Muscles stretched and bones ground and popped as Chris shifted back into his human form. What did Rachel mean brothers? He didn't have a brother. As soon as he was human again, he went to the truck and pulled the extra set of clothes he kept with him just in case, pulling them on. He took a deep breath and turned back to the other man, once more hu-man and fully dressed, and Rachel.

“All right. Let's talk more calmly.” Chris sighed and moved closer to Rachel. There was still some-thing drawing him to the man, but the pull toward Rachel was stronger. And somehow different. Chris wasn't sure how though. “What questions do you have?” Chris focused his attention on Rachel but didn't ignore the wolf shifter. That would be dangerous.

“First, you said we're not the only ones with missing people, who else is missing?”

“Not my Fraction,” the other man shook his head, “not my place to say. But I can tell you that there have been several supernormals disappear in the last couple months, and you two are not the only ones looking into it.”

“Who else is looking?”

“The ones who oversee all things supernormal in the City of Sin, who else?”

“So, the issue is big enough to have come to the angels’ attention.” Rachel stared down at the ground and spoke mostly to herself for a moment. “I'm not sure if that's good or bad.” She looked up first at Chris, then to the other man. “Benjamin, you say someone is trying to make it look like you're the one behind the black-market meat trade, someone from out of town. I'll take your word that you're not behind it, but I'd like to know what makes you say that whoever it is, is west of here?”

“I've had people investigating them longer than he has.” Benjamin tilted his head toward Chris. “Longer than he's been in charge.”

Chris narrowed his eyes and stared at the shifter leader. “I've done as much as I could manage since I have taken over.”

Benjamin looked at him a moment. “I wasn't blaming you, just pointing out a fact. Your Fraction really went to shit under Jackson's rule. As much as I don't want to have to deal with you, we were all glad to see you beat him.”

Chris frowned. “Tyrone Jackson will be a dark shadow over my Fraction for a while yet, but I'm doing my best to eradicate every bit of his legacy. He left no offspring that we know of, so I don't have to worry about any young werewolves he may have poisoned the minds of, but he did enough damage to the weres without that.” Chris narrowed his eyes at Benjamin. “Why don't you want to deal with me?”

Benjamin watched him for several long seconds, and Chris couldn't tell what he was thinking. Benjamin sighed. “Because of who you are.”

What the hell was he talking about? Was it be-cause Chris was a were? That would eliminate any of his people, not just him. Chris felt Benjamin's eyes on him.

“You don't know what he means, do you?” Rachel asked after a moment.

“I assume it's because I'm a were, not a shifter. It's the only thing I can think of.” Chris turned to Rachel as he responded with a slight shake to his head.

Benjamin snorted and turned away, taking sever-al steps before stopping and turning back to face them. “It has nothing to do with you being a were and everything to do with you. Your father and your mother.”

Chris looked at him confused. “My father was no saint, that's no doubt, but I never knew my mother. She left when I was born, and I don't even know her name.”

“She didn't leave.” Benjamin spit the words with unmistakable venom. “You were taken from her. She was told her job was done, to leave and never come back. She wasn't welcome in your life.”

Chris's wolf growled at the idea that he had been taken from his mother, never given the chance to know her. Chris scrubbed one hand over the back of his neck, suddenly it had begun to ache, and stared at the ground a moment then shook his head, looking back to the wolf shifter.

“How do you know this? You couldn't have been there. You're no older than I am.”

Benjamin stared at him for several long seconds then turned to Rachel. “Do you think it will come better from you than me?”

“It might.” Rachel sighed and moved close, wrap-ping her arms around Chris's waist and waiting until he looked down into her face before speaking. “I'm not entirely sure the details, but I'm guessing that your mother is his as well. Chris, Benjamin is your brother.”

Chris had no words. How could he have a brother, much less one he didn't know about. Was what Benjamin had said about his mother true? Had she not left when he was born? Chris's father had told him she had been disgusted that he was a werewolf and left, never wanting anything to do with him. Had his father lied? His mind spun. Is it true? He asked his wolf.

It is. The shifter is our brother.

Why didn't you tell me before?

I only discovered him a few days ago, you weren't ready for the news. You needed to focus on se-curing our mate. This was one of those moments when Chris wished he could strangle his wolf. It wasn't possible but damn, it would be satisfying. Tugging Rachel closer to his body, he glanced across the clearing.

“Is she right, do we share a mother?”

“We do.”

“Is she still alive?”

“She is.” Benjamin kept his answers short. Chris didn't know if it was because the other man was pissed at him or for some other reason. Right now, he didn't really care.

“If she's open to the idea, I'd like to meet her. I know my father was a mean son of a bitch, and I wouldn't doubt he lied to me.” Chris sighed and looked down at the woman in his arms then back to the brother he'd never known existed. “I under-stand the natural animosity between shifters and weres as well, but despite that, I'd like to try to get to know you as well. Perhaps we can mend some of the fences between our two Fractions, which has kept us so distant in the past. Maybe help solve some of the problems that plague both our Fractions.” He stared at his brother with new interest. “How long have you overseen your Fraction?”

“Not as long as many in this town, but significant-ly longer than you.” Chris could tell by the way that he skirted the question that he wasn't going to get a straight answer on that one.

“All right. You said you've been investigating the underground meat trade, will you send me the in-formation you have on that? I know Kyle is the lead man here in town, but he's not smart enough to pull off the whole operation. He's answering to some-one, and I want to take them down too.”

“I'll send what I have over. Are you using the Lunar Obsession as your headquarters?”

“I am. I'm in my father's offices, not the one Tyrone took over on the main floor.”

“Very well. I'll get that sent over to you sometime today.” Benjamin turned away, Chris thought it looked like he was ready to leave.

“Wait,” Chris called out. Benjamin turned back, watching him without speaking. “Will you check with our mother and ask if I can meet her?”

“I will, but you are a difficult subject for her, so it may take several days before she decides. I'll let you know either way.”

“Thank you.” Chris couldn't resist tightening his arm around Rachel as Benjamin turned and walked away, shifting as he reached a pile of rocks near the base of one hill and bounding quickly out of sight.

A brother he'd never known he had. Chris wasn't entirely sure how he felt about having a brother, but now that he had one, he wanted to know more.