Page 9 of Moonlight & Mayhem

“You’re listing to the left,” she pointed out. Yeah, that was because his left side felt like it was on fire, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

“I always walk like this,” he lied.

“No, you don’t.” Mayhem frowned, and Moon pointed toward his ribs. “You’re compensating for the injury.”

“Doctor—” he started.

“Patient,” she chided. His wolf pushed against his skin. Mayhem inhaled slowly, taking her scent deep into his lungs, which was a bad idea—a very bad fucking idea. Everything about Moon made his wolf want to forget the gunfire, drag her back into that clinic, and settle the whole mate problem in the most primitive way possible. Mayhem clenched his jaw. Later. If they survived tonight, there would be a later, and Moon could deny the bond all she wanted, but he wouldn’t—not anymore.

“Fine,” he said. “Walk beside me.”

“I wasn’t asking permission to do so,” she insisted.

“Of course you weren’t.” They reached the main room, and Dark Chaos had gone from a clubhouse to a fortress in seconds. Women moved through the building with practiced efficiency. Guns came out of safes. Windows were being covered. Two members shoved heavy tables against the side entrance while another woman killed the music and switched off most of the lights. There was no screaming, no panic—just action. Mayhem respected the hell out of that.

He had always known Tempest ran a tight club. Howler wouldn’t have trusted her otherwise. But seeing the Dark Chaos women move together under pressure was different. They weren’t playing bikers; they weren’t pretending to be dangerous because they wore patches and rode Harleys—they were a pack, and someone had just made the mistake of threatening their den.

Tempest stood near the front windows, weapon drawn, barking orders. “Red, back entrance. Blue, upstairs. Nobody shifts unless they breach the building. I want shooters first.”

Moon stepped forward. “What do we have?” Tempest glanced over, and then she saw Mayhem, and her expression went flat.

“Go back to the fucking clinic, where I ordered you both to stay,” Tempest spat.

Mayhem sighed. “Not you, too.”

“I told Moon to protect you,” she reminded.

“She is protecting me,” Mayhem insisted.

“With what—sarcasm?” Tempest asked.

Moon lifted her handgun, and Tempest looked between them. “Um, no,” Moon said. “I’ll use this instead of my wit.”

“I swear to God, Moon—” Tempest growled.

“They attacked our clubhouse,” Moon said.

“That doesn’t make him magically healed,” Tempest insisted.

“I'm standing right here,” Mayhem said. “And I can speak for myself. I’m not just a pretty face, ladies.” Both women ignored him, and his wolf was insulted. Mayhem almost laughed.

A Dark Chaos member moved away from the window. “Three vehicles outside the south gate. At least six men—maybe more.”

“Wolves?” Tempest asked.

“Can’t tell.” Mayhem could tell. He closed his eyes. His senses were dulled by the poison, but they weren’t gone. He smelled oil, gunpowder, wet pavement, fear, and underneath it—wolf.

His eyes opened. “It’s the Capitol Wolves.”

Tempest looked at him. “You sure?”

“Yes,” he said.

Moon moved closer. “How many?” Mayhem inhaled again, and pain shot through his chest, but he ignored it.

“Four wolves—maybe five. They have humans with them, too,” he said.

Tempest cursed. “That means they know he’s here,” Moon said, nodding at Mayhem.