"You didn't need to come."

He'd opted to tag along when he learned where they were going, claiming she couldn't go alone. More likely to steal her viable lead, but she could use the backup.

She had decided not to call the police. She justified her actions by saying it was nothing more than a lead, but even she didn't really believe that. The cops were human, their presence would be too obvious.

But that was only part of the reason.

The police couldn't be allowed to see the shifters so vulnerable. They couldn't be allowed to see them as a threat.

"I'll keep my distance, but if you suspect they are running the drugs through here, you have to be careful." Hands on his hips, Griffin stared unblinking at the building, lips tight as he imagined all that could go wrong. "If you even hint at shutting them down, they will not hesitate to remove the threat. For someone helpless, the chance to be an alpha, not to have to bow and scrape for every little bit...they would kill for it."

"Even if by taking the drug, they die?"

"Better to die free." Jase mumbled, assessing the laughing teenagers that entered the building.

Raven wasn't sure how to take his comment. As if aware of the attention on him, Jase turned toward her. "The drug isn't real. It gives power to people who don't deserve it and can't control it."

She was surprised someone in his position would understand, but maybe he comprehended it better than most.

They ducked behind the thirty-foot sliding garage door, the walkway opened enough for them to squeeze through single file. The smell of urine and rats indicated the place had been abandoned for some time. It made her miss the subtleties and comforts of Talons.

The dirt path guided them through the maze of plastic sheets that hung from the exposed rafters. Each step increased the decibel of the music. A babble of voices rose.

After passing through the third plastic sheet, color lasers flashed through the room. Taggert halted and lifted his face. "Booze and smoke."

"Nothing else?"

He shook his head.

It was too much to hope that it could all be over so quickly. But what if she found the drug? Did that really prove anything? They needed to find someone to lead them to the source.

The main dance floor was packed with shifters, ages ranging from fifteen all the way to their upper twenties. They were all relaxed, some laughing and talking, others moving in beat with the music. There was an edge to them, everyone hyped up on the energy of youth and high shifter metabolism. A dangerous combination if the mood turned ugly.

Aaron flashed her a mischievous smile, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the fray. Bodies brushed against hers, and she quickly lost sight of the others.

"Wait." Aaron either didn't hear or purposely ignored her. She suspected the latter. The kids threw themselves totally into the moment, the rave the only real freedom they had until they crested. Living under the shadow of the pack made everything a matter of life and death despite their age. Even here, the shifters roamed in packs, small groups of threes and fours.

A surprising number of women were present.

They were on the other side of the warehouse in no time. Aaron halted and surveyed the crowd. Without Taggert to stabilize her, she braced for an overwhelming surge from her wolf, a demand for freedom.

Nothing.

Understanding hit, and she tightened her hand on Aaron. "You're protecting me."

"Only a little. The animals of the younger ones are mostly dormant. A strong alpha might be able to call them out if they are close to cresting, but the effects of the moon calls to them differently. They meet here to form their own alliances, some strong enough they remain throughout their lives."

"And the women?"

"They are allowed their freedom now, kind of like sowing their wild oats if you would. They practice their wiles. They also know their worth and wouldn't risk their alpha's ire if they overstep themselves."

"How'd you get Jackson to let you come?"

"The rave is sacred. If I'm hurt here, it would be investigated by the conclave. Mother would be caught, held for trial, and torn apart by her very own pack."

Cheers erupted from the side of the room, and Raven raised a brow.

"They're fighting for dominance."

They found themselves jostled by the crowd, pushed closer to the fight. "What about the rogues?"

"They are tolerated, more so than what the adults normally allow." He pulled her out of the wave moving forward. "They can pretend they are someone else for a few nights a month."

"That's cruel." To taunt them with what they could never have.

"It's their reality. They have a chance to make alliances if they are smart and strong enough."

"Soldiers to be sold to the highest bidder."

"Better than going feral. They are allowed at the perimeter of the pack. It keeps them sane."

Another cheer rose, and Aaron allowed them to be jostled closer. People moved out of his way, some even going as far as to bow. That's when she realized being the son of two strong alphas made him kind of like royalty in their world.

As they drew closer to the commotion, Raven felt the building power coming from the center of the group.

Alpha power.

Not waiting for Aaron now, she pushed her way through the crowd. People grumbled, but quickly stepped out of her way when they recognized her as an alpha.

At the center of the circle, two teenage boys who should know better swung at each other, their nails sharp enough to cleave flesh down to the bone with each strike. The fight was brutal, blood flowing freely.

When she would have stepped into the ring, Aaron grabbed her arm. "They are fighting for alpha spot in the pack. A practice for the future."

As she inhaled, she recognized the smell that she found on the bodies, light, barely there. Urgency notched up with each blow. "You and I both know this is something more."

Aaron sighed as if she were overreacting. "You're not going to let this go."

Raven winced when the dark haired boy landed a hard blow that nearly took out the throat of the other kid. Some people gasped at the near miss. If the other kid hadn't twisted and taken the blow to his shoulder, he would've been dead.

"They're just kids."

Aaron shook his head. "Do they look like kids playing a game?"

The two kids circled each other, snarls harsh on the air, each wounded but refusing to back down. The rest of the crowd quieted, noticing the change, too. "They look like they plan to kill each other."

