Raging Kane: Book Three in the Wolfe Creek Series (3 page)

“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 back 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.

The next morning all hell broke loose. Evelyn rushed into the room only to see me in my wolf form on her shredded couch.

“Ah!” she screeched.

I ran into the bedroom and shifted back to human. Wrapping a blanket around my body, I walked into the living room but she wasn’t there. All of a sudden she came running out of the kitchen with a knife in her hand. Luckily, I was able to rush her before she stabbed me or hurt herself. We tumbled to the ground as the door unlocked and I heard a gasp and dropped keys. Turning my head, my eyes went wild. Before me was my woman— my mate.

She ran from the door as fast as she could. I took off after her naked and finally hard as hell only to reach the elevator just as it was closing. I could see her sad expression, and I had the answer to my dream. She looked down at my huge erection and covered her mouth, tears pouring from her eyes.

Realizing I couldn’t run around Hollywood stark naked, I ran back to her sister’s apartment. She was pressing a towel to the back of her head. Her eyes made contact with my already waning erection, and she blanched.

“Sorry, but I need to find her.”

“No. You’re a monster.”

“I’m not a monster,” I argued, closing and locking the door behind me. I scooped up the sheet I dropped and covered myself. “You don’t understand, and I can’t believe I agreed to stay the night.”

“Tell me this is some movie prank.”

“I wish I could. I need your promise that what I tell you remains a secret. Should you leak it to anyone, Carolyn will be without a sister.” She gasped.

It took her a moment to calm, but it was already too long for me. I needed to find my mate, and my wolf was barely at bay. She finally gave me a nod of acceptance.

“Not everything in the movies is fake. I’m what some would call a shifter. There are many of us, but we usually live with others of our kind just in case of accidental shifting— like what just happened.”

“There are more of you? Do you eat us?”

“No. You saw last night that I eat regular meals.”

“Is that why you two dreamed of each other?”

“Yes and no. Our kind normally mates with our own, but sometimes it’s with a human. That’s when the dreams begin until we find each other. I would love to continue this conversation with your sister as well. I love her and she’s my mate. My dreams upset me and I shift and there’s nothing I can do about it. I need to find her.”

“How do I know you won’t hurt her?” She challenged me like I wasn’t this massive beast she’d been afraid of ten minutes ago. Her love for her sister was strong.

“I could never hurt her. Her pain is my pain. Right now my chest feels like I’ve been hit by a boulder. She’s everything to me. If she died, so would I. Our fates are tied together until death.” I poured my heart into my words unintentionally because it was the truth. She was the only one for me.

“I’ll call her.” She dialed the number, but it went straight to voicemail. “Sorry. She’s not answering.”

“I need some clothes. My suitcase is at the lot still.”

“I will call it over, but in the meantime, I’ll ask the shop next door to send something up. Just give me your sizes.” I gave them to her, only because the sooner they arrived the sooner I could go after Carolyn.

“Thanks.”

Her phone was going crazy with messages congratulating her on the wedding and others were mad that she did it without saying anything. I had no idea what kind of chaos last night would cause.

“I didn’t get married, and I’m not dating Kane Holt. He’s my sister’s new boyfriend and in town to visit. Please stop this shit storm before my sister never speaks to me again,” she hissed into the phone before hanging up.

“Sorry, that was my PR manager. Hopefully, word will spread just as fast as it did last night. I need to get ready to be on the set in twenty minutes. Once the clothes come up from the store, we can drive to the studio where you can get your things and go to my sister’s house.”

It was the longest day of my life. I drove all night because I’d heard about a madman on the set trying to get to Evelyn. When she left me the message that something came up, I assumed she’d been hurt and couldn’t make it. I worried the whole way there, stopping just after getting off the freeway because I had almost fallen asleep at the wheel. I closed my eyes for just a moment and passed out. It was a quick nap which morphed into my usual dreams and woke me moments later. Forgetting sleep, I rushed to her condo. I’d never been so crushed until I walked into her apartment.

Seeing him on top of her, my real world crumbled. Driving back was so hard, my tears clouded my eyes the entire trip home. Even though I was exhausted, I was afraid to sleep. I didn’t want to dream of him ever again. I sat at my kitchen table crying and thought about the dream I had on the road that had matured until he kissed me and I pushed him away. Now I knew it was all bullshit. He was married to my sister. How could this be? How could she do that to me?

I pulled the painting from my closet and cried onto it. I’d never met any of my sister’s lovers before, but of all the people to see her with, I never thought it would be my dream man. I couldn’t believe I walked in on them wrapped in a sheet. Evelyn teased me about the pictures and how she wanted him for herself. I didn’t know she was cruel enough to do it.

My phone had been going crazy with calls from Evelyn and several numbers I didn’t know, but I was used to the press calling me about her. I shook off the pain that consumed me and snapped the painting in half, tossing it out. My tears were over with. I didn’t even know him, so it wasn’t like I had a claim to him in the first place.

