Page 20 of Jacob

He stopped, too, and kept his mouth shut as he let Jacob do his thing.It took a few moments, but Jacob eventually turned toward him.“I think I can smell them.”

“What’s next, then?Will you stay in your human form?”

Jacob shook his head.“It’s very faint, so it’ll be better if I shift.”He hesitated.“Will you carry my clothes?”

“Of course.Whatever you need.”

Jacob stared for a moment.His cheeks were turning pink, and when Tony realized why, he got flustered, too.Jacob might be used to stripping in front of other pride members, but Tony wasn’t one.

He quickly turned to give Jacob privacy.Jacob made a sound, but he didn’t tell Tony it wasn’t what he’d been expecting.

They were both silent, but Tony could hear the sound of clothes being taken off.He wasn’t sure when he was supposed to turn back, but Jacob would probably give him a sign.

He did.That sign came when a massive, furry head bumped against Tony’s knee.Tony scrambled to stay on his feet and turned to see what was happening, only to be faced with a big tiger sitting on the forest ground.

Jacob blinked big black eyes at Tony.Tony knew it was a shifter, but like always, when he was in front of big predators, his first instinct was to turn and run.It vanished in seconds, but it was there.

Tony offered Jacob his hand.He’d dealt with situations like this one several times when in the military, so he knew the protocol.It might be different for shifters who weren’t in the military, but Jacob would probably appreciate it.

Jacob sniffed Tony’s hand, then bumped his head against it.If he was a cat, he’d be asking to be petted.Tony wasn’t sure that was what Jacob wanted, but he’d never had the opportunity to touch a tiger like this, and he couldn’t resist.

He gingerly rubbed his hand on top of Jacob’s head.Jacob made a sound like a purr, which hopefully meant he liked it, and closed his eyes.

They had work to do, unfortunately.As much as Tony wanted to cuddle his mate forever, it wasn’t why they were here.

He quickly dropped his hand after scratching the top of Jacob’s head one last time and waited.Jacob huffed as if someone were asking him to carry the world, then lifted his head up and sniffed the air like he had minutes ago.

It was different this time.It was clear that Jacob found the scent he was looking for right away.His ears moved, and he got to his feet.

When he trotted to the side, Tony had to scramble to grab his clothes and follow.Jacob was quick on his paws, even though he was such a big animal, and it took some effort for Tony to follow him.He clutched the clothes and shoes he was carrying to his chest as he did his best not to stumble on roots and faceplant.

Jacob eventually started slowing down.His body tensed, and Tony knew they were close.His first instinct was to step ahead because he was the sheriff, but whether this was a bear or a bear shifter, Jacob was better equipped to deal with them right now.

There was something bundled up between a bunch of trees that had grown close together.They formed a little shelter, and while the bundle was still exposed to the elements, the trees around it would’ve cut off most of the wind.It didn’t look comfortable, even though when they got closer, Tony saw it was made up of blankets and random clothes.

Jacob was cautious as he moved closer to what looked like a nest.He sniffed the air again, then the blankets.When he looked at Tony, Tony knew they’d found the nest of the shifter they’d been looking for.The shifter was nowhere to be seen, though.

Jacob shifted back.Tony hadn’t expected it, but he quickly looked down.He didn’t want his mate to think he was a creep.

Jacob pulled the clothes from Tony’s hands.“They were here,” he confirmed.

“It looks like theylivedhere.”

“They did.The scent isn’t fresh, so they might have found another place to nest.”

Tony looked down again.He felt sorry for whoever had to live like this.“Wouldn’t they have taken their things with them?”

“Not if they stayed in their bear form.”

“So it’s a bear?”

“Some kind of bear, but not a brown or black bear.Could be a polar bear, I guess.As I said before, I’ve never met any of those.”

“But it’s a shifter?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Tony looked up.He had many more questions.

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