Page 138 of Moonlight & Mayhem

“Three wolves are a threat,” he said.

“Two isn't?” she asked.

“Two can be explained,” Chrome insisted.

“As what?” she asked. Chrome looked at her. He shouldn't—he really fucking shouldn't, but he couldn't resist.

“A couple coming home for Christmas,” he said. Mayhem made a choking sound, and Moon covered her mouth. Tempest looked delighted, and poor Howler looked exhausted.

Christmas stared at Chrome. “I'm going to kill you.”

Chrome grinned. “See? We're already acting like a married couple.” She took a step toward him. He laughed and backed away. “Too far?” he asked.

“You think?” she questioned.

“Little bit,” he admitted.

“Keep going.” Chrome stopped, and Christmas glared, but there was something in her eyes—something warmer than anger. His wolf noticed. Ours. Chrome froze. No. Absolutely fucking not. He shoved the thought away so hard his wolf growled.

Christmas frowned. “What?”

“Nothing,” he breathed.

Her gaze sharpened. “You just went weird.”

“I did not,” he said.

“You did,” she insisted.

“Maybe I'm scared of you,” he covered.

“You should be.” She walked back toward her chair, and Chrome stared after her. His wolf paced. Ours. No. He'd seen mate bonds—Howler and Tempest. Mayhem and Moon. He knew what recognition looked like, but this wasn't that. It couldn't be. Christmas hadn't reacted, and Chrome sure as hell wasn't going back to Holly Ridge with a woman his wolf had suddenly decided belonged to him. That would be a fucking nightmare.

Tempest looked at Chris. “You two leave at first light.” Christmas nodded, and Chrome's stomach tightened. He was going back to the place that he’d spent twelve years running from tomorrow. With Christmas—the woman Holly Ridge had somehow been calling through her dreams. The woman someone had invited to his home, and possibly the woman his wolf had just claimed without asking his fucking permission first. Perfect—absolutely fucking perfect.

Chrome didn't sleep. He tried, but at two in the morning, he gave up and walked outside. Snow covered the Dark Chaos parking lot. Christmas lights glowed along the clubhouse roof. Someone had wrapped the light poles in red and white lights until they looked like candy canes. Chrome shook his head. Dark Chaos apparently took holiday decorating seriously.

The clubhouse door opened behind him, but he didn't turn. He didn’t need to because he already knew who it was—Christmas. “Can't sleep?”

“Nope.” Her boots crunched over the snow, and she stopped beside him. She wasn’t wearing her kutte and just had on jeans, boots, and a thick black hoodie. Her hair was pulled into a messy knot. Chrome liked her like this—too much.

“You can’t sleep either?” he asked.

“If I sleep, I dream.” His wolf immediately sat up and paid attention.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing new,” she lied.

“Bullshit,” he said.

Chris sighed. “You really need to come up with another word.”

“My word works,” he said. He looked at her, and she looked toward the trees. Chrome waited her out, knowing that eventually, she’d tell him.

“I saw the town again.”

His chest tightened. “Did you see Elias?”