They had driven the whole evening and only arrived about three hours before midnight. The city here was so different from what Theo was used to for the past six months.

The buildings looked older here, and were made with brick walls scarred with graffiti. Neon lights flickered over crowded sidewalks, and music spilt out of open doors and rattled the air.

Motorcycles lined the streets like metallic beasts, their engines growling impatiently while groups of people laughed and shouted around them.

Theo leaned forward slightly in her seat, watching everything through the windshield, "This place feels..." She paused, searching for the word.

"Illegal?" Ava offered.

"Alive," Theo smiled faintly.

Ava grinned as she pulled into a half–empty parking lot, "Told you."

The moment they stepped out of the car, the noise hit them fully.

Music from somewhere down the street, the full sound of revving engines and people shouting over each other. The air smelled like gasoline, smoke, and alcohol.

Definitely different from what she was used to.

And somehow, it felt good.

"Come on," Ava said, nudging her shoulder, "Let’s see what trouble we can find."

Theo followed her onto the street. The sidewalks were crowded with people leaning against bikes and cars, laughing loudly while passing bottles around. No one paid the girls much attention as they walked past.

Theo’s eyes wandered everywhere.

A group of men were arguing loudly over a car engine, and another group stood around a bike while someone tested the throttle, the engine roaring so loudly it vibrated through the pavement.

"Is this where the races happen?" Theo asked.

"I think so,"

"I sense a lot of Werewolves here,"

"Usually. But they wouldn’t dare expose who they truly are."

They walked past a small food stand where someone was grilling something that smelled incredible.

Theo laughed suddenly, and Ava turned to her.

"What is it?"

"I don’t know, I just feel like laughing,"

"You’re a little too excited," Ava snorted back, "And you haven’t even had a drink yet,"

"You mean Alcohol?"

"Yeah,"

"Shall we?" Theo grinned.

"We definitely will. A few crates should knock you out,"

They continued walking until they reached a long open street that had clearly been blocked off. Two rows of motorcycles lined both sides, their headlights shining down the dark road with a crowd gathered around them.

Someone revved an engine, and the sound echoed like thunder.

"Oh wow." Theo breathed, her eyes wide.

Ava leaned closer to her, "Illegal street race," she whispered dramatically.

Theo laughed under her breath, "You really did bring me to watch criminals."

"You’re welcome."

They moved through the crowd slowly, stopping near a group of people leaning against a metal fence.

More engines roared into life and people shouted bets around them. Someone passed a bottle of something strong through the crowd, and Theo almost choked from the smell alone.

"What the hell is that?" She asked.

"Must be Silver bloom," Ava replied, also choking, "The most potent wine for Werewolves,"

"What if humans drink it?"

"Let’s just say they might end up in the hospital with a serious case,"

"Should we stop them?" Theo asked.

"Naaa, everyone here came to live recklessly. Just as us,"

"So...that means I can have a taste of silver bloom too?" Her eyes glinted with excitement.

Ava thought about it for a second, "Hm, maybe. But you’d be drunk for days, so better not. I’ll get us regular drinks in a bit,"

Theo leaned against the fence and watched as two riders pulled their bikes to the starting line.

A woman barely wearing any clothes stepped forward with heels that had to be at least six inches, raised her hand in the air, then gave the signal.

The bikes exploded forward, and the crowd erupted.

Theo laughed out loud, startled by how fast everything happened as the motorcycles shot down the street like bullets.

"Okay," She admitted. "That was cool."

"I knew you’d like it."

They stayed there for a while watching the races, the adrenaline in the air almost contagious.

Eventually, Ava nudged her again, "I’ll go get the drinks now,"

Ava walked toward a small outdoor bar someone had set up under a string of dim lights and returned a few minutes later holding two bottles and a glass.

She handed Theo the bottle.

Theo brought it to her nose, then she scrunched up her nose again, "This isn’t Silver bloom,"

"Silver Bloom is rare. It’s not something a human stall would be selling,"

Theo took a sip. The drink burned slightly for what felt like a microsecond, and then the feeling was gone.

Bummer!

They wandered further down the street after that, occasionally stopping to watch something interesting.

Theo stayed near the sidewalk, sipping her drink and leaning against a railing.

Her gaze drifted lazily across the street. Two men were standing nearby talking, and she didn’t give the slightest interest in their conversation till a word caught her ear.

"Gravemont reopens next week." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Theo’s head tilted slightly. Gravemont? The word sounded so familiar.

Inside her, she heard her wolf groan.

"About time," The second guy scoffed, "The whole place has been closed since the attack,"

Theo stayed perfectly still, pretending not to listen.

"Cain really did a number on Gravemont, and then there was the war that happened in that forest,"

"It’s a huge relief that Cain is finally gone. The second year students should be graduating in a few months, and my dad said he would make sure I enroll into Gravemont,"

The other man chuckled, "You wanna face their brutal training, I see?"

"Worse, apparently. They’ve rebuilt the whole system,"

"All male Alpha academy training grounds," the second man said, "I would never want to go there. It’s a death sentence,"

They laughed and continued their conversation, drifting further down the street.

But Theo remained still.

An academy.

She was about to ask Seraphina if she knew anything about the place when Ava nudged her slightly, "You good?"

Theo blinked, pulled back from her thoughts, "Sorry, I got distracted,"

Ava glanced at her, "What were you staring at?"

Theo shook her head, "Nothing."

She took another sip from the bottle, "Just thinking."

"Well stop thinking," She grabbed Theo’s wrist, "We’re not done exploring."

Theo laughed as she was dragged down another street. They wandered through different parts of the area for the next hour.

Sometimes watching street performers, and sometimes laughing at drunk strangers arguing over bets. At one point Ava convinced Theo to try some ridiculous street food that was way too spicy.

Theo nearly choked laughing, "This is terrible!"

"You’re still eating it!"

They were still laughing when the atmosphere suddenly shifted, and voices rose. Two groups of men were arguing loudly in the middle of the street, and Theo noticed as people nearby started stepping back.

"Oh no,"

Theo frowned, "What?"

"That," Ava said calmly, "looks like gang drama."

One of the men shoved another, and that was all it took.

The fight exploded instantly. Fists swung around, crashing into bone and flesh. Someone crashed into a parked bike, and glass shattered somewhere nearby.

The crowd scattered in every direction, screaming insults and rage as they kept exchanging blows and kicks.

Theo stared for exactly one second, and then she burst out laughing, "Oh my god."

The sound of gunshot echoed between the fights and one guy fell to the ground.

Ava grabbed Theo’s arm, "Time to go!"

They ran with the rest of the crowd as the chaos spread across the street.

"This is insane!" She shouted between laughs.

"I told you something illegal would happen!" Ava was laughing just as hard.

Behind them, sirens suddenly screamed through the air.

"Cops!" Someone yelled.

The entire street erupted, and people sprinted in every direction. It was total chaos, with the gang members finally letting go of each other and also joining the crowd to escape.

The girls ran down a narrow alley with several other people as the sound of sirens grew louder behind them. They burst out onto another street and slowed to a walk once they were far enough away.

For a moment they just stood there.

Then Theo started laughing again.

Ava joined her.

The laughter echoed down the empty street.

Theo wiped tears from the corner of her eyes, "That," She said breathlessly, "was the most fun I’ve had in months."

Ava grinned, "Leaving the house was a good idea."

Theo lifted the bottle slightly, "To bad decisions."

Ava clinked hers against it, "To bad decisions,"