehouse, Sarai and Rafe had wasted little time in returning to Moonwood. They were expected to report to Sabine before going back to Rafe's apartment for inspection and Bonding night.

Sarai was already in a sour mood. Her head was pounding from lack of sleep, and she hadn't eaten or drank anything in the past several hours. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to Sabine and spend the evening with her pack. Perhaps tonight was the night she'd finally say fuck it and go find the Pack of Devils. She'd always had a stronger bond with them anyway.

Sarai lifted her chin as a door opened in the back of the office. Sabine Fendyr entered, accompanied by the Second and Third of her pack, the Scythe Moon Pack. Sabine sat behind her desk, flipping a long silvery blonde ponytail over her shoulder. Her blue eyes glittered with cold disinterest. It was very easy to see that Danika took after her mother. That was probably one of the reasons why she chose to add highlights to her hair.

"Well?" Sabine rolled a hand, waiting for them to speak.

"The Angels took the prisoners, and all evidence gathered was sent to the Comitium for analysis," Rafe reported. "The bust went off without a hitch."

Sabine narrowed her eyes, looking between the two of them. "I was informed that Ruhn Danaan took charge of this operation. Why would you allow that?"

"Asphodel Meadows are often overseen by the Fae division. I didn't want to cause unnecessary tensions in the middle of something that the Governor himself was involved in."

Sabine lifted her chin, the firstlights overhead illuminating the fine, yet harsh angles of her face. "I see. In the future, I expect you to make sure that sniveling Prince knows the Wolves are not his to command."

Rafe bowed his head. Sarai didn't miss the way his throat bobbed, and she knew it grated on his pride and instincts to be forced to show submission, just as it did to her. The two of them backed towards the door, then paused as Sabine spoke again.

"This is the fourth drug bust that has occurred this month," she said, tapping sharp fingernails against her desk. "The sudden rise of drug usage and the clumsy nature of present dealings makes me think that there is something new in the drug world. Perhaps there's a new product on the market that users and buyers are struggling to keep up with."

"That is plausible," Rafe said slowly. "I can't think of another reason why the Governor would get involved in a drug bust, unless something big was going on."

"Indeed." Sabine's mouth curled into a frown. "And something that big warrants our attention. I don't want powerful and dangerous drugs being distributed around Moonwood or any other surrounding districts. Many of the other City Heads agree with me. I was in contact with a few of them just before you arrived."

Sarai knit her brows, wondering what point Sabine was trying to make. "The Oracle, of course, doesn't care much about what goes on in the Old Square. I don't believe the Governor plans on becoming more involved than he already is at the moment."

Sabine's voice took on a sneering tone as she continued. "The Viper Queen won't care about this issue. It means more business for her. I don't expect the Under King will care much about it either. What use have the dead for drugs? However, the River Queen and the Autumn King share my concerns."

"The River Queen is tasking her Captain of Intelligence, Tharion Ketos, to monitor the proximity of drug deals and usage levels in their district of the city. I don't know what the Autumn King's plans are currently, although I assume he'll do the same."

"And what will you do?" Rafe asked quietly. "This sounds like something Danika should prioritize."

Sabine bristled at the mention of her daughter. "Danika should be kept as far away from this drug as possible. Do you honestly think I can trust her to get it off the streets instead of using it herself?" Sabine forced her shoulders to relax, sliding her blue eyes from Rafe to Sarai. "I'm making this an official Aux investigation, which you will handle."

"Me?" Sarai raised an eyebrow. "You don't want Danika on this assignment but you'll place me on it instead?"

"Believe it or not, I am aware of your habits, Ilerion. Danika smokes and snorts a variety of shit. Basically anything she can get her hands on." Sarai smothered the anger that rose within her, listening to how Sabine spoke about her friend. "But you have limits. I think your limitations and expertise will come in handy for this."

Understanding dawned on Sarai as she noticed the cold glint in Sabine's eyes. "You're benching me," she spat. "But you can't really, because of my position, so you're giving me this stupid task that will keep me away from my real duties for weeks. Maybe months!"

"I'm giving you an assignment. You can choose to be offended by it, or to take it seriously."

Sarai spun on her heel and stormed out the door, ignoring Rafe's warning growl behind her. It wasn't long before his footsteps pounded after her. "She'll rip your throat out someday," Rafe snapped. "And it will be of no great loss to me."

"Thanks for the reminder."

"You missed her last statement, by the way. This is now an official Aux investigation, which means you'll be working on it with another Aux member. Probably a Fae. You know the Autumn King won't want to be shown up by us."