Wait! Fuck that! I did have a claim to him and my sister crossed a line I could never forgive her for. It was bad enough that any time she did anything, I got hounded by her fans or nutty photogs asking for my opinion or how come I didn’t work with her. I hate attention, and now I hated my sister. How could she?

I turned on my computer because as a web designer I had a few projects that needed my attention asap, but after an hour, I still hadn’t managed to finish all of the assignments. My heart and mind were back at Evelyn’s apartment. I shoved away from my desk, stood up, and screamed at the top of my lungs. “Fuck everyone!”

I needed to forget and move on. My crime shows would work to take my mind off the two of them. So after tossing my pajamas on, it was time to turn on the television and bust out some ice cream.

Opening my chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, I powered on the television. It was on the Celebrity News Channel because I was trying to find out anything I could about the man on the set before I left. It was the start of a new broadcast and on the screen was a shot of Kane carrying Evelyn into her building. Then a big question mark appeared over the image. Like watching the aftermath of a car accident, I couldn’t look away.

“Sources close to the couple claim that any wedding rumors are false. Mr. Holt isn’t even dating the lovely Ms. Denney. The rumor mill says that he’s interested in her sister. Reports claim that Carolyn Denney and Mr. Holt will be engaged,” the pretty blonde on the right reported.

“So what’s with carrying her away from the press then?”

“I don’t know, Jen. Maybe it’s a publicity stunt for her new film.”

“We’ll have to keep an eye on this situation. Either way, ladies, that Kane Holt is one sexy man.”

The gaggle of women at their news desk started to giggle and blush in agreement.

I switched the channel and even that network had a banner on the bottom.
Evelyn Denney rumors false. She’s not married. Kane Holt is engaged to her twin sister.

“No, so she’s only fucking him. Her publicist must have sent this bullshit story to the press,” I grumbled to myself. There was knocking at my door, but I just ignored it. It had continued for a minute before I heard the key in the lock. I’d forgotten that she had one to my place as well.

“Get lost, Evelyn. I don’t want to see you again,” I shouted from the living room.

“I’m not Evelyn, and I have a lot to explain, my heart.” I gasped at the sound of his voice. I was in disbelief that the dream was a foreshadowing of something in the future, but what the fuck for. I fell in love with him night after night only to be crushed. Looking down at what I was wearing, it was the same as in my dream. This must be our final showdown to whatever nonsense was going on.

“You’ve nothing to explain.”

“Carolyn, please listen to me.”

I whipped around to look at him finally and he was everything and more than I could have ever dreamed of. “I hate you!” He continued to approach. “Leave now!” I shouted at him but he kept approaching.

“No, never.” His words were crueler now that they were real. I hated him so much and yet my heart begged for him. His hand came up and caressed my face. Uncontrollably, I pressed my cheek into his palm. “Never.” His mouth came down on mine, crushing it with the passion that I’d always hoped was there, but it wasn’t for me. I wouldn’t share him or my heart. With the rage I felt, I pushed away and reached up, swinging my arm. Before I could smack him like I did in my dreams, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him.

“Damn, Carolyn. I’ve never made it past this part of the dream because I never knew why you hated me so much. Now that I know it was just a crazy misunderstanding, I can face it. I won’t let you push me away. Not now, not ever. You’re my mate.”

“You were just having sex with my
supposed
sister. How could you be so evil?”

He lifted my chin and looked me in the eyes. “I didn’t have sex with your sister. What you saw was what you wanted to see.”

“Go fuck yourself. Why in a million years would I want to see that?” I shoved at him, trying to get away. It worked; he released his hold. I marched back into the living room looking for something to hit him with.

“That’s not what I meant. Come here. Don’t make me chase you because if I do, I will catch you and you’ll be on my cock right after.”

I gasped. Even though I hated him, the thought of enveloping his cock sounded so tempting. I shook my head because I was going crazy. “Why won’t you just leave?”

“I’m not going anywhere unless you’re coming with me.” I continued to move away from him. He was dangerous to my common sense. He’d been naked with my sister and sporting a huge hard-on.

“Fuck it, babe. You want to know why I was naked when I saw your sister? It’s the same reason our dreams never progressed. Stand back and don’t freak out on me.” He tore off his shirt and pants.

Oh yeah, stripping naked was going to prove nothing. “That’s exactly what I thought. You’re not proving anything.”

“Just wait, Caro,” he pleaded. The way he said my name sent a delicious tingle down my spine.

He stepped back toward the kitchen and what I saw in the next second freaked me out. Not because I was scared, but because it was mystifying and even nuttier than the dreams I’d been having.

Kane transformed into a massive wolf that was almost as tall as me while he was on all fours. What the fuck?!

