Mayhem: The Order of the Wolf, Book 5 by Angela Addams Read Free Book Online Page A

anything more was said. Tempers simmered to calm, the booze helping to ease the tension.
    “She has this thing…about abandonment.” Dani handed her glass back, then declined any more with a wave of her hand. “It was probably the worst thing you could have done. Sending that note, I mean.”
    Mayhem sighed heavily, taking on the guilt of Dave’s fuck up as if it was his own. “I know. It was a misunderstanding, but still, she deserves better.”
    “A misunderstanding to you maybe, but…” Dani moved to the other side of the room and slumped into a chair. “Did she tell you anything about her childhood? Like how her mother left when she was five?” She winced. “God, I shouldn’t be telling you this.”
    Mayhem’s heart thudded. Ah, shit. “She said she was easily forgotten. Unimportant.” Now he knew why her self-esteem was so terrible. He’d vowed to himself the night before that he would spend the rest of his life making sure she understood how unforgettable she was. How much he cherished her. He was determined to make that happen. “She must have felt so alone as a child, to be without her mother.”
    “Yeah, well, that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.” Dani shook her head. “It’s her story to share with you, I’ve already said too much.” She stood and walked to the door. “I will tell you this though, it’s not going to be easy…getting her to trust you again, getting her to let you back in.”
    Mayhem nodded, accepting what she was saying as a challenge that he would conquer. “I’m going make sure she understands how truly fucking amazing she really is.”
    “Fix it, Mayhem. Gain her trust back, and then you can work on the other stuff.”
    And that was just what he was planning to do as he stood outside of Hannah’s apartment, his fist raised and ready to knock on her front door. Dani hadn’t promised her undying support, still wary and protective of her cousin, but she had agreed to call ahead and try to calm Hannah down before he got there. By the sound of things, Hannah wasn’t answering her phone. Twice now he’d heard the phone ring then click over to the answering machine. The lights were on in her place, the pale glow muted by the curtains covering the sliding glass doors of her balcony to his left, and he could only hope she’d come if he knocked.
    Without another moment’s hesitation, he rapped his fist on the door and was relieved a second after that when he heard the scrape of a chair moving back and the soft padding of footsteps approaching. It was late. Very late. After midnight….but he desperately wanted to explain himself. Get into her good graces again.
    “Hannah, it’s me. Mayhem. Let me in, I want to talk to you.”
    He saw the shadow of her eye cross the peephole, heard her gasp when she saw his face.
    “I want to explain—”
    “Go away, Mayhem!” Her voice cracked as she said his name. “I don’t want to see you again.”
    Mayhem cleared his throat, his heart racing with renewed panic. Why he’d thought this would be a simple fix he couldn’t say. Dani had warned him it wasn’t going to be easy, but the connection he felt with Hannah made it seem like nothing was insurmountable.
    “I know what you think, and it’s not true! I spoke with Dani, and she told me—”
    “Enough! I won’t have this conversation with you! What’s done is done. Just leave me alone.” He heard a thump on the door. “Please, just leave me alone. This is humiliating enough.” She cried quietly, a sound that broke his heart into a million fucking pieces.
    “Hannah,” he whispered mournfully, knowing he didn’t have enough time to mend what was broken. Hoping if he came back again the next night, right at sunset, he’d be able convince her to let him in so he could explain. He just needed to touch her. If he could touch her, she would understand.
    “Go away, Mayhem.”
    He glanced over his shoulder at the moon. He still had several hours before