Preston looked over his shoulder, even though he was certain his bodyguards hadn't noticed him slip out of the house. It was a habit. The bodyguards weren't exactly for his protection. His father, Senator Patrick Tierney, hired them to keep him in line. To keep him from getting into trouble.

To keep him from getting into exactly the kind of trouble that he loved. The kind of trouble he was looking for tonight.

He sauntered down the busy Miami street while he checked his phone. Ten thirty. Perfect. The yacht was taking off at eleven. He took a deep breath of the heavy, humid air. It was a relief to be back home for a bit. DC was so uptight. And cold.

Preston ran his hands down his skin tight black shirt. He was wearing his favorite jeans, which were torn at the knees. He would have frozen to death in this outfit in DC. He lifted a hand to flag down a taxi and jumped in, then turned on the camera on his phone to check his hair.

He'd been in a rush to get out of the house, so he hadn't spent as much time getting ready as he was used to. But a little gel and some artistic mussing had quickly altered his bleach blonde hair from "perfect Senator's son" to "sex on a stick". Or on a dick, depending on how the night turned out.

As the taxi sped through the bright, music saturated streets of Miami, Preston let his head fall back against the seat, trying to shed the remnants of the mask he'd been forced to wear at his dad's fundraiser earlier that evening. It was all so fake. And he had to be fake, too.

No one wanted to know who he really was. They sure as hell didn't want to know there was a shifter in their midst. Sure, there were always a couple other under-cover shifters no matter how fancy the event was. But they wouldn't betray each other to the humans, no matter how much they hated each other. It was the shifter version of the Cold War. Everyone was at a standstill.

The taxi pulled to a stop and Preston tossed a hundred at the driver, not bothering to ask how much. It was his dad's money. It was about the only thing he ever gave to Preston other than rants about how much of a fuck up he was.

Preston had tried the good boy routine for years. His dad had given him just as much shit then as he did now, when Preston didn't give a fuck and basically did whatever he wanted. If trying to be the person his dad expected him to be got him just as much crap as being the person Dad told him he was, what was the point in trying?

The air was cooler here, but even more humid. The bouncers at the bottom of the ramp onto the boat checked his ID while surreptitiously scenting him. Two bears. Stereotypical much? When his ID and scent checked out, they removed the velvet rope and ushered him through.

Lights were flashing over the deck and the DJ was in a groove, the deck already packed with people dancing. Hips swaying, hands caressing, teeth bared.

Nobody did Full Moon parties like Miami. But the real party wouldn't get started until they were out to sea. Preston started toward the bar.

"Preston!" Tio's gravelly voice was unmistakable. Preston turned to see his friend flash a little bag of white rocks at him. Yes. That was what he needed. Fuck drinking. All it did was amplify his current mood, and his current mood was shit.

He followed Tio to the bathroom, but the marble counters were already covered with beer bottles and empty cocktail glasses.

"Well shit," Tio said.

A long sniff drew their attention. A curly haired alpha finished sniffing a line off a naked omega's ass. The omega was laying over a fancy padded stool, his ass arched up in the air, the hard line of his cock dipping down to just brush against the fabric. The alpha blinked heavily several times, then focused on Tio and Preston. "You guys wanna..." He gestured to the omega's ass. The omega looked up and winked, wiggling his ass a little.

Tio and Preston shared a grin and Tio shrugged. "Guess we're starting the night off right."

Preston happily handed over one of his dad's credit cards for Tio to line up the coke. The omega was tanned, but with no tan lines. He clearly didn't have an issue with being naked here or anywhere else. The white powder was stark against his golden skin, and as Preston bent down next to him and tossed his phone to Tio, he couldn't help but laugh. This wasn't the craziest thing he'd ever done, but Tio was right. It was a good way to start the night.

Preston pulled a crisp hundred dollar bill from his pocket and rolled it up into a tight straw. If he was going to do this, he’d do in style… with Daddy’s money.

The moment the drug hit his system, his shifter senses were on fire. Using coke as a shifter was like turning all your senses up to max without having to shift. Preston could pick out individual conversations from the other side of the deck, even through the well-sealed bathroom door. He could tell that the curly haired alpha had eaten something with turmeric earlier in the night and that the omega was hornier than a billy goat in rut.

Tio handed his phone back, and Preston giggled at the photo before tucking it back into his pocket.

The bathroom felt claustrophobic now. He needed to be outside. He needed that freedom of the moon in the air and the people and the sea.

"Thanks, man," he managed to say to the alpha, who was pulling the naked omega up from the stool. Preston looked over long enough to see the alpha lick the remnants of the powder from the omega’s ass before pulling him up to press against the wall for a kiss, and then he was back on the deck.

