"We have the address of the werewolf who transformed the human who attacked you and the sorcerer during his first mutation. Go with Matt."
Zeyang nodded and, taking the patrol car, went with his colleague to the address they had been given.
The house was wooden and in a state of neglect, with peeling paint and an overgrown garden.
The two officers approached the house and the detective knocked. A woman opened the door, a werewolf.
"Unified Police. We're looking for Red Miles," he said, showing his badge.
The woman, a head shorter than him, lifted her chin and replied, "He's not home."
"We have a warrant, ma'am."
She didn't have time to answer before a noise came from the back of the house.
"Go around back!" he ordered Matt, while pushing the female aside.
He rushed through the rooms and opened the door leading to the backyard, just in time to see the werewolf vault over the fence and disappear into the neighbor's garden.
Matt caught up with him and they chased the suspect.
After crossing the garden, he fled down an alley.
Matt sprinted and managed to tackle him, sending them both rolling to the ground.
The werewolf struggled, but Zeyang grabbed him before he could escape and handcuffed him.
"You are charged with transforming a human without consent and then abandoning him. You have the right to remain silent and to call a lawyer," he said as he led him toward the car.
---
Lu Shen woke to the warm light of the afternoon. He sat up, pushing the blanket aside as memories of the previous evening slowly returned. He saw a note, and a smile bloomed on his lips as he read Zeyang's words. He got up, turned off the light, folded the blanket, then went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, where he found some congee. He took it out and heated it up, then sat down and ate. Even though it was very filling, he finished it all with appetite, then sent a message to Zeyang.
---
Zeyang had just returned to his office and sat down to prepare the report on the capture of the werewolf.
First, though, he skimmed through his messages.
The first was from Andrea: "Everything's fine here. The instructors are very competent, and things are going well with the other recruits."
"I'm glad to read that. Is the food still terrible?"
Then he read Lu Shen's message: "Thank you."
"Take care of yourself," he replied.
He set the phone down on the desk and leaned back in his chair. He pictured the sorcerer's tired face and his faint light. The magic that usually flowed so powerfully through him had been, that night, a sluggish stream almost dried up. He wondered what had happened in Yanghoun. And he felt guilty.
He was almost certain that Lu Shen had been forced to leave because of Andrea's acceptance into the Academy: favors must be repaid.