Page 209 of His Hungry Wolf

“I know how,” Quin said grabbing our attention.

“You do? How?” I asked.

“We could test your DNA. I have an uncle who works in genetics. I was named after him. He would help us figure this out. The test would be able to tell us if the two of you are related even if it’s just cousins.”

Nero looked at Quin suspiciously.

“No. I’m not doing this. You people are making this up. It’s all bullshit.”

Titus turned to Nero. “What if it isn’t? I’ve spent the last two days with them, and they’re decent guys. What if he is your brother? I know that if I had a brother I would want to know. What if they’re telling the truth, Nero? Imagine that. And, with his wolf’s strength…”

Nero turned to Titus. “This is a lot, you know. It’s a lot.”

“I know, but what if? How would you feel if you do have a brother and you pushed him away?” Titus said putting his hand on Nero’s shoulder.

Nero softened as his thoughts swirled. He looked tortured before looking resigned.

“Listen, I didn’t mean all of that fag stuff. It’s just that when I saw you two sitting there looking so happy, I thought, ‘what about me?’ You know? Why does everyone but me get to be happy? I didn’t mean anything against you.”

I looked over at Quin for his reaction. I wasn’t sure I was willing to forgive him.

“That’s okay,” Quin said being the good person that he is.

“Yeah. You’re forgiven,” I confirmed. “But, don’t ever say shit like that again. You hear me?” I said meaning it to be a threat though I wasn’t in a threatening mood.

“No. I won’t. It’s not me. Ask Titus.”

Titus shrugged not taking a side.

“Anyway, I didn’t mean it. You two seem like okay people. But, I can’t let you tell my mom any of this. Not until there’s proof. She couldn’t take it if you’re wrong or lying or something. She’s not like that, ya know?”

“So, you’ll do the test?” Quin asked.

“I’ll do your test.”

I stared at the disheveled, shirtless guy in front of us. He was no longer the wild wolf or the angry guy from the diner. He was vulnerable and scared.

Was this who he always was? Was this guy my brother? I couldn’t believe that after feeling alone for so long, I could have a real family. What was it called with wolves? A pack?

Jesus, I was wolf shifter. What did that even mean? All of this was insane.

“How do we do this, Quin?” I asked pulling myself together. “Do we have to spit in a tube or something?”

“I mean, we could do that if you wanted to do one of those ancestry tests.”

“You mean like in the commercials?” Nero asked.

“Yes. But they take weeks. If we got blood samples, I might be able to get the results in a couple of days.”

“How?” I asked Quin.

“My father owns a genetics lab.”

“Right. Then, let’s do that,” I told him.

“Yeah. Days sounds better than weeks,” Nero confirmed.

“Okay. The only question is, how do we get your blood samples here?”