He will rock her world…once he shows her how he really howls.
The Order of the Wolf, Book 5
By night, Mayhem howls out monster rock hits to roaring crowds, and lives the rock ’n’ roll dream. But lately he wants more than empty sex marathons with lusting fangirls. When he spies a beautiful redhead at his latest album launch party, his wolf howls only for her.
He can taste her sweetness and innocence hovering just beyond his grasp, but it’ll be a delicate task showing her the side of his life no one ever sees. When the sun rises, and his wolf form takes over.
Fledgling rock magazine editor Hannah knows the minute she lays eyes on Mayhem that she won’t fit into his world. But that doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize that she’s the only woman wrapped around his smoking-hot body.
One kiss—one perfect kiss—and Mayhem is ready to seal the deal of and for a lifetime. But before he can properly introduce Hannah to both halves of himself, she is gone without a trace. And the rapidly cooling trail smells distinctly of Hunter…
Warning: Contains a pack alpha/rock star with an attitude. He’s HOT. As in whole-lot-of-trouble hot. Set-your-panties-on-fiyah hot. Make-you-want-to-climb-into-this-book hot. Sensitive readers be warned, once he zeroes in on his mate, he’s not above breaking a few rules to get what he wants.
Mayhem
Angela Addams
Dedication
I’ve had a lot of support for Mayhem and enthusiasm for his character and story that makes me giggle with excitement. Holly Atkinson is the most fabulous editor in the world. Her wisdom and encouragement has helped me grow as a writer. The fact that she has such faith in this series is truly amazing and I can’t thank her enough. Seleste DeLaney, Danielle Wegner and D.B. Reynolds all read early versions of Mayhem and gave me valuable feedback that helped me reshape it to what it is now. The wonderful Dianne Waye once again gave her keen eyes and helped with beta reading. My husband and children always give me the time I need and put up with my grumpy moods when I’m in the zone. And a final word of thanks to all of the bloggers and readers who have embraced this series in such a positive way, I’m surrounded by wonderful people that help me become a better writer and for that I am truly grateful.
Chapter One
“Mayhem! Mayhem! Mayhem!”
The chant swelled momentarily as the door to his hidden sanctuary opened and closed, the muffled sound thumping at the walls, threatening his peace.
“I’m not going out there,” Mayhem growled, the deep rumble enough to warn most people to leave him the fuck alone.
“It’s your launch party, May. You’ve got to go—the record execs have thrown a lot of money into this album.” Unfortunately, the growling strategy usually didn’t work on his manager, Dave Strader. The man had balls of steel. “Seriously, Mayhem, if you fuck this up and they pull the funding, you’re done! We’re done!”
Slumping back in his chair, Mayhem blew out a long breath. “It’s just a bunch of fangirls drinking free booze and wanting autographs,” he objected. And why he’d let the record execs badger him into having the party at his private residence was beyond his understanding. His skin crawled at the invasion of his turf. “Listen to them out there!”
“Wanting your cock, more like it.” Raven, his bassist, snickered from the doorway.
Mayhem rubbed his hand over his jaw and yawned. Yeah, fucking groupies. All they seemed to want was a quick bang and the bragging rights to go with it. He’d grown out of that shit recently, no longer taking pleasure in the multiple opportunities for one-night stands. The trouble with being a famous rock star was the rumors—his insatiable appetite in bed over the years seemed to have cultivated quite the reputation among the ladies. It meant endless numbers of loose women, but nothing that brought his life any substance. Sounded crazy, but it was true.
What he really wanted, what his wolf wanted, was a mate for life.
Yeah, not going to happen. In his line of work, all he got were fake tits and collagen lips.
“I’m not interested. I’m done with fucking groupies,” Mayhem grumbled.
“You just have to make an appearance. Shake a few hands. Have a drink,” Dave said.
