“Hi.My name’s Taylor, and as you can see, I’m a tiger shifter,” the man said.“Gal is my alpha, and he’s right.We’ve been worried about you.”
Ben had names now.He was grateful that Taylor had realized he needed them.They didn’t make these men any less dangerous, but it did make them more human.
Ben stepped toward Taylor because he couldn’t believe that Taylor would do anything to hurt him.He thought it was because of Taylor’s smile and easy demeanor until the wind picked up, dragging Taylor’s scent toward Ben.
Of course Ben felt like he could trust Taylor even though he didn’t know him.Taylor was his mate.
Taylor stayed where he was as Ben moved closer, even though Ben noticed his body tense, probably because he didn’t know what to expect from him.He had no idea what Ben had gone through, and he was worried.Ben was worried, too, because he had no idea what he was doing, but that was okay.He didn’t have to know.He could finally allow himself to relax because he was safe.
He was with his mate.
Ben leaned forward to get a better sniff, but he didn’t need it.He felt lighter than he had in a long time.Safer, too, maybe even safe enough to finally stop running.
That didn’t mean he shouldn’t be careful.He knew his mate wouldn’t hurt him, but what about the others?What if they didn’t want Taylor to be with Ben?Taylor wouldn’t be able to stand up to them.He was only one man, and these people were members of his pride, while he didn’t know Ben.
Ben couldn’t risk it, not yet, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t reach out to his mate.He didn’t want to force himself to keep his distance.He was hungry and tired, and he didn’t have the energy to fight the bond he could feel stretching out between him and Taylor.
He slowly moved forward until he was standing in front of Taylor.He heard his mate suck in a breath, but Taylor didn’t move, almost as if he was afraid to spook Ben.Ben could never be afraid of his mate, though.
He flopped down at Taylor’s feet and breathed out.He was safe.
* * * *
TAYLOR WATCHED AS THEpanda sat down and leaned against his legs.He glanced up, not knowing what to do.Gal was supposed to take care of this, not Taylor.He wasn’t even the sheriff.He was a deputy, and he obeyed orders.He didn’t give them.
“Uh, hi,” Taylor said as he looked back down at the panda.The panda had looked almost small when they’d come out of the hole, but not anymore.Next to Taylor’s human form, they were massive, even though they were way too thin.“My name’s Taylor,” Taylor repeated.He wasn’t completely sure that the panda had understood him the first time he’d introduced himself, and it couldn’t be easy for them to meet a bunch of people whose names they didn’t know, especially in these circumstances.“Gal is my alpha, and I promise that we’re here to help you.”
The panda didn’t say anything—obviously.Instead, they pressed harder against Taylor’s legs.Taylor had no idea what was happening, but he didn’t want to scare the panda, so he didn’t move or try pushing them away.He had no way to know how they’d react if he did, and while the situation was odd, it was going well.
For now.
“It would be great if you could shift,” Taylor said, hoping to convince them.Talking to a panda who didn’t answer wasn’t great, especially when they needed those answers.“That way, we can talk and find out what happened to you.We can help you better if we know that.”
Taylor waited, along with everyone else, but the panda stayed in their animal form.They actually wrapped their arms around one of Taylor’s legs as if daring anyone there to try to pry them away from him.Their fur was rough and dirty, and the movement brought the panda’s scent to Taylor’s nose.He wrinkled it because even though it wasn’t the panda’s fault, the poor thing smelledbad.It was a mix of damp leaves and unwashed fur, and it was so strong that it covered the panda’s personal scent.
It made Taylor’s nose burn, so he attempted to step away, but the panda clung to him and rubbed their face against his naked stomach, which wasn’t a move Taylor had expected.He squeaked, but he stopped moving because it was clear that no matter what he wanted, he wasn’t going anywhere.
What the fuck was happening?Why was this panda shifter behaving this way?
Maybe Taylor looked nice.Maybe he looked like he wasn’t going to hurt the panda shifter or even like he’d protect them if any of the other people present tried anything.Both Taylor and Gal had reassured them that they weren’t there to hurt them, but Taylor could easily put himself in the panda’s shoes.How could the panda trust any of them when they didn’t know them?
Gal cleared his throat, getting Taylor’s attention.“Do you know them?”he asked, tilting his chin in the direction of the panda.
Taylor shook his head.“I’ve never met a panda shifter in my life.You know I’ve never even left Green Hill, Gal.”And there were no panda shifters in Green Hill.Everyone would know if there was.
“What’s happening?”Tony asked in a whisper.
Taylor glared at him.Tony sounded amused, but there was nothing amusing about Taylor having a giant panda as a ball and chain.He had no idea how to get the panda to let go or even if he could, and it wasn’t an addition he wanted to keep for the long term.
“I don’t know,” Jacob whispered back.“For some reason, the panda decided that they like Taylor.Honestly, I can’t think of a good reason why, but maybe it’ll help.”
Taylor scowled.Was now really the best moment to make fun of him?“I can hear you,” he told Jacob, who looked unrepentant.
“I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you,” he answered.“But I really don’t understand.You don’t know them.Why would they latch onto you like this?”
“How am I supposed to know?They won’t talk to me.”This would be so much easier if the panda shifted, but Taylor was pretty sure that nothing he could do or say would convince them to do that, not right now anyway.Maybe in time, after they got to know the others, they’d trust them enough to know that no one here would hurt them, but Taylor couldn’t exactly stay in this situation for long.He had stuff to do, like going to work and maybe kicking Jacob’s ass since his best friend was still staring at him with a smirk on his face.
Until Tony sidestepped him.Then Jacob stopped smiling and looked panicky instead, which didn’t give Taylor any pleasure.He didn’t think Tony was in danger, though, not even when he crouched in front of the panda to talk to them.He even held up his hand as if it didn’t scare him.It didn’t look like it did.
