Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)

Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)

Alexandra Ivy & Carrie Ann Ryan




Abandoned



Chapter 1


A branch cracked under the soft pad of a paw, but Cole McDermott didn’t twitch his ears at the sound. The wind brushed his fur, the scent of predator and home wrapping around him. He kept perfectly still from his perch in the tree beside his house. He didn’t want those tracking him to know he’d heard their loud trek through the forest. In fact, he’d heard them long before they’d mistakenly stepped on a fallen branch. These two needed lessons on how to properly hunt their prey.

That, however, was not Cole’s job.

Normally, as a Tracker, he would have been the one hunting. Today, however, he was the prey. And as the prey, he’d do his best to stay still so the hunters wouldn’t know he’d caught on to them. To lie in wait would allow those who hunted him to fall into a false sense of security. His father had taught him that long ago.

He was currently sprawled out on a low branch, close enough to the ground that he’d be able to land easily if he fell. Of course, he was a cat, so he always landed on his feet. And since he was in his jaguar form, he’d be in even better shape if he fell. Of course, he hadn’t fallen out of a tree since he was a cub, so the point was moot anyway.

The hunters came closer, their steps becoming tentative even as they grew louder. He flicked his tail, once, twice. The hunters froze, their bodies pressing closer to the ground. Cole may have had his eyes closed, but he could still hear the underbrush pressed close to the hunters’ tender bellies.

Cole yawned, his mouth stretching wide, his fangs gleaming in the sunlight that filtered through the trees.

See? Harmless cat here. Just sleeping the day away. Easy prey.

If only these hunters knew the truth. But again, he wouldn’t be the one to teach them such darkness. They didn’t need to know that behind the yawn, the stretch, was a predator in its own right. They would soon find out.

But not today.

The two hunters came closer, and Cole forced himself not to move. It wouldn’t do to alert them that their prey was well and truly awake.

When one of them batted at his tail, Cole held back his smile. Well, as much of a smile as he could, considering he was in his jaguar form at the moment. The other one went to his twins’ side and batted as well, each of them letting out a tiny growl when Cole curled his tail up, making it harder for the two bear cubs to attack.

Cole swished his tail back and forth, enjoying the way the two cubs rolled around in their bear form, chasing each other when they weren’t jumping at him. These two hunters needed to learn a few things about tracking, but they’d learn it from their family eventually. He just enjoyed hearing them sound happy, innocent. If they’d been in human form, he was sure the two would have been laughing.

There wasn’t much to laugh at these days in the compound.

He let the two play for a bit longer, not even bothering to open his eyes. They weren’t climbing the tree to get him so they’d be safe. Bear cubs could climb for sure, but they were still in the learning stages at their age. He thought they were about four, but he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t actually spoken to them. Instead, he’d stayed in cat form each time they’d snuck their way to his tree over the past two weeks.

Cole didn’t bother worrying or getting angry about two bear cubs encroaching on his territory. He had other things to worry about, and something like this was minimal. In fact, he’d rather just lie in the tree and conserve his energy for the cage and ritual fighting he’d be partaking in a bit later. That always got his adrenaline up. It also kept the Packs happy since all three species were now forced to live in one compound thanks to the humans who thought they could control what they didn’t understand.

Plus, as Tracker, he could be called upon to protect his Pack at any moment. He had the best sense of smell of the entire Feline section, and he was pretty sure he could out-track even the bears and wolves he was forced to live with. So, if someone were coming at them within the compound—or, even outside the den walls since he could jump pretty darn high—he’d be able to find out who it was and take care of it before someone got hurt. That was his duty to his Alpha, and he was damn glad to do it.

Other than that and the fighting, he’d rather just lie in this tree and soak in the minimal sunrays that hit his fur. If a willing woman showed up and wanted to scratch an itch, he wouldn’t be opposed. But two cubs who just wanted to play, after having their caged-in life be rocked from the boundaries up, wasn’t worth Cole bolstering the energy to stop them. As long as they weren’t using their claws on him, he was fine.

Of course, on that note, perhaps he should have cared a little bit more.

After all, where there were bear cubs, there was probably a momma bear just around the corner. And she didn’t hold back with her claws.

“Owen! Lucas!”

And that would be momma bear right then. He let his claws come out slightly, only to dig into the branch he rested on. He’d heard that Anya Dare had a wicked right hook, and he wasn’t in the mood to go flying when she found out her cubs had been playing with him without her supervision. That woman had no sense of fun when it came to her kids. It wasn’t as if he’d ever hurt the cubs.

She didn’t know that, however.

She only saw a lazy cat, who didn’t bother to shoo her kids back to their prison—aka their new home. Of course, it probably wasn’t like that. She just didn’t like her cubs hanging out with him. Anya hated him for some reason, and he could never quite figure out why. It wasn’t as if he’d known her for long. The Ursines had only been living with the Felines and Canines for two weeks. In fact, the Felines hadn’t been living in the Canine compound for that long either. Everything was still new, but Anya had seemed to take a firm disliking to him the moment she’d seen him.