Page 83 of Moonlight & Mayhem

“Not helping,” she whispered. Morrigan pulled a chain from beneath her shirt, and a pendant hung from it. Moon's breath caught. It was a crescent moon, wrapped in black thorns. She'd seen it before—not just in the journal. Her mother had owned one. Moon remembered it. She could almost picture Selene standing at the kitchen sink with it hanging around her neck. Moon couldn't have been more than six. Sunlight shone through the window, and her mother's hair was pulled into a messy knot. The silver pendant rested against her chest. Moon had reached for it because she thought that it was pretty. Selene had snatched it away—not angrily, but fearfully. Moon hadn't understood then, but she did now.

“My mother had that,” Moon said.

Morrigan nodded. “There were two.” She turned the pendant over. Letters had been carved into the back. S.V. Selene Vale. Morrigan reached into her coat again, and Chris's gun lifted.

Morrigan sighed. “I'm getting the other one,” she explained.

“Slowly,” Chris ordered again. Morrigan pulled out a second pendant that had the same symbol, with different initials. M.V. Moon swallowed.

“What does the M stand for?” she asked.

“It’s my name, Morrigan,” she said.

“I thought that your name was Blood Seer,” Mayhem said.

Morrigan shook her head. “Blood Seer isn't a person or a name. It's a position.” Just like Prez, VP, or Enforcer. Moon looked at Mayhem, and she could tell that he was thinking the same thing.

“Your mother was supposed to become the Silver Healer,” Morrigan said.

Moon's attention snapped back to the older woman. “What?”

“She refused,” she said.

“Why would she refuse to be the Silver Healer?” Moon asked.

“Because she discovered what the Hollow elders intended to use her for,” Morrigan explained.

Mayhem's hand tightened around hers. “The mate bond experiments,” Moon guessed. Morrigan nodded, and Moon's stomach twisted. “My mother was involved in all of it—the night root, and finding a carrier and a vessel, wasn’t she?” Morrigan looked away, and Moon understood. “My mother was involved.”

“She was forced to be involved,” Morrigan insisted.

“That's not what I asked,” Moon spat.

Morrigan met her gaze. “Yes, she was involved.” Moon felt sick.

Mayhem stepped closer. “Don’t believe everything she says, honey,” he warned.

She shook her head. “I need the truth.”

“And you'll get it.” Morrigan pointed toward the woods. “But not here.”

Moon looked at the wolves surrounding them. “Why aren't they attacking us?”

“Because they don't want you dead,” Morrigan said.

Mayhem muttered, “Everyone keeps saying that like it's comforting.”

Morrigan looked at him. “They want you dead.”

“That's more familiar,” Mayhem breathed. Moon elbowed him.

Morrigan continued. “They need Moon alive.”

“For what?” Tempest asked. Her Prez's voice came from behind them, and Moon turned to find that Tempest and Howler had arrived with Red and Blue. Thank God. Moon hadn't even realized how badly she needed to see her sisters until Tempest stepped off her bike.

Howler moved beside Mayhem. “You okay?”

“Fantastic,” Mayhem growled.