"Great." Sarai pulled ahead of him as they reached the exit. Rafe grabbed her arm once they were clear of the doors. Sarai wrenched herself free, baring her teeth in a snarl.

He mirrored the expression. "Get your ass to the apartment. Inspection is in an hour and it's Bonding night."

"You can all fucking bond without me," Sarai hissed.

She took off running and didn't look back. She didn't care if she got in trouble this time. What could Sabine and Rafe do? Put her on guard duty? Lock her in her apartment for a few days? Send her to jail? Good. She could use a few days off from all of this bullshit anyway. Sarai kept running, losing herself to the monotony of the rhythm.

◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ☾☽ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

By the time night fell, Sarai still hadn't worked off her anger. She found herself barricaded in Nathalie's apartment, where the rest of the Pack of Devils had gathered. They were blasting loud music, sharing drinks, and passing around a few joints of mirthroot.

The only people missing from the group were Danika, Bryce, and Ithan. Ithan was busy with his sunball team, having some sort of bonding night of their own. Bryce was on her date, and Danika was overseeing a solo watch on the warehouse where the drug bust had gone down.

Sarai found herself not caring about the missing members all that much, and no one had pointed out that she was missing her own bonding night. In fact, Connor remained near a window, keeping an eye out for Rafe. He'd already promised to send the Alpha running if he tried to drag Sarai off.

Sarai traipsed over to the male, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and mirthroot in the other. Connor took the bottle wordlessly when she offered it to him. He was looking a little worse for wear tonight, but that didn't surprise her. He'd tortured and killed someone last night, and was grappling with the fact that Bryce was on a date right now.

"Not going to scold me about mixing alcohol and drugs again?" Sarai asked.

"Not tonight," Connor replied. "We've both had too shitty a day for lectures."

"Yeah, and I wouldn't listen anyway. Neither would you."

His lips twitched up in a smile. "Yeah." He took her joint and she took the bottle. "So Sabine put you in charge of a drug investigation?"

"It's bullshit," Sarai snarled.

"It is. But at least it'll get you away from Blood Moon more often, and Rafe won't be able to say shit."

"I suppose." Connor looked out the window again, a muscle in his jaw twitching. Sarai cocked her head. "Last night was difficult, wasn't it?"

"Broke his fingers, pulled a few teeth, gouged out one of his eyes, and he still wouldn't tell me who gave him his target."

"Did you break him?"

"Eventually." Sarai took a drink, then held out the bottle and swished it invitingly. Connor took it and emptied it in one go. "I should wait at Bryce's apartment, in case that Shifter tries anything when they get back."

"Bryce can handle herself," Sarai said. "And if you go, you know it'll only hurt when she sends you away. In fact, she'll probably take the Shifter inside just to get you to leave. She's done it before, hasn't she?"

His jaw clenched again. "Yes."

Sarai looked over her shoulder, noticing how quiet the room had gotten. Zach and Zelda were sprawled out on the sofa, looking half asleep. Thorne was passed out on the floor. There was no sign of Nathalie and Bronson, but Sarai could guess where they'd gone. She brought her attention back to Connor and found him watching her.

There was a hollow look in his golden eyes. One she recognized all too well. Anger, pain, and guilt were eating him alive. Not even the alcohol in his system would staunch it. She suspected only one thing and one person could, but that person was currently on a date. She was probably doing that one thing with her date.

Sarai pursed her lips, then took Connor by the hand and led him to a flight of stairs. From the landing, it was only a short walk to the room Nathalie kept for her. Sarai ignored the sounds coming from Nathalie's own room. Connor did too. He followed her inside and closed the door behind them.

Sarai unbound her hair and shrugged out of her shirt, keeping her back turned towards Connor. "You sure about this?" He asked. "I can't promise you anything."

"Did I ask for anything?" She faced him, not balking as his gaze swept over her. "We're both stressed and pissed off, and need a physical outlet. We're right here, with no obligations to anyone else, so why not?"

"Fair," Connor said, and pulled off his shirt. "But if Danika asks, remember it was your idea."

"And if Bryce asks, you were drunk and I was high."

Connor flashed her a grateful smile, but the warm look soon changed to raw need. Sarai hooked her legs around his hips as he guided her back onto the bed. Connor began kissing her neck while she unlaced his pants and cast them aside. There were no tender or intimate emotions that rose when he thrust into her. Sarai let him take what he needed, and he gave her what she wanted.