Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(25)

“It’s not a lost cause. It’s not insurmountable. We’re just gathering what we can. But we will find them.”

Her hand shook under his and he reached over, gently prying her fingers apart. He ran his thumb over her palm and up to her wrist. Her pulse beat hard against his thumb, its rapid pace slowing as he kept his touch gentle.

“They must be so scared. I can’t even imagine what they’re feeling, what they’re thinking. I don’t know anything.” She shuddered out a breath. “This is killing me, Cole. These are my babies. They’ve never been alone without me before. I’ve never spent an evening away from them, never not tucked them in. Even during the forced move to the new compound, I never let them leave my sight. And now Frank comes in, using some form of cover to steal my babies. I don’t know why he wants them, but knowing what he’s done in the past with Cora and Soren…” She swallowed hard, her cheeks going dark. “I can’t, Cole. I can’t let them stay with that man much longer.”

He leaned over the console and cupped her face, bringing his lips to hers. He kissed her gently, calming them both. Before they’d made love, it would have only amped their attraction and perhaps their aggression. Now, though, it proved that his cat wanted this bear for the long-term. And those cubs were in trouble, so keeping their mom safe and stopping her from turning feral was one of his top priorities.

“We’ll find them.” He knew it could be an empty promise and it killed him. He’d lost the scent. He’d never lost a scent before, but then again, this was the longest, most complicated hunt he’d ever been on. He might be the best at what he did, but sometimes even that wasn’t enough.

“I know we will,” she agreed.

Because there wasn’t another option. Not when there was still air in his lungs and blood in his veins. He wouldn’t quit until he’d found those boys.

He let out a breath then kissed her again. Just a quick kiss, but one that held so much more than just a whisper of touch. “Let’s get inside. They’ll have rooms in here. I don’t scent anyone around so we should be alone. We can regroup and then begin our journey.

She nodded, and they both got out of the vehicle, their bodies on alert. Things were so different here than in the compound. Hell, they were different than in other parts of the city, as well. They got into an old room and immediately opened the windows to clear out the stale air. As soon as they settled their home base, they’d go out again and be on the lookout. His cat knew Talbot was around, somewhere close to where they were. He wasn’t just making up a direction and going with it. He might have lost the scent, but his cat knew something the man hadn’t quite put his finger on yet. He’d learned long ago to trust his jaguar when it came to things such as this.

Something shifted near the doorway, and he turned on his heel, claws not out in case it was a human, but close. He inhaled, his eyes going wide.

“Anya. Behind me.”

She didn’t go behind him, but rather to his side. He didn’t object, as she could fight her way through anything, but it still rankled his cat that she wouldn’t stay safely behind him.

When the giant bear shifter revealed himself at the door opening, Cole wanted to curse. The man’s bare forearms told him that this shifter was one of the Unseen—unmarked and non-collared. The man was big. Bigger than Cole and Anya for sure. He could probably break them both with his pinkies.

“Cat,” the man growled, his voice low, rusty.

“Bear,” Cole growled back.

Anya cleared her throat and pointed to herself. “I’m a bear, but I’m sure you get that.”

Cole would not let his mouth turn up in a grin at her words. Damn, the woman had no fear. Only, he’d seen the look in her eyes at the thought of losing her children, and knew no fear to be far from the truth. That sobered him quickly.

“What is it you want?” Cole asked, his voice low, but he’d lost the growl. He didn’t need to antagonize this bear. “Is this your territory?” He didn’t know how territories worked with the Unseen. The Alphas might know more, but as a mere Tracker, he wasn’t privy to that information.

The bear tilted his head and studied him. The man had white-gold hair that brushed his shoulders and looked like he’d woken up and ran a hand through it, calling it good enough. His features were strong, like everything about him. His dark eyes weren’t just dark brown, but black.

“Polar…” Anya whispered. “You’re a polar bear.”

Not all shifters looked like their animal counterparts while in human form, but the rare polars were in a league of their own. Or so he’d heard. Cole had never met one before. They’d been hard to come by before the roundup. He wasn’t sure there was even one in the Ursine Pack.

“I am a polar. That is right, grizzly.” He blinked at Anya then did the same to Cole. “You’re a jaguar.”

How the man knew this, he didn’t know. Their scents were hard as hell to discern. Generally, only shifters of the same species could distinguish sub-species by scent.

“I’m Tucker. And though this isn’t my territory, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Why not?” Anya asked.

“You should know that. You may have covered the brands with clothing and taken off your collars, but you are not one of the Unseen. You do not know how to live among the humans and hide yourselves like you should. I scented you a mile away. It’s my duty to. Why are you here, and what will it take for you to go back to where you came from?”