Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

go without him made his canines ache. Especially with Kat’s kidnapping so fresh in his mind.
    He wanted to lean over and kiss her until neither of them could think straight. But he didn’t. Thinking about letting her deeper into his life made him crazy. He couldn’t let what happened to Kat happen to December. If pushing her away was the only way to accomplish that, he’d do it. No matter how much it tore him up. Turning his back to her, he slid out of bed and began getting dressed.
    After he laced up his boots, he headed for the door.
    “Uh, Liam?” December still sat on the bed clutching the sheet, looking a little lost.
    And it was his fault. He knew he was pulling away from her. If he didn’t do it now, he didn’t know how the hell he could walk away from her. From what they had together. But if he didn’t, she’d be a target the rest of her life. How could he do that to her? Ask that of her? Hisinner wolf screamed at him to walk over and kiss her. Soothe her. Hold her in his arms. Tell her everything would be all right.
    But he couldn’t.
    In the doorway he turned to look at her but kept his expression devoid of emotion. “I’ll have my phone on me all day if you need me. Once I’m done, I’ll stop by the store.”
    With confusion and more than a hint of pain in her blue eyes, she nodded. “Okay.”
    His chest ached with the need to comfort her, but he ordered his legs to move. Hurrying out of the house, he didn’t breathe until he was outside. Even the small distance didn’t help. He could still see the hurt on her face. Knowing he’d put it there made it worse.
    “Fuck me,” he muttered. He knew he was being an asshole—he just didn’t know another way to keep December safe.
    “No thanks.” Jayce appeared from behind one of the trees, looking haggard and tense.
    Dressed in all black, the other wolf had a look that said someone was going to die today.
Just fucking great,
Liam thought. He needed to question that guy William Braun and he didn’t need Jayce tagging along, freaking the guy out before he got the information they needed.
    As they strode across the yard, he cleared his throat, not sure how to broach the subject. “When did you get back?”
    “Half an hour ago. I’m going with you to question that asshole.” A statement, not a question.
    “I don’t think—”
    “I don’t give a shit what you think. I’m going with or without you.” The threatening note in his voice wasn’t exactly subtle.
    Liam shook his head. “You’re not thinking clearly—”
    “I’ve never been clearer headed in my life. And if you try to stop me, I’ll rip your throat out,” he growled without looking at him.
    Liam wasn’t sure if he’d actually do it or not. He wasn’t exactly scared of the guy, but a male terrified for his female was a scary thing. The potent scent of rage and pain rolling off Jayce was stifling. And he and Kat weren’t even mated. Hadn’t been together for months. Sighing, Liam projected to his brother that he was taking Jayce with him.
    Connor wasn’t happy but he didn’t argue the point. Probably because, as a mated male, he understood more than most the kind of pain Jayce was dealing with. If Ana were out there right now, Liam had no doubt that Connor would have ripped apart the town trying to find her.
    As they reached his Bronco, Jayce slid into the passenger seat. The silence was tense and uncomfortable as Liam steered through the gate. Normally he didn’t mind the quiet, but today it felt as if one wrong word would crack the very air around them.
    “We’re going to find her,” Liam finally said. For himself or Jayce, he wasn’t sure.
    Jayce grunted something incomprehensible.
    Kat was a strong female. Stronger than any human he’d ever met. “They took her for a reason. They’re
not
going to kill her. From what we’ve gathered, they want to use our females against us.”
    “They might not kill her, but they’re all dead. I’ve pissed off a lot of people in the last five hundred years, long before I became the enforcer. We don’t even know if this was the APL.” His voice was remote yet pained.
    It was them. Liam could feel it to his core. He hesitated a moment longer before asking what was really onhis mind. “If you could go back…would you do things differently with her?” He wasn’t sure why Jayce had never bonded with Kat when it was obvious he loved her.
    Jayce was silent so long Liam wasn’t sure he’d answer. Still staring