The yacht must have cast off while they were in the bathroom, because the lights of Miami were already fading in the distance. Preston hadn't even noticed. It must have happened right when he took his line.

Tio pushed him onto the dance floor and they danced together for a few moments, getting handsy. It was all just for show. Preston pulled out his phone and took a selfie of the two of them. They were hot. They were young. If he didn't record this moment, he felt like it would escape him completely.

It didn't take long for the hungry alphas, stalking around them like prey, to make their moves. Preston found himself sandwiched between two alphas who knew how to use their hips. The DJ knew how to play to the crowd, mixing the heavy bass with a smooth salsa, encouraging those on the dance floor to slide close. Salsa was sex, pure and simple. The only difference was that it was always upright, and sometimes clothed.

As the music shifted into a slower beat, the alpha in front of him lifted his chin with a strong finger. "Hey, baby. You want to take this party somewhere more private?"

The alpha behind Preston scraped his teeth along Preston's bare neck. "We'll make it worth your while," he promised.

Preston shivered under their attention. But his buzz was already fading. "Maybe later, boys. The night is young." He slipped out of their embrace and threaded his way through the crowd to the railing. When he looked back, they had already moved on to another small omega, and then he lost them in the crowd.

The crowd had protected him, and the open air chilled the sweat on his skin. His neck tingled where the alpha's teeth had grazed his skin, and he reached up to rub away the sensation. The offer had been tempting, but he just wasn't feeling it. He was still feeling all pent up from earlier in the evening. And maybe a good lay was exactly what he needed, but Preston had something else in mind...

The coke was fading, but his senses were still buzzing a little. He followed his nose until he spotted him. Drug dealers weren't hard to spot when you were a shifter. They smelled like freaking pharmacies, and Preston's sharp eyes were able to catch the quick exchange of cash for a small bag.

They didn't have to be too cautious out here. These parties were private, and the bouncers could sniff out a narc from a hundred yards. It wasn't smart to get lazy, though.

Preston strutted up to the dealer with a big smile, and looped his arms around the big alpha's neck. Another wolf. Preston would guess timber wolf, from the size of him.

"What can I do for you, guapo?" the alpha asked, cupping Preston's ass in his big hands.

"I'm just looking for a little something to make me feel good."

The alpha smelled good. Like clean leather and spice.

"I got what you need, amor." One hand left Preston's ass, and then something slid into his pocket.

"And what do I owe you, big guy?"

"One Benjamin and un besito, papi."

Preston slid the still-rolled hundred dollar bill from his pocket and tucked it into the alpha's shirt pocket while he gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You want something more," the dealer said as Preston sauntered away, "you know where to find me."

Preston caught Tio's gaze as he slipped away from the crowd and motioned for his friend to join him. Tio had clearly done some more coke, but Preston pulled his purchase out of his pocket and pressed a tablet of ecstasy in his friend's hand. They swallowed one pill each, and Tio poured a bump of cocaine on Preston's knuckle. By the time that wore off, the X should kick in.

The moon was directly overhead now, and Preston went back to dancing. He could tell the moment when the X kicked in. The music seeped into his bones, and he was no longer dancing because he wanted to, he was dancing because he had to.

Someone howled at the moon, and there was a sudden ripple of pure instinct. Around Preston, several people shifted, and suddenly there was fur and teeth and fangs. There were howls and growls and roars.

This was real. This was raw. This is what it was like to be a shifter. None of that posturing bullshit. No lies. Everyone here was shedding pretenses. Shedding rules. Shedding their civilized masks. Preston just wanted this night to go on and on.

Strong hands circled Preston's waist and he leaned into them. The alpha who put his arms around Preston was huge. He looked like he could break Preston in two. Preston wanted that. He wanted to be fucked raw. He wanted to be thrown down and taken with an animalistic ferocity. He followed the alpha's guidance. This was exactly what he was looking for. Exactly what he needed.

Preston's body kept swaying to the music as they made their way to the edge of the deck. The alpha guided Preston down the shadowed walk. Was he going to press Preston up against the railing and fuck him here, under the stars? Yes! That was what he wanted. Open. Honest. Raw.

Preston leaned in to press a kiss to the alpha's jaw, and something pricked his neck. He slapped at it, and hit skin. He turned around to see another man drawing a needle away from his neck.

"Whaa—" His question turned to a mumble as his lips and tongue grew thick and sluggish. The first alpha lifted Preston in his arms.

No, something was wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Preston tried to fight back, but his arms and legs were heavy and limp. The sky was growing dark, as if someone were drawing a curtain over it.

Everything went black.