Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

wasn’t a hostage and if she wanted to leave, she damn well would. It wasn’t as if these APL members had superstrength. If she could get her hands on a weapon, she could defend herself. No one would be sneaking up on her this time.
    “What are you doing?” Erin demanded as she strode after her.
    “What do you think? If you guys can’t get hold of Liam, then what else can we do? Do you plan to just sit here and do nothing? If this turns out to be where Kat’s being held and they move her in the meantime…” She didn’t finish because it was pointless. She didn’t care what they said.
    She was going.
    Erin touched her arm lightly as she grabbed her coat from the rack. “Hold on a sec,” she murmured, and looked at the other wolves. “Noah and Jacob are checking out other leads in town and we can’t ask the others to leave the ranch unprotected…but we can go.”
    Aiden nodded and motioned to December. “Just leave her at the main house.”
    December glared at the tall shifter who spoke as if she weren’t even in the room. “Kat is my best friend and unless you plan on tying me up and knocking me out, I’m going.” The three of them stared at her, but she held her ground. “My brother’s a cop. I don’t own a gun, but I know how to use one. Give me a weapon and I promiseto stay out of the way. Besides, if you don’t take me, I’m following anyway.”
    Erin and Aiden both cursed, but the she-wolf nodded tightly. “You stay out of the way or I
will
knock you out.”
    “Deal. Now can we leave?” Every second they spent here was a second wasted. Her heart pounded mercilessly, the blood rushing loudly in her ears. Kat might not have much time left and if this was where she was being held, they had to help her.
    December wiped clammy palms on her jeans as they drove down the barely formed trail. Snow had fallen hard earlier, making the road thick and slushy, but Aiden didn’t seem to notice as he drove. She sat in the backseat with Erin and so far everyone had been quiet.
    They’d missed the turnoff the first time, but Ryan figured it out by calculating the longitude and latitude. Or something like that. She didn’t really understand or care how he’d figured out where they were going. She just wanted to find her friend.
    “We should be there soon,” Ryan murmured.
    They’d been driving through the forest down the dirt trail for a while, though it probably seemed longer than it actually was.
    A few moments later, Aiden slowed the truck and killed the engine in the middle of the trail. He glanced back at them. “We go on foot from here. I don’t like you being here,” he said to her, “so stick close and keep your weapon on hand at all times.”
    She nodded, unable to get rid of the nervousness threading through her. “Okay.”
    When she stepped out into the snow, she sank nearly a foot into the powdery softness.
    Instantly Aiden knelt in front of her and turned sothat his back was facing her. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Liam will probably kill me for touching you, but I’m going to carry you. We can move faster that way.”
    She didn’t care one way or another how they got there. Quickly, she slid onto his back and held on as they began the trek down the trail. He was a little taller than Liam and she was thankful for his added warmth. Even with her thick coat her face was already frozen. The farther they went, the thicker the trees got, but there was still a distinct—if smaller—trail that was probably used for snowmobiles.
    After a few minutes all three shifters slowed in unison. December had no idea why but figured maybe they scented something or someone.
    “We’re close,” Aiden said as if he read her mind. Stopping completely, he bent down and let her off his back.
    Adrenaline pumped through her wildly. They were close to finding Kat. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did. This was it. It
had
to be. Kat was likely scared out of her mind.
    Suddenly, the trail thinned and opened to a small clearing. What they’d seen from the satellite images was a small, dilapidated barn. Not for animals exactly, but probably for storage, though whoever owned it hadn’t kept it up well.
    Erin sniffed the air and glanced at them. “You smell that?”
    “Dead bodies. Really old ones,” Aiden said.
    December didn’t smell anything, but her throat clenched at their words. “Kat?”
    Erin shook her head. “No, these bodies have been here weeks at least. The scent is