Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(16)

Anya pulled away from him and turned to meet his gaze. He’d find her children, then figure out the next step. Because no matter what, he wasn’t letting go of this feeling, this connection.

Something had changed.

Something important.

But first, he needed to save the lives of those currently in the hands of a human who deserved something far worse than death.

Far worse.





Chapter 5


Anya stood near the fence seven minutes after leaving the Alphas. The meeting itself had only taken nine minutes. It had been thirty-four minutes since she’d noticed her boys missing.

Thirty-four minutes and a lifetime of agony.

She pulled at the long sleeves of the shirt Ariel had passed to her as they’d headed out. The brand on Anya’s skin would never fade away—the SAU has made sure of that—but she could at least keep it covered while they were outside the den walls.

Since she’d been forced inside at the tender age of seven, she hadn’t been outside the compound except to travel from the former Ursine den to her new home. Other than that, she’d only seen the outside world via the glimpses others showed her in photographs and recounted memories. She barely remembered what the world looked like without a cage around it. She hadn’t seen the effects of a badly depleted human population after the Verona Virus had almost taken them out.

Now she was about to follow a cat she didn’t even like into a world that scared her more than she’d ever admit, to find her sons and bring them home. If she could kill the bastard that had broken her heart and stolen her babies in the process, she would.

Revenge would take a backseat to her children’s safety, however.

Cole came up to her side, Oliver behind him. Her brother frowned, worry etched on his face. He hadn’t seen this, she knew. If he had, he’d have done all in his power to stop it. She couldn’t blame him for what happened, and didn’t. She’d learned long ago that her fate was up to her and her alone. The others could rely on a Foreseer. She only had her brother, not the magic in his veins.

Her bear pushed at her as it had been all morning. Only it wasn’t as severe as it had been when she’d been at the fence before. If Cole hadn’t kissed her, knocking her for a loop, she might have gone bear and hurt herself or someone she cared about. Her bear didn’t think about more than the need to make someone bleed for daring to touch Owen and Lucas. Anya had barely held in her control and almost snapped until Cole had pressed his lips to hers, keeping her sane.

She wouldn’t thank him for that, though she knew she should.

She’d also ignore the way his lips had felt against hers, the way his heated body had felt pressed to hers.

There was no use thinking things like that. Her feelings were just a momentary lapse in judgment brought on by a traumatic event and the inability to cope.

Cole tilted his head then reached out, tracing the metal collar on her neck. She didn’t move back from his touch, neither did she lean forward. She honestly didn’t know which way her body would respond, so she stood still.

“I have the scent trail down and we need to move fast. But we can’t be wearing these, Anya. It’s a death sentence to take them off, but it’s a beacon for anyone who sees us wearing them outside these walls. We’ll have to take them off and keep them on us for when we return. We can keep the brands hidden, but we’re still going to have to look as inconspicuous as possible.”

She nodded, her hands going up to the clasp at the back of her neck. She’d never taken her collar off, not since she’d been forced to wear it at age seven. She slept in it, fought it in, made love in it, showered it in…everything in her life held the mark of the brand and the collar. The metal grew during a shift so she could wear it as a bear, and had grown as she’d aged. It was specially made by scientists who thought they were gods. She’d seen friends die at the hands of the SAU because those shifters had fought for their freedom. They’d lost, but Anya prayed that would not always be the case.

Cole’s fingers brushed hers as he helped her with the clasp. It wasn’t easy to take off. It had been built to stay tight until the day they died. The SAU probably wanted shifters to be buried with their collars, but that didn’t happen. Of the bodies the Pack was allowed to keep—the SAU sometimes took bodies to experiment on—the Alphas took the collars off so the dead could be laid to rest. As free as they could be. All would wear their brands in death, but the ink that lay on top made it their own.

The lock on the back opened with a snap and she shuddered at the sound. That wasn’t the click of freedom, but confirmation of the brevity of the situation.

Cole took the collar and slid it into his hoodie pocket, his collar already off. He cupped her face, his gaze intense.

“We’ll fix this,” he whispered, his words a vow.

“I know.” And she did. She might not have believed this cat before, but she knew from the way he tracked and the promise in his words that he would find a way to fix this. And she’d die before she gave up. There was no other option.

“Anya.”

She turned at her brother’s voice, pulling away from Cole in the process. She didn’t know why the feline kept touching her, but he needed to stop before something happened. Something idiotic.

“Be safe,” her brother said softly, his eyes on Cole and not her. She cleared her throat, and Oliver looked down at her. “I can’t see what is coming.”