His manager’s voice was beginning to grate, and Mayhem was sorely tempted to lash into him. But he couldn’t blame the man for doing his job. And Dave was right—Mayhem’s career was beginning to tank, and the time had probably come to kiss some executive ass…that or start handing out resumes. There had been too many disruptions over the past year—cancelled concerts, a six month forced hiatus—all of which were linked to the politics of being a werewolf and not something he could explain to the industry folks.
“This bullshit about waiting for your mate is fucking everything up, man!” Dave continued. “Seriously, you’ve got to tap into the old Mayhem, the one who could fuck a woman with just a look.”
“It’s my wolf,” Mayhem said. “It won’t accept anything less.”
Although Dave managed Mayhem’s band—which was really a small pack—and knew about their “wolf status” so to speak, he couldn’t truly understand the intrinsic nature of it all. It wasn’t his fault. He was simply incapable of grasping the significance of finding one’s mate.
It didn’t help matters that the rest of his pack had found their mates. Raven, Jaylon, Dyami had stumbled into blissful unions. All but Mayhem. And what were the odds of lightning striking a fourth time? Nil as far as he was concerned.
“Well, you’re not going to meet any woman, let alone your mate, locked inside this room. Raven, help me out here, would ya? What are the ladies like out there? Any fine ones?” Dave said as he turned to pour himself something from the bar.
“Fine ones? Fuck yeah!” Raven smirked as he whipped out his cell phone and made his way over to Mayhem. “It just so happens that I snapped some pics of the ladies out there tonight. Thought we might be able to entice you out of hiding if you saw what was on display.”
Mayhem waved his hand in dismissal. “Not interested.”
“There are tons of hot babes, May, but I’ve got one just for you.” Raven swiped his finger across the screen a few times. “Ah, here she is…” Before Mayhem could say anything, Raven flashed a smile and thrust the phone into Mayhem’s face. “The tall redhead there, standing with the blonde.”
Mayhem grumbled another rough round of cursing before dropping his gaze to the phone, certain all he was going to see was another fangirl with a big rack and a short skirt. But the second he looked at the screen, he was done for.
Fuck me!
Chapter Two
“I don’t want to be here,” Hannah told her cousin for the fiftieth time as she tugged at her borrowed clothes, a too-tight sweater and a too-short skirt. Why had she agreed to let Dani talk her into coming to this party for some band she didn’t know? “Seriously, Dani, this is too much! I need to go home and get some work done.”
Dani scoffed as she swiped another glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray. “On a Saturday night, you need to go home and work? Are you listening to yourself? Do you know how pathetic that sounds?”
Dani’s jab hurt, but Hannah swallowed it down like the bitter pill it was. Dani was right, of course. It was pathetic. But she’d made a commitment to her boss that she would get some edits back to him by Monday, and she was way behind. In the world of magazine publishing, the time crunch was very real, especially when she was just an assistant editor and desperately hoping to keep her job.
“Sorry, hun. That was insensitive.” Dani laid a hand on Hannah’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’
re the one who got the invite. I just thought you’d like to see for yourself the kind of perks that come with your job.”
Hannah nodded. Her job did come with a few perks. A very few. Her cousin was a journalist at the same magazine where Hannah worked. Rock Hard was devoted to the kind of loud and brutal music that seemed to be pumping out of everyone’s MP3 players these days. Hannah didn’t get it. It wasn’t her kind of music, but after looking for employment for almost a year post-grad, she’d been grateful when Dani had offered to hook her up with a job at the magazine.
“Man, you should have seen how jealous everyone was when they found out you’d won the invite. Sheesh, I thought I was gonna have to fight my way out of there on Friday.” Dani grinned like she would have loved a battle.
It was true—Hannah was the last person who should have won tickets to the launch party. She didn’t even know what band the party was for. But her name had been drawn fair and square, and Dani wouldn’t hear of Hannah giving them away to someone else. Especially since Dani was the one who’d be going with her.
Hannah sighed and flashed a smile at her cousin. “Yeah, you’re right. And it has been fun and very…different from what I’m used to.”
