Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

shifter.
    One of the last times he’d seen her as a lupine shifter had been directly after her transformation. She’d been healed after the change but covered in her own blood. And another wolf had been holding her.
    Protecting her.
    Comforting her.
    Jayce still didn’t know the details of what had happened to her during her hours of torture—she refused to tell anyone about it—but according to December she still had nightmares.
    And no one was there to ease her pain. Jayce’s hands balled into fists as he turned and headed up the stone walkway. Ever since they’d found Kat in that run-down barn, he’d been living in a state of hell. It was the feeling of helplessness that nearly undid him every time he thought of Kat. Which was practically every second of every day. The tall, gorgeouswoman invaded his dreams when he was sleeping. He should have been there to save her. If he had, he’d have been the one to change her into a shifter.
    The second he stepped into the house, he knew Kat wasn’t there. Her scent was there, but he couldn’t hear a heartbeat. She’d been gone maybe twenty minutes if he had to guess from her fading scent. Had ducked her guard just like he feared she’d do since Connor had let her live apart from the pack.
    Jayce knew it wasn’t the first time she’d done this either. December had become an unlikely source of information as she was worried about her friend and often called him with updates on Kat.
    This kind of shit was going to stop. If she didn’t care about her own safety, she needed to at least be concerned about the rest of the pack. And according to December, over the past week Kat had been disappearing for hours at a time. She wouldn’t tell anyone what she was doing either. Jayce had heard she’d been having difficulty controlling her change from human to wolf, and that could be a very dangerous thing for all the local shifters.
    Worry and possessiveness rose up inside him. His need to protect Kat was deep-seated and something he still didn’t understand completely. He’d felt it the moment he’d met her and it jarred him every time he was near her. Or thought about her.
    Inhaling, he followed the trail of her scent out the back door, through December’s backyard, and on to the next street over. The distinctive scent of roses was so blatantly Kat, every time he smelled the damn flower he thought of her. But it was slightly different from the actual rose. The classic smell intermixed with something sweeter, purer, and all Kat. He’d recognize it anywhere.
    She hadn’t been gone long, so he hurried back to his bike and headed out. He didn’t bother telling Ryan that Kat was gone either. No one was going after her except him. If anyone tried to interfere tonight, they’d probably get hurt. Including any shifters.
    On his motorcycle it was easy to trail her in his human form. Hell, as an enforcer, he preferred his human form. Hewas much older than most shifters, and once he let his animal take over, it was always a struggle for control with his inner wolf. Right now, where Kat was concerned, it was important if not absolutely necessary to exert as much restraint as possible.
    A short ride later he pulled into the parking lot of Kelly’s Bar and Grill, a local Irish pub in the middle of downtown Fontana. The mountain town in North Carolina saw a lot of tourists in the winter months, and judging by the number of cars in the parking lot, the place was packed tonight.
    He rolled his shoulders as he stepped off his bike. Being around too many people—humans or supernatural beings—always put him on edge. All those scents were overwhelming. He much rather preferred to be outdoors, far from civilization.
    As he stepped inside, Kat’s scent grew stronger. Even among the stench of perfumes, booze, and other body odors, her sweet rose aroma tickled his nose and wrapped around him, embracing him like a gentle caress.
    “Would you like to be seated in our dining area or would you prefer to find a seat at the bar?” A bubbly blond female wearing black pants and a black T-shirt held a menu in her hand as she looked at him.
    “Bar’s fine,” he said as he brushed past her.
    A burst of annoyance rolled off the human, but right now all he cared about was tracking down Kat. After a quick lap around the place, he followed her trail out a side exit door.
    Once he was outside in the crisp night air, the strong scent of roses entwined around him. She was close. Frowning, he