Michael turned the car off after he parked in front of a small office building. “You coming in?” He reached across to the glove box to open it.

“No.” Cain pulled out a case and wiggled it at Michael.

The glove box popped open, and Michael pulled a face mask out. “If you smoke that, please don’t call it herbs if a cop asks.”

Cain sputtered, “But it is. It's medicinal herbs. I can’t help it if they think it’s something else.”

“Most people don’t think of medicinal herbs when someone shows them a rolled cigarette." Michael pulled the mask on, covering up most of the scar on his face. He turned to Cain, and the rest came out muffled. "And so help me if you get arrested again for a false marijuana charge. I’m leaving you to walk to Rhea’s house.”

Cain stuck his tongue out at Michael, who flicked him in the forehead. “Ouch, dick!”

“No thanks, you're not pretty enough.”

“I can be pretty if you ask.”

Michael rolled his eyes and ducked out of the car. “How the hell did I get stuck with you? Next time remind me to leave you in the trash like the trash panda you are.”

Cain laughed as he lit the end of a hand-rolled cigarette. When Michael glanced back at Cain while tugging the hood of his coat up, he grinned and gave him a kissy face. He started laughing harder when Michael flipped him off.

A woman’s voice hummed from behind him. “I don’t know why you tease him. He’s supposed to be your bond brother. Your family through a magic vow.”

Cain took a long pull on the cigarette. When he exhaled, blue-tinted smoke curled up and filled the car with a sweet smell. “I didn’t make that vow. My dead ancestors did.”

“But you trust him.”

“Because of the vow.” Cain turned to glance at the black panther. “Only because of the vow.”

“I think it’s more than that.”

“Not talking about it, Enya.” Blue smoke curled back towards the black panther. “I don’t need family. They always turn on you or leave you in the end.”

Enya closed her green eyes before sighing. “One day, you will understand. I hope it will be soon.”

Cain refused to acknowledge her words and instead closed his eyes as he let the medicine in the smoke fill his lungs. He cracked a window to let most of the smoke out as he put out the cigarette. Dropping the case on the center console, Cain slumped in his seat to wait for Michael. He slowly drifted off in the seat, the sweet taste of the medicine on his tongue. He didn't need a family.

A loud thump startled him awake, and he jerked his head around, looking for the sound. He soon saw Michael looking through the window at him. He gave a wave, and Cain scowled as he dragged his hands through his hair. Michael opened the car door to climb in. He tossed Cain a manila file. “We now have a job.”

Cain groaned as he flipped the folder open. “What spoiled child are we hunting down now?”

Michael backed out of the parking spot and turned the car to leave the parking lot. "Who knows." He tugged the mask down under his chin. "It’s the same address as the one about the missing packmate."

Cain furrowed his brows. The same one him and Ozzy had been chasing when they found Levi in the alleyway. "This is just…."

Michael sighed and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "It could be a coincidence. Could be a whole separate matter."

A frown was pulling at Cain's lips, "Maybe."

Cain yawned as Michael knocked on the door of a large house on the outskirts of the city. “You can’t be tired?” His mask was back on his face, hiding his burn scar. 

“Long night last night.”

“Is that what you're calling it?”

Cain gave a grin as he winked at Michael, “It was fun.”

“Uh huh. Yeah, do I need to watch my back cause there was that one that almost put a knife in it. You tend to like the ones that are a little on the crazy side.” The grin was still on Cain’s face as he shrugged his shoulders only for the grin to disappear when the front door opened.

A woman with shoulder length golden brown hair took one look at them and then waved them in. They followed her as she led them to an office where another woman was sitting behind a desk, a pale hand buried in long dark brown hair. She looked up from some papers with hazel eyes and smiled. “I was hoping they would send you two.” The woman quickly signed something in a folder and held it out to the other woman. “Sasha, can you take this to the council? Its about the attack.”

Sasha took the folder and, giving Michael and Cain an incline of her head, was gone out the door. Standing up from her desk, she picked up a folder as she walked around, smoothing out the button up blouse she was wearing. Holding her hand out to Michael she asked, “How are you boys doing?”

With a cheery tone, Michael shook her hand. “We’re doing okay, Alpha Randle.” 

When she turned to Cain he refused to look at her and she sighed and smiled. “Please, call me Kaylynn. I can’t thank you enough for the help. You brought home one of our missing members.”

Michael nodded, “It was a simple locating spell. We’re here about another missing person?”

“Yes… and no.” Kaylynn motioned to the chairs sitting around a small coffee table. “Please sit. It’s a lot to take in.” Once they were all sitting down, she leaned forward. “The young man you brought back. He started to remember his memories from that day.”

“What did he remember?”

“Well, it has me worried. I’m going to be escorting him to the High Alphas and the Mediator Council as soon as we’re done here.” She handed the folder in her hand out to Michael. “He wrote down everything that he could remember so far.” Michael went to open the folder but Kaylynn put her hand over the folder. “Eyes and ears.”

Nodding Michael folded the folder up and tucked it inside his coat. “Right.”

Cain grumbled, “Fucking werewolves.”

Michael reached out and pinched Cain’s ear. Cain let out a hiss in pain. Letting go, Michael refused to reach up and rub his own ear where he could feel the phantom pains. “Sorry about him. He’s... “ He glanced at Cain who was rubbing his ear and glaring at him. Michael narrowed his eyes back. “Not going to be a problem.” Cain looked away, and Michael turned back to Kaylynn.

“It’s fine.” Kaylynn stood up and smiled again. “Well, everything you need to know is in there. I requested your help because I heard you’re discreet and can remove a problem.” She walked over to her desk, stood with her back to them, and sighed. “Whoever it is… they’re causing problems. No one is claiming them, and so…” She went quiet while looking out the window.

Michael stood up. “Got it.” He looked at Cain and tilted his head towards the door. Cain stood up to head for the door. “You should update the agency. They’ll want to know everything.”

Kaylynn looked over her shoulder. “I updated them as soon as they let me know someone was heading this way.”

Cain watched as Michael stepped out of the room. Michael held his hand up, “Wait.” They headed for the car. As soon as the doors were shut, Michael reached up to touch a seal painted onto the ceiling. He turned and looked at Cain. “Don’t even.”

Cain gave him a bored look. “What?”

Michael tossed the folder at him and turned the car on. “I need to call Rhea.” He pulled his phone out as they left the driveway. Tugging his mask off, he then shoved his hood off his head. “We’ll need at least a day to track the fucker.”

When he looked over, Cain was grinning. It was wide and wild as he looked over the images in the folder. “Give me a location to start.”

“You worry me.”

Cain gave a shrug.