Chapter 2

August stood in line at the market for lunch, rocking back on his heels. Ahead of him was his best friend Nathan, a fellow gorilla shifter, who also called the Amazing Adventures Safari Park home. They both lived underground in the gorillas' private living quarters and worked for the park, handling maintenance such as repairing fences and gates, fixing the outdoor furniture, and keeping the food stalls in tip-top shape. August could also fix vehicles and had been turning a wrench since his uncle had shown him how when he was younger. When he'd joined up with the park gorillas, they hadn't needed mechanics, so he'd become something of a handyman, fixing whatever needed to be fixed.

"You look really introspective," Nathan said.

"My gorilla's been acting up," he said. "I can't settle him down. I even went out for a shift last night when I couldn't sleep."

Nathan hummed. "That's weird."

August snorted. "Thanks."

"Hey, guys," Lucius, one of the lion shifters, said as he joined the line behind August.

"What's going on?" August asked.

"Not much. Well, did you guys hear about the jackal shifter that Mercer accidentally rescued?"

August's brows rose. "How do you accidentally rescue a jackal shifter?"

"Yeah," Nathan asked, "and how the hell are there jackal shifters in the first place? I've never heard of them."

"I'm sure there are tons of shifters we don't know anything about," Lucius said. "But anyway, Mercer was at an animal shelter helping Rhomi volunteer and he felt compelled to save a jackal that the shelter staff was going to put down. They brought her to the park, and when he and Rhomi went in to check on her, she was mid-shift in one of the cages in the bird sanctuary."

"Holy crap!" Nathan said. "Rhomi didn't know the truth of our people yet, right?"

Lucius shook his head. "She passed out in fear, and then Mercer had a heart-to-heart with her."

"When did that happen?" August asked.

"Last night."

"That's wild," August said. "Is the jackal okay?"

"Yeah, they've got her in one of the apartments. Apparently, someone in her family is after her and she was on the run when she was captured in a trap set by some shitty humans who hoarded animals."

August's upper lip curled. He hated humans who abused animals. Hoarders were the worst, letting animals live in terrible conditions.

"I assume the alphas have ramped up security?" Nathan asked.

The line moved forward as Lucius confirmed that the alphas of the various shifter groups that lived at the park had increased security to keep an eye out for trouble.

August's gorilla let out a low hoot in his mind as he thought about the female who'd been nearly killed by the animal shelter workers and was still in danger from her own people.

After Nathan ordered, August stepped up to the counter. "Hi, Jeanie," he said, nodding at the human female who was mated to alpha wolf Joss. She was in charge of the marketplace cafeteria, working closely with the bear shifters who handled the food for the park, which was not only for the shifters but also for the patrons who came through the gates.

"Hi, August, what can I get you today?"

He ordered the sandwich of the day, a ham and cheese sub loaded with veggies. "Fries or chips?" she asked.

"Chips, please."

"You're good to go. Someone will bring it out to you when it's ready."

"Thanks."

He walked to the glass front fridge and picked up a vanilla cream soda, then found Nathan at one of the tables.

"Thinking about that jackal?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. Imagine your family trying to kill you? Like I can't even imagine if someone in my mom's band wanted to take me out. Holy crap."

"Same," Nathan said. "She must feel really alone."

August's gorilla let out another hoot in his head. Damn, what was up with him today?

"At least she's safe now," he said.

The park was definitely a safe place. Over the years, many had come against them and failed, from Joss's exiled brother who tried to kill him during his mating ceremony, to just recently when a wolf pack infiltrated the park and tried to take over. Their people always prevailed, always kept their own safe. It's what made the park so awesome.

Lucius sat down. "I need a date like yesterday."

"For anything in particular?" August asked.

"Just in general. And I need a good cup of coffee."

"Are those mutual?" he asked, amused.

"Well, if we opened a coffee cart topside, we could hire some cuties to work behind the counter and maybe one of them would be my soulmate."

August chuckled. "A coffee cart is a great idea, but no way would the alphas let a human work here unless she was already mated to one of our people."

"They let Mercer's mate work here," he pointed out.

