My mind was running wild with paranoia. What if now that I’d painted him, I wouldn’t dream of him anymore? Rushing into the room where my painting stood, I looked into his eyes and he was sad. I didn’t notice that I had rendered him that way, but I guess I did.
Standing there staring at it, I thought of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. The Hollywood life force must be getting to me. I shook my head. It wasn’t like the image was going to change for me. A part of me wanted to destroy it so my dream man would come back to haunt me, but another part was afraid if I did, he wouldn’t come back. What would I do then?
“You, mister, are a menace.” I tapped my finger along his jaw line, my temper building. Fucking nutty; that was what I was becoming.
I needed to get back to my normal life and forget about my handsome stalker.
Chapter Four
After I left Creed’s place, I couldn’t sleep. I’d spent the whole day working like a zombie and hoped I would make it through the night because I was exhausted. I needed to learn to calm my feelings and stay asleep long enough to get to know her.
I drove back home after a very long day. It was well past eight now, so I showered and ate something small. Picking up a book, I read War and Peace. It wasn’t long before I passed out.
There she was, tears in her eyes just as before. This time, I got a little farther along before I lost my cool— not much, though. The next words out of her mouth after the “I hate you” was “Leave now”.
The next three months, I got little to no sleep. I had to force myself to take mini naps throughout the day while I searched for her somehow. There was no way to know who she was because my dreams still hadn’t progressed. My breaking point was coming soon— six months wasn’t going to work for me. I would be lucky if I made it another day.
I had to meet with Hunter and his new Beta, Erik Smith and act as their backup. Someone who’d been involved in trying to kill off the Grey family had been spotted. I offered to be of any help I could be. It was fucked up that I had accidentally fallen asleep before I was to meet them. My assistant knocked on my door before coming in to get some documents, thinking I was somewhere else. When she saw me out cold on my couch in my office, she tapped on my shoulder. “Sir, you need to wake up. You have an appointment.”
“Oh, shit,” I shouted and jumped up, grabbing my suit jacket off my chair as I went out the door.
By the time I got there, they were both on edge and I was too exhausted for this. It didn’t take long before the girl caved and confessed to just thinking she was making a prank call to Erik, who happened to be the Wolfe Creek sheriff. Hunter knew that she was not only a pawn, but also a potential target, so she was taken back to her parents’ place where she would be under intense supervision and protection.
Needing to keep busy so I didn’t pass out, I accepted Hunter’s offer to go to his house and have dinner. It was a life-changing decision.
“I feel out of place,” I said. It was very uncomfortable to watch these lovers look at each other with longing while I was standing there like a fifth wheel.
“You’ll find her soon,” Hunter’s wife Cat said, patting my arm with a look of pure sincerity. I liked her. She was special and already made a big impact in their pack.
“I know where you’re coming from,” Hunter reassured me.
“Hell, we all do. I fell in love with Chloe, and I thought we weren’t mates. I felt pain every day,” Erik admitted. I didn’t know that, but shit, he suffered longer than Hunter did. I hoped it didn’t take that long or I’d be dead.
“Erik, that’s why you wanted to quit, isn’t it?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah, it was.” Hunter patted Erik’s shoulder as Erik carried Chloe to the door.
The moment they stepped out of the room, I turned toward the television. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There she was on the screen in a towel as a man looks at her through the mirror. Hell no. “Who the fuck is she?”
Cat said, “I don’t know her name.” Then she shouted out for Chloe to come back. “Chloe, get your ass back here.”
I was growling and howling. I couldn’t breathe. She was an actress and half-naked on Hunter’s huge screen for anyone to see.
“What’s going on?” Chloe said.
“Chloe, what’s her name?” Catherine asked.
“Oh, that’s Evelyn Denney. She’s a new actress.”
“She’s mine. How do I find her?” My eyes were wide and glowing. The Alpha wolf inside was demanding to be let out. I saw the scared look between the two women, and what happened next damn near ripped out my heart. Cat tried to pause the movie but it froze too late and her breasts were plastered all over the big-ass TV.
I knew I was going to lose it. Erik and Hunter looked worried that I was going to flip out. Erik was holding onto his wife like I’d hurt her for some reason. I was pissed, jealous, and hurt, but I wasn’t a danger to any of them. My wolf was starting to break through my skin, and I could feel my hairs coming out. I rushed to the TV and ripped it off the damn wall, smashing it to the ground. Hunter came to me, Alpha to Alpha, and tried to calm me down.
Hitting up IMDB, Chloe searched her name. There wasn’t much info on her because she was pretty new to the scene, but it gave us her hometown—Redwood City, California.
“Hunter, I’m sorry about the TV. I’ll get you a new one soon, or bill me because I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to find her.” I was still shaking, but I’d get some answers soon.
“I understand—just glad it was only the TV,” Hunter said with a chuckle.
I turned to him and asked for a huge favor. “I’m really sorry, but I need you to do me a solid while I’m down there.”
“Anything.”
“Look in on my uncle in Redding.” I was worried after what happened to him a few months back. He’d been shot in the head and damn near didn’t survive. My uncle was like a father to me and the incident really shook me up.
