Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(14)

He followed the scent of the man—he was sure it was a man now—and the muted scents of the two boys. Since it was only scents, he couldn’t tell if the boys had been struggling or not. However, he didn’t taste the vivid scent of death. The boys were alive when they were taken.

That was something, at least.

He continued to follow the trail that led the boys away from the house and toward the high fence that kept the shifters in and the humans that did not work for the SAU out. Only that didn’t appear to work in either case. Some shifters were still able to sneak away for Pack business, and as was evidenced by what had happened that morning, a human could come onto Pack land.

Cole shifted back, his body sweat-slick from shifting back and forth so quickly.

“What is it?” Anya asked. She kept a respectable distance between them, and he wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to keep the scents clean, or that she didn’t want to be around him while he was naked. While most shifters didn’t care about nudity, it was different when both parties were attracted to one another and fighting it. Because damn, he could tell she was fighting it as much as he was.

Oliver threw Cole’s jeans at him, and Cole slid them on. It seemed the Foreseer had picked up on the undertones between Cole and Anya. He didn’t know if that was good or bad, but it didn’t matter right then. He’d deal with this ache later—once the boys were safe and whoever had taken them lay in a pool of his own blood.

“They scaled the fence,” Cole growled. “Not well since the bastard cut himself on the way up. He’s human and he’s not light on his feet. Whatever kept his scent hidden from us was man-made. Science. It wasn’t skill.”

Humans kidnapping shifter cubs wasn’t unheard of. But most who dared to try were killed instantly. And then the shifters were punished for daring to harm a human. This man, however, had used science in a way that Cole didn’t understand, and that worried him. What else was out there? Why had the cubs been taken?

Cole looked over his shoulder, knowing this was far bigger than just a Tracker and a momma bear. He’d have to tell the Alphas, and then they could decide what to do. But they needed to get the hell out of there fast before the SAU patrols caught wind of them venturing too close to the edges of the enclosure.

Anya moved closer, her hands shaking. She leaned toward the fence and inhaled. When she froze and the scent of unadulterated fear mixed with her rage, Cole moved quickly. He cupped her face and forced her gaze to his. Oliver growled at his side, but he ignored the Foreseer. The damn man hadn’t seen this. He hadn’t known his nephews would be taken in the dead of night by a human who was able to hide from them. Foreseers might not be able to see those close to them, but damn it, this shouldn’t have happened. Cole knew he shouldn’t blame the bear, but f*ck it, he needed to blame someone.

“Anya,” Cole bit out. He ran his thumbs along her cheekbones, the skin so soft there he had to hold back a groan. Not the time, cat.

“I know this human,” she whispered.

Cole blinked, shock smashing into him.

“No,” Oliver bit out. “Fuck no.”

“What do you mean?” Cole asked, his voice shaking. The only humans shifters knew were their jailers, the SAU. How could she know this particular human? Why would Oliver be speaking as if he’d heard from a ghost of their past? Dread slid down Cole’s spine and he swallowed hard before speaking. “How do you know this human?”

Anya blinked up at him, agony and anger warring in her blue eyes. “Their father,” she whispered. “Lucas and Owen’s father.”

Cole took a step back, blinking. “What the f*ck?”

Anya lifted her lip in a snarl, her bear in her eyes. “It was a mistake. A long time ago. I was an idiot and too trusting, but that is not the issue right now. That motherf*cker stole my babies, and I will be getting them back. Now.”

She turned toward the fence and looked ready to climb. As a cat, he could jump over it in one leap. As a bear, she’d be able to climb it just as easily. The wolves could jump pretty high as well, but he’d never seen a bear clear the fence without having to use their hands or paws first. He reached out and gripped her shoulder. She pulled away from his touch, growling.

“Don’t you dare stop me, cat.”

He snarled. “Think about what you’re doing. You can’t just leave the den with your f*cking collar on without thinking it through. Have you ever been outside your den? I know damn well you haven’t been outside of this one. You don’t even know the interior workings of the den, let alone outside the damn thing. Take a step back. We need to talk to the Alphas and get permission before we just leave the den and risk the rest of our people.”

She swiped at him, her claws out, ready to spill blood. “Those are my sons. They are my number one priority.”

He let out a breath, trying to remain calm. “Oliver.”

“Got it. Hurt her, though, and I take it out of your hide.” The Foreseer ran toward the den center to get the Alphas and form an emergency meeting.

“Cole. Get out of my way.”

He growled, low and deadly, his chest rumbling with the anger of his cat. “We need to make sure others know what’s happening. What if your boys weren’t the only ones taken? What if someone knows something that can help? Going out blind will only hurt us. It could endanger not only our lives but the boys’, as well.”