Page 98 of Moonlight & Mayhem

Moon pulled away from him. “The Hollow.” The church bell began ringing, and the entire church shook.

Mayhem stood, actually stood, with no weakness and no black veins. Moon grabbed his arm. “You okay?”

He looked down at himself. “Yeah.”

“How are you okay?” she whispered.

“No idea.” He smiled. “Ask me again when people aren't shooting at us.”

They ran toward the church. Inside, chaos had erupted. Chris stood near the altar with Chrome beside her. A massive crescent moon wrapped in black thorns had been carved into the stone floor, exactly like Moon's vision. Chris held a blade, and Chrome was bleeding from his shoulder. Chris’s hands were covered in his blood.

Moon stopped. “Chris!” Christmas looked at her.

Chrome grabbed her arm. “You don't know what happens if you break it.”

Chris looked at him. “That's sort of the point.”

“Christmas,” Chrome warned.

She softened, just a little. “I have to.”

Chrome's jaw tightened, and then he released her. “I know.”

Chris raised the blade. The white-haired elder rushed through the doorway behind Moon. “STOP HER!” Mayhem turned, and the elder shifted into a huge white wolf with a silver collar around his neck. Moon's mother's warning slammed through her. Fear the one who wears silver. It wasn’t about silver hair or a silver wolf. It was about the collar that he wore. She was warning her about the elders.

Moon understood. “They're bound too!”

Mayhem looked at her. “What?”

“The elders aren't controlling the Hollow,” she said. The white wolf lunged at him, and Mayhem shifted. This time, there was no pain and no hesitation. His black wolf exploded forward, and Moon gasped. He was healthy, strong, and beautiful. Mayhem was her mate. He hit the white wolf, and they crashed into the pews.

Moon ran toward Chris. “Break it!” Chris lifted the blade, and the elder's wolf howled. Every silver collar in Black Hollow began glowing.

Morrigan appeared in the doorway. “DO IT!” Chris drove the blade into the crescent, and the world exploded around them. Stone cracked, and the bell tower screamed as the symbol split down the middle. A shock wave tore through the church, and Moon hit the floor. Mayhem's wolf landed beside her and the silver collars shattered—all of them.

Outside, wolves screamed, not in pain, but because they were free. The church floor split open.

Moon stared into darkness. Something glowed beneath them—silver and blood. The preserved blood of the first healer.

Morrigan stepped toward it, and the elder shifted back. “No!” He crawled toward the opening. “You've destroyed us!”

Morrigan looked at him. “No.” She smiled. “Selene did.” Moon froze as Morrigan looked at her. “She knew you would come back.” The elder lunged, and Morrigan turned. He drove a blade into her stomach, and Moon screamed. Mayhem shifted back and tackled the elder. He landed three punches, and the elder stopped moving. Moon ran to Morrigan as blood spread across her coat.

“No,” Moon breathed.

Morrigan smiled weakly. “Seems your mother finally got her revenge.”

“Don't talk.” Moon pressed her hands over the wound. “I'm a doctor.”

“I know,” Morrigan said.

“I can fix this,” Moon insisted.

“Moon.” Morrigan grabbed her wrist. “Let me do one thing right.”

Moon stared at her. “What?”

Morrigan looked toward the glowing chamber. “The blood has to be destroyed.”