Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(19)

“So many people,” she whispered.

Cole’s jaw clenched. “And those that survived voted to have us put in cages.”

She shook her head. “They voted for a way to be safe. Or at least that’s what they thought.”

He blinked at her, and she raised her chin. “You’re defending the humans that slaughtered us. That branded your children and put collars around our necks.”

She closed her eyes, remembering Lucas’s and Owen’s screams as if they had happened that morning.

“No. I’m not. Not really. I’m saying they made a mistake. They thought in the moment and killed us, imprisoned us. I won’t forget that, but I can’t be angry all the time. If I am, then I can’t raise my children.” It was something she’d learned when she’d held them to her chest for the first time, their little heartbeats fast and perfect.

He studied her face for a moment then turned back to the Jeep in front of them. “I think this one will work. There’s an old unit out here I can finagle to give us a jump. Plus, there are a couple of batteries on the shelf that look unused. I’ll create a current and we can get on our way.”

She’d angered him with her words, and she knew she should have taken them back. She hadn’t said what she wanted to. Not the right way, and now he’d put distance between them. Only, perhaps they needed that distance.

She took a step toward him, ready to help, when her body gave out.

She gasped, her knees hitting the cement floor of the garage as she tried to breathe.

“Anya!” Cole knelt in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”

Her bear pushed at her again; only this time she finally understood why her bear had been acting so oddly the past couple of days. Her breasts ached, her nipples pebbling at the scent of the man in front of her.

She licked her lips, a moan escaping her. “Not right now,” she groaned.

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah.” She sucked in a breath and put her hands on his forearms. “Mating heat.”

Cole’s eyes widened, and she would have laughed at the reaction if she weren’t in so much pain. She needed sex, badly. It was part of their shifter DNA. Not all shifters dealt with it, but her family did. And it wasn’t easy. It was their baser instincts coming to the forefront, their animals trying to procreate. It wasn’t love, wasn’t true desire.

Only when it was this hard, this…hot, she knew it was based on something akin to desire, to an emotion she didn’t want to name. She’d been through this before and had found a nice male bear to scratch the itch. But this time, she knew it wouldn’t just be an itch. This was Cole, and there was something different about him.

The only person who could help was the man in front of her.

The man who she didn’t want to desire, even without the mating heat riding hard.

Oh shit, indeed.





Chapter 6


Cole tried not to freak out. Considering his dick was hard and his hands were fisted by his sides, he wasn’t sure what he was going to be able to do. He’d been around women in their mating heat before, but he’d never participated in what they needed in the end. And considering the mission he and Anya were on, this was the worst possible time for her to go into making heat. It may be a common thing among shifters, but that didn’t mean it was something the two of them were ready to deal with at the moment.

He thought back to her aggression when it came to him, and the fact that she hadn’t known what to do with her body when he stood too close. Or even how she’d reacted to him the past couple of days. He wanted to curse. She’d been having trouble all along but hadn’t known this was coming. And if she didn’t take care of herself, if he didn’t help her in some way, she’d be in pain. It also didn’t help that he wanted her under him like no other. He’d been lying to himself when he thought it was just anger and annoyance when it came to her presence—far from it. His cat wanted her, and damn it, so did the man. He wanted her spread out before him—naked, willing, wet, and his.

Only he wasn’t sure that was the smartest thing to do right now. They were both running on a short supply of energy in a high rush of adrenaline. If they did this, everything would change. It wouldn’t be a mating. Mating heats weren’t like that. But it would be something. What, he didn’t know. But he had a feeling Anya had no idea either.

She closed her eyes and groaned. “Cole. It hurts. Why does it hurt so much this time?”

“This time?” He frowned but did his best not to step forward. As soon as he stepped closer to her, all would be lost. He wouldn’t be able to hold himself back anymore. As it was, he’d been keeping himself back for far too long. He hadn’t even realized he was doing it until he felt the burn of unrequited need flame hot when she was near. It wasn’t her fault that his cat wanted her. It wasn’t her fault that the man didn’t know what to do with either of them.

Anya blinked up at him, desire and pleading in her gaze. “I’ve been through this twice before. But it’s never been as intense as this. It’s always been something I could handle on my own. Or with just one man for just one time.” She lowered her head and let out a soft moan. “But this time it’s worse. Why is it worse?”

He watched her sway on her feet and he cursed. Stepping toward her with his arms out, he brought her closer to his chest and let out a groan of his own at the heat of her body pressed along his. He couldn’t believe how f*cking hot she was—and not just how she looked. Her skin was like a raging inferno, and he knew if she didn’t get some form of release soon, her bear would be in trouble. He already had a momma bear on the lookout for two of her cubs on his hands; he didn’t need a bear in the delirious haze that came with a mating heat denied, as well.