Page 30 of Jacob

“I can smell them, and the trail is fresh.”

“How fresh?”Gal asked.

“Fresh enough that I’m sure we’ll find them soon.They’re here.”

“Good.Lead us to them, Jacob.”

Jacob nodded and shifted back.He paused long enough to give a tiny headbutt against Tony’s knee, then trotted ahead, rejoining Taylor.The two moved as one, making it clear that they knew each other well.Tony didn’t know if they’d worked together before or what Taylor had done before becoming a deputy, but they knew what they were doing.They were careful but fast.

Tony sucked in a breath and started walking again.They were about to find the panda shifter.Part of him was relieved, but another part was excited.He’d never been anywhere close to a panda.He was excited to see one almost as much as he was curious.

This panda wasn’t just a panda.They were a shifter with a history that had led them to Green Hill and to living in the woods here.It probably wasn’t a happy story, but they weren’t alone anymore, even though they didn’t know it yet.From the fierce expression on Gal’s face, Tony could tell that the man would do everything he could for this panda.He’d told Tony that his focus was the pride, and that was probably true, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t help however he could.

The panda wouldn’t know what hit them.

* * * *

THE SCENT BECAME STRONGERas they walked until Jacob was sure they were on top of the panda shifter.He almost stopped moving because the need to protect his mate was strong, but Tony wouldn’t thank him for it.They both wanted this to be over so they could focus on their relationship, and the only way for that to happen was to find the panda.

So that was what Jacob did.

He was tense as he paused in front of a fallen tree.If he squinted, he could see that the tree had fallen on what looked like a hole in the ground.Jacob wouldn’t think much of this spot if the panda hadn’t chosen this place to make their nest.

There was something black and white in the hole.For a moment, Jacob held his breath, wondering how the panda would react to the sudden invasion of their territory.Technically, it wasn’t theirs, but they lived here, and having so many people they didn’t know intruding would probably feel like an invasion.There was no way to know how the panda would react, but Jacob could take an educated guess.

He shifted back to his human form.“They’re here,” he murmured, unwilling to startle the panda.

He could see the poor thing was shaking.They were trying to make themselves smaller so their body could fit in the hole, but Jacob could still see them.It hurt.No one should be so terrified that they were shaking and attempting to bury themselves into a hole.

Gal crouched close to the hole, but he didn’t reach in.Instead, he scratched his fingernails on the trunk of the tree that had fallen to announce their presence.

“Hi.My name’s Gal, and I’m the alpha of the tiger pride you visited a few days ago.”

The panda whimpered.That was the only reaction they had, even after Gal waited for a moment to see what would happen.Gal glanced back, but Jacob couldn’t tell him what to do.Gal was the alpha, which meant that he was in charge.Jacob was relieved because he had no idea what to do in this situation.

Taylor shifted, too.Luckily for them, it was June, so they wouldn’t freeze their balls off.“Who do you think it is?”he asked in a whisper.

“There’s no way to know until they shift back.”

“You think they will?”

“I don’t know.Something has to happen, though.”It was the only way to fix all of this.The panda couldn’t stay in the forest, even though they’d found a new nest.Gal couldn’t allow it.His priority was the pride and its safety, and there was no way to know if the panda was safe.They hadn’t attacked anyone, but they might in the future.More than that, the panda shifter could be in danger since people were coming after them with their guns.

The panda stirred.They twisted their upper body, which wasn’t an easy feat in the hole, and snarled at Taylor and Jacob.Jacob didn’t want to hurt them, but he got ready to defend himself when the panda peeked out.

“Look,” Taylor said excitedly.“I think they’re coming out.”

Jacob agreed.It was what everyone wanted, but it still made him tense.He had to make sure that the panda wouldn’t go for Tony.He had to protect his mate, whatever Tony had said about being able to defend himself.

He took a step back and placed himself in front of Tony.Thankfully, Tony didn’t say anything.He allowed Jacob to do what he needed, which was a relief.

The panda pushed themselves out of the hole.Gal moved back, too, probably not to make them feel crowded, and together, they all waited until the panda was fully free of his nest.

The panda was smaller and thinner than Jacob had expected.They clearly hadn’t been eating well for a long time, and Jacob’s first instinct was to feed them, not to restrain them.He was pretty sure that even if the panda attacked, they wouldn’t achieve much.They looked frail enough to snap in two with barely more than a glance.Jacob was pretty sure that even Tony would be able to defend himself from them.

Jacob still wasn’t going to risk it.He stayed where he was as the panda glanced around their group.Gal stepped forward again, and the panda growled and tucked themselves against the fallen tree trunk behind them.They snarled, showing Gal their fangs.It was weird because every picture and video Jacob had seen of pandas made them look like big teddy bears who were too stupid to survive on their own.Maybe that was true for real pandas, but not for this shifter.

They were huge, even though they were too thin and very dirty.Jacob wrinkled his nose because he could smell it from where he was, and he wasn’t even that close.He could imagine what it was like for Gal and Taylor, and he was glad he wasn’t in their place.He knew it wasn’t the panda’s fault, but his nose was sensitive.He was sure the panda wanted nothing more than a hot shower, food, and a real bed.They could have all of that, but they’d have to talk to Gal first.

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