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

And now it sounded as if he cared. Well he didn’t. He only cared about sleeping, sexy shifter females who wanted in his bed, and protecting his Pack. And not necessarily in that order.

Cole finally opened his eyes to see Anya glaring at him. Damn she had pretty eyes—bright blue, flashing with a hint of fire and anger. He wasn’t that far up from the ground, and the grizzly momma had to be close to six-feet tall; she could have easily jumped and taken him down with one paw.

The cubs let out tiny growls from behind his tree. Cole risked his life, considering Anya still glared at him, and turned to watch the two little boys in bear form peek out from either side of the large trunk.

Anya let out a small growl, and Cole shot his gaze to her. She curled her lip at him then stalked toward her sons. Cole stayed where he was, not wanting to anger her further. He wasn’t in the mood to go up against a momma grizzly in a rage. He wasn’t sure if he’d win.

“What did I say, boys? What did I say about leaving the house without telling me?” She folded her arms under her ample breasts, and Cole did his best not to stare. He couldn’t help it. She was f*cking gorgeous—not that he’d tell her that. Ever.

He valued his life, after all.

Owen and Lucas lowered their heads and padded at the dirt. They were adorable. Seriously. Cole loved kids, and one day hoped to have a few of his own with a nice cat who was adventurous in bed and would meet him stride for stride when it came to protecting his Pack. Or maybe he’d mate with a nice little submissive who would pamper his cat while taking care of the other side of the Pack that most never knew existed.

What Cole wouldn’t be doing, was dealing with Anya for longer than he needed to. He might like Owen and Lucas, but he did not want to be on the receiving end of an angry female protecting her cubs. No one in their right mind did.

“Don’t think looking cute will get you out of this, boys,” she said firmly, but Cole still heard the smile in her voice. She wasn’t a bad mother, a little overprotective, but he couldn’t blame her for that. Not with what was going on around them. “You guys snuck out of the house. I was scared. Don’t you get that? You can’t just sneak out of our home like that and not tell me where you’re going. You know you can’t come out to another’s territory without permission. Especially his.”

What did she mean by that? Especially his. What was so wrong with him?

Cole kept his gaze on the boys as they made their way out from behind the tree, their heads down and their little paws dragging along the dirt. They didn’t look scared, more resigned that they’d gotten caught breaking the rules. Cole held back a wince. He should have done something about them coming out to him, but he hadn’t thought they were hurting anyone. Despite the fact that he’d been around cubs all his life within the compound walls, he wasn’t that used to children.

The cubs went to her legs, rubbing their necks and bodies along her. She reached down and rubbed their heads, her mouth a thin line. “Don’t do it again, boys. I’m not going to lose you. Got me?”

The two made little growls then sat on their rumps, blinking up at their mother. Seriously. Adorable.

Anya probably wouldn’t appreciate him saying so, however.

“You found them?” a deep voice said from the direction of Anya’s home.

Cole flicked his ear toward the intruder, his body tense. “Yes, Oliver,” Anya answered. “They’re right where you thought they’d be. With him.”

He was starting to hate the way she said him like that. Cole searched his mental file for who Oliver was within the Ursine Pack—yes, bears, cats, and wolves were each called Packs. That’s what happened when the damn wolves named things centuries ago and Cole’s ancestors had gone with it. Oliver was the Foreseer of the Ursines. Meaning he could tell the future—or at least make some predictions about immediate changes or danger based on premonitions. Cole wasn’t quite sure what it all entailed since Felines and Canines didn’t have a Foreseer counterpart. Instead, the wolves had an Omega, and the cats had a Shaman—or at least they would once they found him or her. It was hard to find each of their hierarchy within the walls of their confinement, but that was another story altogether.

Oliver was not only the Foreseer but Anya’s brother, as well. For some reason, that relieved some of the tension in Cole’s joints. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about the fact that he’d not only gone tense, but had lost that tension when he figured out who the other male was.

“Go with your uncle, boys,” Anya ordered, her voice firm but not angry anymore. “I need to talk with Mr. Feline over here.”

Cole held back a wince. She wouldn’t even say his name. Well, this couldn’t end well; though he hadn’t thought it would once she’d stepped toward him all angry-like.

The boys gave him one last look then started the walk back to their place. Oliver raised a brow at him then followed. Cole wasn’t quite sure what to think of that brow, but at the moment, he had other, more pressing matters to deal with. Namely, the momma bear glaring daggers at him.

“You need to stop encouraging them,” she snapped. “They’re babies. And they are curious. I get that. But we don’t know how safe it is here, and you just sit here all lazy-like and let them play with your tail. You’re an adult. A Tracker. Act like it.”