He gave a tiny howl before slowly working his way toward me. Instead of stepping back like any sane person would do, I moved closer. He nuzzled his snout on my waist then moved back, and right in front of me he shifted back into the stunning man, completely nude. I could see why he took off his pants and shirt; he would have shredded them.

“Carolyn, there’s much I have to tell you, but this is the most important. I shifted every night. Every time you told me to leave, it damn near killed me. I thought I wasn’t going to make it. Then I dreamed of you this morning and your sister tried to protect herself, so I tackled her to the ground to stop her from doing something dumb like trying to stab me with a kitchen knife. That happened just before you opened the door. I swear I never touched your sister intimately.”

“I don’t understand this. What are you?” I was staring at his naked form, not in the least bit afraid, and I was super turned on. My lady parts were feeling very achy and needy.

“I’m a wolf shifter. I happen to be the Alpha of my pack in Redding. I know it’s scary to consider that you don’t live in the world you think you do, but I can’t change that fact. You’re my mate.”

“I’m not scared of your kind, but I don’t know if I could trust you as a man.”

“Damn it, this is all about your sister, right?”

“Yes.” I loved my sister, but she was an actress. The skills of lying and pretending were written into her art.  We were twins, but she possessed something special that made her lovable to all. I was missing that in my DNA makeup. I was the outcast, and although we looked identical, I felt like the ugly one. She teased that she wanted him, and I feared that if she offered he’d take. In my mind, I knew she wasn’t like that, but my heart was fragile where Kane was concerned.

“Well, there’s more you need to know about all wolf shifters. We can’t mate with anyone that’s not our destiny. Up until this morning, I’d never had an erection and it wasn’t for your sister. It didn’t get hard because I was on top of her, it only got that way when I saw and smelled you at the door.”

A big part of me wanted to believe him. He had that look in his eyes that haunted all my dreams. It was the heartbreaking pain I saw there that gave me the faith I needed to trust.

“I can’t control the need I have for you. I’ll always be this way according to what my great-uncle told me. Look at it this way, I’m not going to leave until we straighten this out. These past three months have tortured me so much that I could barely function and was ready to give up. You may hate me, but I’m in love with you. I crave you. My wolf craves you and demands you become my mate.”

I could see that his body was shaking like an addict needing a fix and I wanted to surrender, but I was so unsure.

He pulled me into his arms, naked body and all. I could feel every inch of his muscular frame as he held me to him. We stayed like that for so long that I could feel his heartbeat like it was my own. “My love, you were meant for me. I know you feel it, but I need more than that from you. I want to have your love.”

“My love?” Giving it to him wasn’t something I was sure I could handle. If he changed his mind, it would end me.

He tipped my chin and nipped at my lips. “Yes, that’s what I want.”

“I don’t understand what I feel. I’ve dreamed of you for months and felt like we were something special. Then I walked in to see you rolling around on the ground with her, and the paparazzi have you carrying my sister into her house.” My tears started again. Damn it, I was a total freaking mess. Horny, heartbroken, and confused.

“There’s something else you need to know. In my position as Alpha, it also means that I have to protect my people. Since you’re mine, your sister falls under my protection as well. She was more than uncomfortable with the press, and so was I. Not knowing if I could control my wolf for very long after the day I had, I needed to get out of there. Keeping my cool was a priority.” His sincerity sold me, and the feeling of his large cock pressed almost at my breasts was too incredible not to give in.

“I promise there is no one else I want. You’re my one and only, Caro.” I was done talking. I needed him.

My heart was pounding, but I needed to be as bold as I could because this ravenous feeling in me was building at a rapid pace. “I want you, Kane. Can we save the talking for later?”

With a low growl, he uttered, “Fuck, yeah.”

I closed my eyes, letting her words wash over me. It was exactly what I’d hoped to hear come from her sweet pale pink lips. “I want you, Kane.” It played over and over in my head in a matter of a few seconds. My wolf heard every little word. I could feel his need for domination. He wanted to possess her as much as I did. The need to claim her as ours before she had a chance to change her mind was coursing through us.

My inner beast demanded to attack her until our seed had been sown in her depths. I growled as I stared at her chest heaving roughly as her heart pounded. The rhythm of her pulse was driving mine. My body craved hers in a way I never thought possible. My eyes moved up to her beautiful blues and stared intently.

I didn’t care that we were standing in the kitchen. My cock was still standing at attention and the head was wet with my pre-come. I was so damn eager to claim what was mine that I didn’t want to wait to get to the bedroom. I tore off the top she was wearing and the rest of her clothes went just as quickly until she stood before me completely bare. I looked at her breasts and they called to me. I rushed her, too afraid to look down at her pussy that I could smell. It was calling for me, demanding I come in, but I needed to worship her first. My mouth fell onto hers, kissing her possessively.