He heaved a sigh at her prodding then glanced at the fighters. He narrowed his eyes, immediately noticing something wasn't right. A muscle clenched in Aaron's jaw, and he stepped forward.

There was no overt signs that Aaron did anything, nothing that she would be able to pin back to him, but the fighters suddenly stopped, clearly confused at what prompted their need to shed blood. One swayed on their feet, desperately working to staunch a nasty wound to his side. The other dropped to his knees and hung his head as if it were too heavy to hold upright anymore.

No wonder Vivian so feared her son. Instead of using him to better the pack, she wanted to destroy the power that she couldn't control. If he ever challenged his father, he would gain possession of the pack, and dear mother would lose her standing.

Raven stopped watching the action and scanned the crowd. She didn't have a clue what she was searching for until she saw one man scowling. She nudged Aaron, but there was no way they could cross the room before he disappeared.

Miraculously, out of the crowd of people, their gazes clashed. The man blinked then stumbled back. He shoved into the crowd, never once taking his eyes off her.

Like he knew her.

Or was told to keep an eye out for her.

Raven shot into the crowd after him.

"Wait!" Aaron charged after her, but she didn't slow. She followed the bob of the guy's hat into a group of teens. It disappeared in seconds.

Raven stopped and spun.

Nothing.

The large plastic sheet separating the warehouse waved from an invisible wind. He'd ducked behind the wall into the part of the factory housing the machinery. As she neared, the hat she had been following lay trampled on the ground.

Not hesitating, she slashed through the plastic. From one step to the next, she was plunged into darkness. The smell of dirt, old metal and rust perpetrated the place. Sounds faded, muted by the plastic.

As if waiting for her, the man she'd been following tossed a fifty-gallon drum at her. The blasted thing was too large to dodge. Metal slammed into her with the force of a cannonball. She flew backwards, her body smashing into the barrels like a demented game of human bowling.

By the time she struggled to her feet and navigated the forest of barrels, the man had vanished.

Again.

"Raven?" Plastic crinkled when Aaron entered behind her.

The bright blob of the rave barely lit the plastic behind him.

He took in the scene at a glance. "What way did he go?"

Hands on her hips, Raven surveyed the maze of stalls before them. "I have no clue."

But she had an idea. "Stay behind me."

With a room full of shifters, this was either the best or the worst idea she'd ever had. All she knew was she couldn't let her lead go without trying.

She called up her powers. It rose eagerly to her summons, and she let the energy build. She sent out pulse. Like a ripple in a pond, the wave expanded.

Aaron sucked in a breath, holding out his hands as if he could feel the current in the air. "Holy shit."

There was a ping.

"There." She pointed to the right.

Only, they didn't make it two steps before three more pings sounded. "Damn it. There are more people in here." She skidded to a stop at the first spot and found a couple hastily pulling on their clothes. "Get back to the rave."

She watched them leave and heaved a sigh of frustration. "We'll never be able to check all the spots before he disappears."

"Raven?" Taggert's eyes glowed as he walked toward her through the darkness.

"I lost my suspect. Can you scent him? His trail led back here, but there are too many people for me to find quickly."

"You're hurt."

Raven rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth, surprised to find blood. "I'm fine, but we need to find him."

Taggert inhaled, his chest expanding impressively. He turned toward the left, a maniacal gleam in his eyes that wouldn't be extinguished without tasting vengeance, and shot into the darkness.

"I want him alive."

When Raven moved to follow, Aaron grabbed her arm. "He's trapped. There is only one other exit from this side of the building. We can go around the outside and head him off."

That meant heading in the opposite direction instinct urged her to go.

But Aaron was right. Taggert would flush him out.

The outside air hit her like a fist to the gut. Smells died and the excess pressure from all the energy the shifters exuded vanished as well. They ran full tilt around the shed, but she knew they would never make it on time.

Griffin came up to her side, moving fast. He took one look at her face and shook his head. "You really aren't very good at staying out of trouble, are you."

Raven grimaced at the comment. "Anyone come outside?"

"Not from this end." They rounded the last corner to see Taggert and Jase emerge.

Alone.

"How could we have missed him?" Taggert swiped a hand through his hair. "I was following his scent, but it just disappeared ten feet from the door. I can try to pick it back up again, but with so much contamination, it would take a while."

Her lead had slipped right through her fingers, slapping them in the face on the way for good measure. "No sense backtracking. He'll be long gone by now."

"But he dropped these." Jase lifted his hand to show a clear strip of plastic between his fingers.

She held them up to her nose, smelled chemicals but no formaldehyde. Could she have been wrong? "He probably took a hit to cover his scent and dropped the rest in his haste."

"Let's head back home. There's nothing more we can find here. I want to see what we can learn from this drug."

As they drove home, Raven came to one reluctant conclusion. "Vivian isn't a viable suspect. She liked being in control, liked being the only alpha female. The drug was engineered to do the complete opposite."

Aaron nodded, as reluctant as her to give up his mother as a suspect. "No amount of money would entice her to relinquish her power over others."

"So where does that leave us?" Griffin's voice held no inflection. He'd already come to the same conclusion days ago. That's the real reason why he wormed his way into her household.

"Without Vivian, all we're left with are the rogues." The very same rogue pack that she'd allowed to live behind her house. She'd insulted their leader, stole his people, and now she was trying to steal his miracle drug.

No wonder he was so determined to kill her.