Dani held up her glass and clinked it with Hannah’s. “Good. Now, drink up. I’m determined to get you plastered before the night is over!”
Hannah reluctantly downed what was left in her glass and handed it over to her cousin.
“There’s a good girl. Now, I’m just going to go to the bar and… Oh. My. God!” Dani pointed her hand, glass and all, toward the doorway of the grand ballroom. “Holy shit! Hannah, do you know who that is?”
Hannah snapped her gaze to the looming figure, a six-foot something giant of a man who seemed to carry a chilling air of menace about him. She shivered as she scanned him from head to toe. He was captivating. With long black hair dropping past his shoulders, chiseled features and stunning blue eyes that seemed to glow from across the room, she couldn’t take her gaze off him.
And apparently, she wasn’t the only one. Women gravitated toward him like he was a pot of honey in a room full of bees. Beautiful women, all fawning over him with little evidence of self-consciousness or modesty.
Hannah shrugged. “No, who is he?” she asked, feigning an indifference she definitely didn’t feel. She was unable to look away from him, despite the growing swarm of women.
“Who is he?” Dani repeated. “Who is he? Hannah, that’s the front man for Riot, the guy we came here to see! The guy everyone came here to see. For Christ’s sake, girl! That’s Mayhem!”
“Mayhem? What kind of name is that?” Hannah wrinkled her nose, suddenly feeling like some kind of sick voyeur as one of the women wrapped her arms around Mayhem’s neck and hoisted herself up his body, practically pushing her silicone breasts in his face.
“It’s not his real name, silly.”
Hannah tore her gaze away from Mayhem to focus on what her cousin was saying. “No, I guess it wouldn’t be.” She chuckled.
“Rumor has it that he’s a terror to deal with. Very temperamental. You know the type? ‘Artistic’.” Dani air-quoted the last word with her free hand and winked. “There’s also a lot of talk about his prowess in the sack.”
Hannah felt her face flush. “Well, that would explain all the women.”
“Record numbers, I’ve heard.” Dani sighed. “What I wouldn’t give…”
Hannah frowned. “You’d like that kind of guy? Someone who’s been around like that? How would you ever feel special?” She shook her head. “Nope, not for me.”
Dani scoffed, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You’d pass up a night with him?” She pointed toward the hulking man, all but forcing Hannah to look again. “Seriously, Hannah, he’s a god—look at his body! Shit, girl, you think he wouldn’t make you feel special? Jesus, even if it was for only one night? Fuck, yeah, I’d do it with him. In. A. Heartbeat.”
Hannah watched as Mayhem brought his arms up in an attempt to ward off the woman who still clung to him. He swiveled his head, his expression serious as he searched the crowd, obviously looking for someone in particular. Seconds later, his hard gaze fell on her, and she recoiled from its intensity.
Dani nudged her. “Oh, my God! Hannah, he’s coming over here. He’s coming over here!”
And true enough, with his gaze locked on hers, he pivoted and stormed toward them, leaving a gaggle of confused women behind as the crowd parted before him.
“Mayhem?” Hannah muttered just as the man himself came to a stop in front of her. His massive frame towered so that she had to crane her head back to look at him.
“Who are you?” His tone was rough, almost like a bark, and she flinched as a beat of fear licked up her spine.
I don’t belong here.
“Mayhem, this is my cousin, Hannah Lane and I’m Dani—”
With a quick cut of his gaze, he halted Dani mid-sentence, her mouth left hanging as he reached down and grasped Hannah’s hand, dwarfing it completely in his own before bringing it up to his lips. “Hannah,” he whispered reverently and planted a chaste kiss on her palm. “A beautiful name.”
Hannah frowned as she looked from Mayhem to her cousin, suddenly feeling like she’d stumbled into some kind of time warp or something. His words were so different from his presence. She had to admit, she was taken in by him. It was hard not to be. He was so unbelievably gorgeous and radiated power—confidence. But there was something dangerous about him too, his sensuality a lure.