Hunter gave me a nod then a gentle but stern reminder. “Remember, she needs to fall for you.”
“Oh, she will.” I was out the door and on my way to get my trip set up. Her anger was starting to make sense now.
Chapter Five
The dreams of him didn’t go away after the first painting; they were back that night. His haunted eyes were etched in my head and I had memorized his face so well. My sketchbook was full of his beauty. The fight in my mind still wasn’t clear. Even though the dream grew, it never got past my telling him to leave. It was so frustrating. I didn’t understand how I could have the same dream over and over again— night after night.
I’d been dealing with so many sleepless nights that I became absentminded. I’d accidentally left my sketches and paintings out when my sister came to visit me and she reveled in teasing me. She pointed out how deliciously handsome he was and how she would love to meet him for herself.
She was lucky I didn’t rip her pretty hair out. I was livid as all hell. Something about her wanting him was too much even though he was just a dream. Even though he never even spoke to me. I didn’t know what he sounded like, but I felt like I knew him in my soul.
Once she left, I was back to my nightly fantasies of my hurting anger.
“Leave now,” I cried.
“No,” he grunted. I felt him get closer to me, invading my space and driving my heart nuts. My breathing was erratic as his head tilted and bent toward me.
Then I was jolted out of my dream, awake and in tears. “Damn it.” This was getting out of control. Pulling out my sketchbook from under my pillow, I tossed it in the kitchen trash. I wanted sleep and this stupid fascination with a fake person was ruining my existence. I had a creative career that needed to flourish and it couldn’t when I spent all day daydreaming of the beastly hot man. Pissed, I took a shower then climbed back into bed, hoping that tossing out the drawings would help me sleep. I closed my eyes and, this time, my sleep wasn’t interrupted.
My cell had to be put on
the charger because I was making calls left and right, looking for ways to find Evelyn before she went to bed with another man. Fuck if I was going to let that happen. The internet was a cache for all the information on her acting career, but nothing about her family and home. I found out she was working on a science fiction picture on a studio set in Hollywood, so my flight was booked for two hours from now.
Everything was packed in the back of my truck when Gage knocked at my door. He was Hunter’s younger brother and Chloe’s twin. Gage was our latest historian learning from my great-uncle, the eldest of the historians in our region.
I opened the screen door and he marched in, almost shrugging me out of the way. “Hey, Kane. How are you hanging in there?”
“I’m seeing red and constantly on the verge of shifting.” There was no need to lie about what I was feeling. That shit was etched on my strong-boned face. I was one of the tallest in the two packs and my hulking frame looked frightening to most, but none more so than when I was fit to be tied.
He looked at my open computer, which had the studio lot’s address and image up. “Man, do you think it’s a good idea for you to go there? With the rage Hunter told me about, I’d be shocked if you didn’t shift.”
“I wouldn’t jeopardize our way of life, Gage. Did Hunter send you down here?”
“No, he didn’t, but Arabella asked if I could help you out.” So it was my sister that asked him to watch over me. I wondered about those two. My sister hadn’t reached mating age yet so I didn’t know if Gage was her mate, but they spent so much time together. I hoped that he would be hers that way I could have her close. If she found a mate outside our nearest pack, I wouldn’t know how to handle it. Gage looked back at the screen and made note of the address. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, I can manage on my own. Enough men have already seen her unclothed. I can’t risk you walking in on me making her mine.”
“Okay, but I’ll drive you to the airport.”
“That would be great. I’m so frustrated I might run someone over.”
I landed at LAX, picked up the rental car, and headed to the studios. There was no time to check into a hotel; I needed to get to her, so I left my luggage in the car. The lot was extremely secure so I didn’t have a way in without knocking out the guard, which I was sure would be noticed before I found her.
They had tours going on, but only on certain sets of old television shows. I used that as my entry point. Someway, somehow I needed to make a break for it and sneak away from the tour. We passed three different sets before I saw the sign for the lot she was working on. Making my way out of the group, I hatched a plan. I picked up a large studio prop and tried walking it out of the set we were in. It was only a large fan, but it worked. No one questioned me. I was just about to step onto her set when a group of security guards surrounded me.
“Sir, put that fan down and your hands up,” a buff security guard said.
I placed the fan on the ground and took some deep breaths. This wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped it would be, but I still didn’t want Gage with me. What if she saw him and fell for him? He wouldn’t want her, but I would and there would be nothing short of a fight to the death to change anything. I looked around at my multiple obstructions. I could take out each and every one, but I needed to remain in my human form. I didn’t know if I could contain the wolf in me. “I’m not here to harm anyone. I’m just looking for Evelyn Denney. She’s supposed to be on set.”
“Unless you have an appointment with her or a special pass, you’re not allowed on the set,” he informed me.
I was ready to fight to get past them. “I don’t need a special pass. Once she sees me, you’ll know that I’m welcomed.”
“Boys, this one has lost his goddamn mind,” one security asshole said to them like I wasn’t there or fucking nuts.
“They’re all the same,” another grumbled.