Their trays were placed on the table by one of the bears. August lifted one half of the overloaded sub and before he took a bite, he said, "That's also a good point. They might have let Mercer's mate Rhomi work here, but she also got a front-row seat to our people shifting when she shouldn't have. I think they won't let that happen again."

"Damn," Lucius said. "You're harshing my dream."

"Sorry," August said. "Trust me, I definitely want to find my soulmate. I think that's why my gorilla has been acting up. He's ready too."

"My lion is definitely ready," Lucius said.

"My gorilla is too," Nathan said. "The question is, where the hell do we find our soulmates?"

That was the million-dollar question.

When you couldn't tell a female the truth of shifters until the mating was secure, it left their people little options when it came to romance. There was no dating until the couple fell in love, there were arranged matings, which weren't done all that often anymore and never within the groups of the park, and there was waiting for soulmates.

He and his friends were all waiting.

He took a bite of the sub and shushed his gorilla.

We'll find her when the time is right, be patient.

Hoot.

The next afternoon, August was busy in the employee parking lot, working on the security booth's broken gate. The large wooden bar, covered with red and white stripes and reflective tape, had started to corrode from the elements and needed to be replaced and cleaned.

His gorilla was giving him so much trouble with the hooting and calling in his head and the general feeling of something is coming, that he stripped the bolts on the bar twice and nearly jabbed his eye out with a screwdriver.

"You okay, man?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. No." August let out a deep sigh and dropped his head to his chest. "I have no idea."

Nathan finished connecting the wires to the security bar. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. I haven't felt right in a few days." He rubbed the space over his heart as his gorilla hooted in his mind.

Nathan hummed but didn't say anything.

"What?" August asked.

"You think your soulmate is around? Or maybe coming?"

August froze and stared at his friend. No, actually, he hadn't thought of that. Searching his feelings, he heard the answering hoot of his gorilla.

"Holy shit."

Nathan grinned. "We were just talking about this yesterday! Okay, so the question is, where the hell is she and why are you feeling so weird now?"

"I have no idea."

Nathan ducked under the arm and grabbed his tools. "Let's head back to the maintenance shed and put our gear away. Maybe your soulmate is coming into the park today."

"That would be amazing," he said.

August was cautiously optimistic, but also curious. Why now? And where was she?

His gorilla let out a sharp call in his head and he caught the scent of something amazing, sweet and sultry and calling to him on a cellular level.

"Whoa, you okay?" Nathan asked with a low voice.

Scanning the parking lot, August didn't answer his friend as he stared at the vehicles that ranged from sedans to SUVs and vans. August saw one of the SUVs rock slightly as if someone had just shut the door, but no one had been in the lot since they'd been working on the security gate.

He moved forward, his gaze on the SUV.

The engine started and he raced to follow, reaching the end of the aisle in time to see her smash through the newly erected security bar.

"Holy shit," Nathan said as he stopped next to him. "Someone just stole that SUV."

"It's number 223," August said, pulling the walkie from the holster on his belt. "This is August, Jupiter are you there?"

"We're a little busy with some fucking jackals trying to break into the park. What's up?"

"Jackals?" His mind raced. Shit, Lucius had told him about the jackal shifter in hiding. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Jupiter asked.

"Does she have brown hair?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because she just stole one of our SUVs."

"What?" Jupiter bellowed, loud enough to wake the dead.

"I think she's my soulmate too."

Jupiter didn't say anything for a moment, then he said, "Can you track it?"

"Yeah." He jogged toward the entrance, his gorilla suddenly the happiest fucker on the planet. "Is the park safe?"

"Yeah, but if Ginny's your soulmate and she just fled, she's in a world of trouble. The jackals are looking for her."

He snarled. "I'll find her."

"Stay put, I'll meet you there."

Nathan smiled at August. "I'm going to hit up supplies to get the arm replaced. Again. Good luck, I hope you can track your soulmate and catch up to her fast," Nathan said.

"Thanks, man."

Alone in the employee lot, August rocked on his heels, his gorilla itching to get to her.

He'd found his soulmate. Her name was Ginny.

Now he just had to find her. Again.