Page 11 of Moonlight & Mayhem

“I doubt it,” she whispered under her breath, making him chuckle.

Mayhem checked the magazine and noted that it was full. He made a mental note to thank Chrome later. He risked a look over the edge of the bar to where Tempest had shifted positions, firing through the shattered front window while two of her sisters covered the side entrance. Mayhem caught movement near the parking lot as one of the Capitol Wolves sprinted toward the building.

“Left side!” he shouted. Tempest turned and fired, dropping the wolf outside. Something slammed into the back door, and the frame groaned. Moon’s wolf surged beneath her skin, and Mayhem grabbed her arm. “No.”

Her gaze snapped to his. “No what?”

“You aren’t going out there,” he ordered.

She laughed at him—actually laughed. “Excuse me?”

“You’re the club’s doctor,” he said as though that would be explanation enough.

“So,” she breathed.

“So, Dark Chaos needs you alive,” he said.

“So do you, now that you’ve ripped your stitches out,” she reminded.

“That’s different,” he insisted.

“How is it different?” she asked.

“Because I’m harder to kill and can stitch up myself in a pinch,” he said. Moon looked pointedly at the blood pouring through his shirt, and Mayhem frowned. “That’s just a temporary setback.”

“You almost died an hour ago,” she reminded.

“But I didn’t, proving that I’m hard to kill,” he said, smiling back at her. She shook her head at him, and the back door splintered. Moon shoved away from him, and Mayhem caught her around the waist. She elbowed him hard, and he grunted. “Jesus, woman.”

“Let go of me,” she shouted.

“No,” he said.

“Mayhem—” she said, trying to pull her wrist free from his hold.

His wolf rose. “Moonlight.” She froze beside him. Maybe it was the tone, or the bond that had quickly formed between them. Maybe she finally heard the thing he had been trying not to admit since waking up on her table. “You matter to me,” he said. Her breath caught, letting him know that he had her full attention. “Not because you saved me. Not because my wolf has decided to lose his fucking mind over you.” His wolf growled, but Mayhem ignored him. “You matter because you’re you.”

Moon stared at him. “This really isn’t the time for this,” she whispered.

“I know.” Another impact shook the rear door, and Mayhem tightened his grip on her. “So stay alive long enough for us to argue about it later.”

Something softened in her expression. “Fine.”

“Fine?” he asked, not sure if he believed her or not.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” she mumbled.

He grinned. “Bossy little—” The back door crashed inward, and three men stormed through. One fired into the clubhouse, and Mayhem pushed Moon down and returned fire. The first man went down as the second man shifted mid-stride. Mayhem heard his bones crack and skin tear as his massive brown wolf landed on the clubhouse floor. Mayhem’s wolf surged so violently that his vision blurred.

Kill. He heard his wolf growl. Not yet. His body wasn’t ready for combat yet, but his wolf charged anyway. Moon stepped in front of him. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Before he could answer her, Moon’s eyes flashed silver, and then she shifted. Mayhem forgot how to breathe. Moon’s wolf was magnificent. Silvery-white fur caught the dim clubhouse lights, almost glowing against the darkness. She wasn’t the largest wolf he had ever seen, but there was nothing fragile about her.

She lowered her head as the Capitol Wolf lunged for her. Moon met him, and they collided hard enough to knock over a table. Mayhem forced himself upright, and his side screamed in protest. He fired at the third attacker as the man raised his weapon toward Moon. The bullet hit center mass, and the man collapsed.

Mayhem tossed the gun aside. Moon and the other wolf rolled across the floor, snarling and snapping. The Capitol wolf was bigger, and Mayhem knew what he had to do. He shifted, or tried to, as agony ripped through him. His bones began to change and then stopped.

Mayhem dropped to one knee. “Fuck!” It had to be the poison that stopped him mid-shift. His wolf slammed against whatever was holding him back. Our mate is fighting. His wolf said. “I fucking know!”