“I promise you...I’m not,” I snarled. My eyes darkened and I could feel the hairs as they started to push through my skin. I needed to calm down before I ruined everything for our species. “Tell her I’m here to see her.”
“Who are you?” the head of security asked. I hated the lack of respect, but I knew they didn’t understand my power.
“Kane Holt. Tell her to come now. I don’t want to hurt any of you, but I won’t leave until I see her.”
“You may be some giant man, but if you even try to go after her, I will shoot you.” I gave him a smirk because I wanted to rip him from limb to limb. They thought these movies were scenes from a nightmare... Any man keeping me away from my mate would be made an example of.
I could see a crowd of people building around us. It wasn’t the place to make a scene, but there was no way I was going to leave without seeing her. I attacked the first man I saw and was instantly hit with a low voltage of electricity. I fell to the ground intentionally but that shit didn’t have any real effect on me. It was like a regular human getting a bit of static electricity. What they didn’t realize was that I could hear what they said before I attacked. They were going to take me to the studio lot’s security holding cell. Good. It would give the beast inside time to calm down as I waited for her. It took four of them to bring me to my feet.
One of the jackasses bent down to my ear and whispered condescendingly, “Not so tough now, Kane. Fucking pussy.” He practically spat in my face in the process. Smashing his head in wasn’t out of the question after I got my woman.
It had been over an hour and nothing. I stared down my overseer, rage evident in my eyes. My anger was insurmountable and my jealousy was at a murderous point. I could smell the fear coming off his body. He may look tough, but I believed instinctually that he knew he was marked for my wrath if I didn’t get out of here.
I sat on the holding cell bench, hoping that I could control the wolf inside. I was getting out and going to find her before one more bastard saw what belonged to me. No cell could contain my wolf. It was only a matter of time and opportunity before he was unleashed— there was no way I was going to let her tell me to leave again.
“Where is he?” I heard her voice for the first time and something was off. She was furious and got loud with the security. My heart started to race and I stood up, waiting for my mating instinct to kick in. She turned and looked at me and smiled with a shake of her head.
“Kane. You know calling me would have been much easier than trying to surprise me on the set.” I was confused by her words, but that wasn’t my greatest concern...
I had no reaction to her at all. My dick was soft and the pleasure of seeing her disappeared. She wasn’t my mate.
Chapter Six
“Don’t say a word until we get in the limo,” she whispered in my ear with a tone that was firmer than I had expected. She was getting me out of here, but something wasn’t right. Why would she if she thought I was some crazy stalker?
“Why?”
She gave me a scathing look before adding in a harsh but quiet voice, “What part of don’t say a word didn’t you understand, handsome?” She continued walking along. I only did what she said because I wanted answers.
The moment the limo door closed, I pounced. “What is going on?”
“You tell me, Kane. Tell me why you came here looking for me.” I didn’t know how to answer that without revealing more. She had a doppelganger out there somewhere. Now I was really fucked.
“Nothing to say? Well, I’m Evelyn Denney and I’m not the one you’re looking for. It’s my twin sister Carolyn Denney that I have a feeling you’re after.”
“Your sister? Wait, how do you know?”
“I don’t know anything other than she’s been dreaming of a man she doesn’t know. I saw her sketchbook, so I know what you look like. I can tell you aren’t the least bit interested in me, so it has to be Carolyn. Give me a moment.” She pulled out her phone and called a number. It rang then went to voicemail. “Hi, you’ve reached Carolyn. Leave a message and I’ll get ba
ck to you. Beep.”
“Hey, sister. I’m going to need to cancel my visit next week; something very big has come up,” she said while giving me a smile. Putting away her phone, she crossed her arms and raised her brow at me.
“Mr. Holt. I don’t understand why you and my sister have this connection, but it has consumed her. She hardly does her actual work anymore. She looks exhausted because she is; constantly waking from her sleep can do that to a person.”
“She’s not the only one. I’ve not had a decent night’s sleep for as long as she. I’m tired of not sleeping. Where is she?”
“At home. Join me for dinner and I’ll get you her address. I was avoiding a particular gentleman if he could be called that, and you’d make a perfect scapegoat.” I knew I had no choice but to go because I had a feeling Evelyn Denney was no push over.
“Fine. Where are we going?”
“My condo. I like my privacy and when you’re someone like me, it’s in short supply.”
I gave her a nod and looked out the window. My phone buzzed and it was Hunter. Everything going okay?
Not well, but she’s not the actress. She has a twin sister.
We pulled up to her apartment and there was a big to do. Cameras were snapping as soon as we got out of the car. The people were shouting at her about me. “Who’s your latest?”
“He’s a hunk. Women are going to be even more envious of you.”
“Where are you from, Kane?” I guess someone that was at the studio leaked my information to the public. They took my wallet and everything I had in my pockets when they locked me up in the holding cell.
I could see the nervousness in her eyes, so I gripped her waist and scooped her up into my arms, rushing her into the building.
“Carrying her over the threshold! Secret wedding!” The cameras continued to flash in the night. I didn’t think about the repercussions, but I would tomorrow.
Raging Kane: Book Three in the Wolfe Creek Series Page 2
