Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(28)

No one would care that Frank was here.

No one but her and Cole.

“Can you scent them?” she asked. She couldn’t and it killed her. If Owen and Lucas had been there earlier, the rain and wind had washed away the scent. Her bear wasn’t even sure they were near and it worried her. What if this was just a place where random shifters met? Just because Cole had had a feeling earlier, didn’t mean it would come to pass. This could all be for nothing.

“Take a deep breath, Anya. You’re freaking yourself out.”

She did; annoyed she’d let herself get caught up in the vicious cycle of her doubt.

“Can you scent them?” she asked again, this time taking deep breaths to calm herself as much as possible. Controlling her bear was crucial right then.

“I can,” he whispered, his voice low, sure.

She gripped his arm and forced him to look at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I just caught the scent. We’re going down there, Anya. You’re not doing this without me. I’m not doing this without you. So this is what I can sense. There are shifters down there, but I can’t tell if they are moving or not. The wind isn’t picking that up. There’s also a group of humans down there. Seventeen I think.”

Anya cursed. “That could be Frank and whatever muscle he hired.” They were going on the assumption it was Frank at this point, but it was all they could do. “Cora said he was good at getting people to work for his cause—even if he’s on the run from the SAU.” He paused. “He tricked me, didn’t he?”

Cole reached for her hand and squeezed. Her bear brushed against her, wanting more of his touch. Again, she wouldn’t think too hard about that. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

“He’s a dead man.”

His promise soothed her more than she thought possible. She took a deep breath, calming herself as much as she could. “What’s the plan?”

Cole nodded toward a side door. “There’s an older window on the other side of that door that looks like it’s not connected to the room with the outside entrance. At least that’s what I can tell from here. I don’t want to use the door because I can scent humans by each of them. If we go through the window, we can take them by surprise at worst, sneak by them at best. We go in, follow the trail to the kids and get out.” He met her gaze and frowned. “I know we want Frank dead right now, but…”

She nodded, knowing he was right, even if it killed her. “But if it’s a choice between his death and the lives of my children, Owen and Lucas come first. Always.”

“Always.”

He kissed her quickly then moved down the alley toward the warehouse. She followed, her senses on alert. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her heart raced. She may have fought other shifters in battles for dominance and hierarchy, but she’d never been trained for this. Cole, it seemed, had. She’d follow his directions and try not to let her heart lead her. It wouldn’t be smart to do anything other than that. He looked over his shoulder as he stood under the window.

“Ready?” he mouthed.

She nodded, her bear ready to shift when needed. He opened the old window that didn’t have a lock and jumped through. She followed when he gave the signal, landing on her feet with a quiet thud. She wasn’t as graceful as he was by far since he had the advantages of a cat and she tended to lumber like a bear. She didn’t think anyone had heard her though. If the shifters Cole had scented were working for Frank or whoever was down there, it might be a problem, but she didn’t know. If the shifters were caged…then it was a whole different problem.

The place was hot despite the cooler temperatures outside and smelled of mold and death. The idea chilled her skin even in the cloying heat. She moved closer to Cole and all hell broke loose. Four men came through the open doorway, masks on their faces and tranq guns in their hands. Cole lashed out, taking two down. She growled, jumping on one while using her claws to take out another. The coppery scent of blood filled the air, and her bear relished it. She took them down, not killing them, but they wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon, that was for sure.

Four more men came in, drawing their tranqs. She rolled out of the way as one shot at her, the dart narrowly missing her face. She roared, loud enough to rattle the old windows in the building, but not loud enough to draw the attention of anyone on the outside. She knew better than that. She fought off two of the men, but as soon as she looked over at Cole, who had three guys fighting him, she felt the pinprick.

She looked down at the dart in her arm and licked her lips, her tongue already numb. She fell to her knees, her body going weak. Her knees ached from the impact, but she hadn’t been able to move to soften the blow. Cole screamed her name, but she couldn’t make out his face. Her vision grew bleary and she knew she’d failed.

She’d failed herself.

She’d failed Cole.

She’d failed her sons.




Anya blinked herself awake and jolted at the feel of shackles around her wrists. She pulled on them, the metal digging into her skin. Her body felt heavy, as if she were trying to come out of a deep sleep and couldn’t quite do it.

“You’re awake.”

She knew that voice. She’d once let the owner of that voice into her home and into her heart. Or perhaps she wasn’t truthful about the heart part. She’d fallen for pretty lies and a smile that dug deep. Well, f*ck that.