Dani cleared her throat, snapping Hannah out of her thoughts. “Mayhem, I just wanted to say that I really love your new album! That song, Thorns, is so dark and heart-wrenching. What inspired you to write it?”
Mayhem lowered Hannah’s hand but didn’t let go as he glanced at Dani. “I was inspired by a humanitarian trip that I took when I was younger, to a refugee camp where poverty, sickness and destitution were everywhere. So much destruction.” He frowned as he spoke, his gaze shifting back to Hannah’s. “And yet, with all that bloodshed and sorrow, I found a little rose bush growing among the makeshift homes. If a rose can grow and bloom, thrive despite the horror, then so can the human spirit.”
Hannah felt the burn of tears threatening to spill. So earnest. So sad. As if he was speaking with his soul only to her. “I’ve never heard the song,” she said. “But I’d like to.”
Dani gasped. “What my cousin meant to say is that she didn’t get the album in time—”
“Hannah, would you care to join me for a walk? It’s a lovely night. The moon is calling to me. I’d like to show you some of my garden. It’s stunning in the moonlight.”
Hannah shifted her gaze to meet that of her cousin, suddenly very unsure of what to do. Dani was nodding like a madwoman and mouthing at her to say yes.
“If you’re concerned, your cousin can accompany us,” Mayhem offered.
Dani was shaking her head as she gave Hannah a little push in Mayhem’s direction. “No, no, you two go. I’ve got to chat with someone—” she pointed vaguely in the opposite direction “—over there.” And she quickly darted off, leaving Hannah feeling awkward and abandoned.
“Hannah, will you walk with me? I promise that nothing untoward will happen to you.” His voice was softer than it had been, a low rumble that rolled over Hannah’s body and left a pulse of excitement in its wake.
Hannah shrugged and shifted her gaze away from Mayhem, for the first time noticing that the humming white noise of the simultaneous conversations from moments before had ceased, and all eyes were on her and Mayhem. She felt her face flush again as a rising crest of panic began to take hold. Desperate to escape the stares, she nodded as she looked back up to meet Mayhem’s unwavering gaze.
“Yes, I’d love to.”
Chapter Three
His wolf called to her, confined to his human form. It was a growl only Mayhem could hear, bo
th man and beast craving her body in ways he had never experienced before. When he’d seen her photo, he’d been captivated by the image, curiosity winning him over, forcing him out of his hiding spot. He’d always had a soft spot for redheads. Once he’d entered the ballroom and caught her scent, his curiosity turned to a deep, unwavering want. This little beauty, who had so graciously agreed to walk with him, was destined to be his mate. He knew it like he knew his own wolf. She was his.
“So this is all yours?” She waved a delicate hand in front of her. “The house, the property? Everything?”
He smiled at her delighted surprise. She was taken in by all of the extravagance, where he was tainted by it. Money could buy a man everything his heart desired except the most important thing.
“Up until this past year, I’ve done quite well for myself.” He entwined her arm with his, bringing her body closer in the process. “But I’ve grown tired of this lifestyle. I’d give it all away for a small piece of happiness.”
“That sounds very rock star,” Hannah giggled. “Money doesn’t buy happiness?”
“All money buys are yes men and fake platitudes.” Mayhem pinned her with a serious look, her smile slipped away. “I don’t meet real people usually. As much as the lifestyle gives me perks, it also is so very hollow. Money can’t buy what really matters in life. The important things, like tenderness, compassion and love.”
Hannah shivered, and he hesitated, wanting so badly to wrap his body around hers to keep her warm.
“Are you cold? Do you want to go back inside?” He wished he had the leather jacket he usually wore, but he’d been so mesmerized by Hannah’s photo that he’d forgotten to grab it on his way to meet her.
“No, not cold.” She sighed as she smiled up at him. “I just think that was a beautiful thing to say. Sad. But beautiful too.” Her eyes were illuminated by the rays of the moon, a brilliant green that seemed to sparkle.
Mayhem: The Order of the Wolf, Book 5 Page 1
