Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(11)

As soon as she was in her grizzly form, Owen bounded toward her, his little paws batting at her side. She yawned, pretending she didn’t see him. Lucas, tired of Uncle Oliver not leaning down so he could crawl all over him, rolled toward Anya, a little bear grin on his face.

Seriously, her bear cubs were the cutest things ever.

She went down to her belly, knowing the boys would get frustrated soon if she didn’t play along. They weren’t hunters yet. One day soon they’d learn exactly what they’d need to get their prey, but for now, it was all about play.

Owen and Lucas crawled on top of her, their little padded paws digging into her fur. They didn’t use claws, but she knew they wanted to. Little nicks and scrapes wouldn’t necessarily hurt, but they needed to learn safety so they didn’t hurt other little cubs when they weren’t paying attention.

She let them play a bit longer then froze as a spicy scent hit her nose. The boys scrambled off of her, and she turned, seeing Cole in his jaguar form standing on his side of the territory by his tree. The boys bounced toward him, letting out little bear growls. Since Cole wasn’t in the tree this time, they couldn’t play with his tail, so they nudged into his side. He met Anya’s gaze for a moment as if asking permission. She gave a nod, though it was awkward in bear form. Saying no would only hurt the fragile relationships her boys held within their new den. If she pushed them away, they might fight harder to play with the cat. While they weren’t allowed to sneak out of the house to play, she was right there, and the boys were still under her direct supervision. It may have grated on her that Cole was there and had interrupted a family moment, but honestly, there wasn’t enough space in the den to be as frustrated as she was. Cole was in his territory. It wasn’t his fault that her babies wanted to play with him. Though she’d find a way to blame him if she could since he bothered her so much. And that bothered her more.

Owen ran toward her, nudged her side, and played a bit more before going back to Cole, who had rolled on his back to let the boys nuzzle into his stomach. It would have looked weird to the human population to see a jaguar playing with two bear cubs, but for shifters, this was how it had been all those years ago. It may have been done as punishment, but in reality, putting the three shifter groups together might one day lead to something significant…something great.

She let the boys play a bit longer, aware that Oliver had shifted back to human form and gone inside. From the smell of cooking meat and spices, he’d started making tacos for dinner. Her stomach growled loudly, and if she’d been in human form, she knew she’d have blushed. Thankfully, her fur hid that display of embarrassment. Cole looked as if he’d have raised a cat brow at the sound if he could have. Yes, she was a bear. A big bear. She ate a lot. Sue her.

Cole stood up and shook his body, then nudged her sons toward her. She let out a rumble of thanks and led her sons back into the house, doing her best not to look behind her at the cat that bothered her in more ways than one. She didn’t know what it was about that man, but he always set her nerves on end.

By the time she shifted back, her boys were in their clothes and bouncing around Oliver as he finished cooking dinner. Anya rolled her eyes and helped them set the table. She and Oliver took turns cooking since neither of them particularly liked it. She’d be forever grateful that he’d given up so much to help her raise her boys. She could have relied on the Pack for help, and she had, but it wasn’t the same as having someone move in and help change diapers and deal with midnight feedings. Others had mates and lovers to help. She’d had no one. She’d dealt with the stigma of falling for a human—an SAU led human at that—and had learned that not everyone would forgive her for having feelings for the wrong man. But none of those people judged her sons for the blood that ran in their veins. And for that, she would forever turn the other way as others judged her. They loved her sons, and that was all that mattered.

After dinner, she forced the boys to take a bath and then stuffed them in their pajamas. Three stories later, they were conked out in their aging bunk beds. Oliver had said he’d build better ones for her, but with the lack of materials, she knew they’d have to make do for a while. Oliver slept in the main bedroom, and she had the smaller office-turned-bedroom. He’d argued with her for a while over it, but since he was forced to live with two growing cubs, he was allowed to have the bigger space.

She fell asleep quickly after a long day of worrying and shifting, though that damn cat was never far from her mind. He invaded her dreams; that spicy scent overwhelming her until she woke up early the next morning, her body slick with sweat and her thighs coated with her orgasm.

Holy hell.

The damn cat had given her an actual wet dream.

She needed to go on a run for real this time. Or maybe find a willing bear, who didn’t mind that she was tainted goods. On that depressing thought, she quickly got ready for the morning, showering and brushing her teeth even though her body wanted to go back to sleep and have another dream.

As she was walking out to the kitchen for coffee, she inhaled, wanting the sense of family to wash over her senses and push out the weird dreams. Only, when she took a deep breath, the scent of her boys wasn’t as strong as it should have been. In fact, she could only scent the fact that they lived in the house, not that they were actually in the house.

Though she started to panic, she tamped down her bear and ran into the boys’ room, only to find two rumpled beds and an open window.