Dirty Wolf Read online

  Dirty Wolf

  An Alpha Wolves Want Curves Novel

  Aidy Award

  Contents

  1. Gal

  2. Max

  3. Gal

  4. Max

  5. Gal

  6. Max

  7. Gal

  8. Max

  9. Gal

  10. Max

  11. Gal

  12. Max

  13. Gal

  14. Max

  15. Gal

  16. Max

  17. Gal

  18. Max

  Also by Aidy Award

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by Aidy Award.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Ordering Information:

  Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.

  Dirty Wolf/ Aidy Award. -- 1st ed.

  Cover by Jacqueline Sweet

  Created with Vellum

  For my best writer buddies Ann and Hopey

  Fall like a thunderbolt.

  ―Sun Tzu

  Gal

  Ah. Finally she could breathe. The cool night air brought the heat in her cheeks and her temper down to a manageable level. Gal seriously knew better than to walk through the Reserve at night, but here she was. The posted rules stated that the area closed at dusk, and trespassers would face severe consequences. Lately that kind of threat meant less and less to her. After the blowout she’d had with her dad tonight, she was feeling an extra special kind of rebelliousness and consequences could go blow themselves.

  So, yeah. She’d snuck out of her room like some teenager, and cut through the Reserve even though it was nine o’clock at night and dusk had long since come and gone. But come on, seriously. What twenty-three year old woman with an advanced degree wasn’t allowed out at night to hang with her friends?

  Her. That’s who.

  She found herself stomping, but it wouldn’t do to trample some poor little caterpillar or crush some flowers because of her foul mood. It wasn’t their faults. It was hers for not realizing what moving in with her parents would be like. She was saving every nickel and dime that didn't go toward paying her school loan. She'd sold her car to save on gas and insurance since she lived within walking distance to the library. Tonight was the first time since she'd gotten back to Rogue that she'd even gone out. It wasn't like she wasn't trying.

  Trying too hard according her dad, who'd told her more than once tonight in she was making him bald. What really irked her was that her mother had simply sat there on the couch, knitting of all things, and hadn’t said a word as her father had berated her lifestyle. Choosing to get a masters degree in Library Science and not being married were not bad choices. Ugh.

  Unless your father would rather have you still a virgin, married to a nice Persian boy, and staying at home doing the dishes. No way, pedar.

  A rustling behind her in the underbrush had her speeding up. If she made as much noise as possible, maybe that would scare away any animals following her. Eek, she hoped it was an animal. As far as she knew, Rogue, New York had never had a serial killer. Double eek. Maybe that meant they were due for one.

  The leaves on the trees shivered in the wind and the shadows in the underbrush seemed much darker than they should. She was such a freaking dumb bunny. She should have just called an Uber to take her to the old town district. It just felt so deliciously naughty to do a little law breaking in what had felt like a benign way at the time.

  Now here she was in the middle of the dark, forest of the Reserve and pretty sure someone or something was following her. Gal whipped out her phone and dialed Zara’s number. “Come on, come on. Pick up.”

  She really wished that she hadn’t listened to those teenagers at the library last week who insisted these woods were filled with wolves. No, not just wolves, werewolves. She’d laughed along with the kids and helped them find a werewolf anime series to read. Might as well take advantage of their fascination with the supernatural to get them to read.

  If they were right and she got bit by some creepy ass animal and turned into a shape shifter, she was going to.... to.... kill someone. Gal laughed at her own ridiculousness and dialed the phone again. Zara picked up and the sounds of a busy bar burst through the phone.

  “Hey, where are you?” Her friend shouted into the phone.

  “On my way. I had a big fight with my dad, but I’ll be there soon. I could seriously use a drink.” And to have her head examined. And a drink.

  Something swished across the path behind her and her conversation went on autopilot while her brain compiled a to-do list for escape and evading. She said the required yeses, nos, and kept her voice cheery, but she also hurried a little bit faster. The instructor at the all women’s martial arts school she’d taken classes at in Ann Arbor would be really disappointed if her star student was murdered because she’s made a really bad decision to go out walking alone after dark.

  In the woods.

  Where werewolves lived.

  Don't be silly. Gal could still use the skills she’d learned in class about spatial awareness and threat assessment to get out of the Reserve safely. The first thing was to make sure her friends knew exactly where she was. She spoke so loudly, the whole city would know her position. Take that weird, creepy stalker.

  “Yeah, ha ha. I’m almost to the parking lot at the edge of the Reserve.” She could see the lights of the businesses in the old town district and the road up ahead. She was going to make it and without spotting any monsters of any kind.

  That’s when she caught sight of the wolf.

  She barely glimpsed him out of the corner of her eye. A flash of silver against the brown and green of the forest.

  She waited for her heart to stop, for the scream from the innermost depths of her soul, or to simply faint right there on the little dirt path.

  None of those things happened.

  A sense of calm, like she’d been hit in the face with a whole lavender bush, washed through her. She had zero doubts that the animal was there to protect her, not harm her. What a strange thing to think, but she knew it was true.

  Clearly she was hallucinating and needed that drink more than she thought she did. Moving back home, starting a new job, and saying goodbye to her care-free and independent college life had taken more of a toll on her psyche than she had previously thought. Time to de-stress with a good old girls night out.

  In a few more feet she was in the parking lot and jogging across the street. Her favorite little bar, the Sleepy Folk, an old speakeasy from the days of prohibition was just another block up the street. She pushed into the little pie shop at the front and headed straight for the back stairs that led to the bar below. Although, later she was totally having a fried apple pie. Mmm. Two in the morning, slightly tipsy, bar food was the best.

  She should know, her ass showed just how much she liked tasty beverages and tasty treats. No
t that she’d been a skinny-mini to start out with, but she’d put on the freshman fifteen and more. Her college friends had gotten her hooked on sweet shots and she’d never looked back.

  The bar was packed but Zara and Heli had a coveted table and spotted her right away. Zara waved and Gal pushed through the Friday night crowd to get to them. They were the best of friends and had her chocolate martini waiting. She'd taarof with them later to decide who paid. “Hi, you guys. I missed you both so much.”

  They all went in for a round of hugs. Heli first, then Zara who held on for longer than the regular old friend reunion squeeze. Seems they all needed a girls night out. Fruity flavored alcohol was a great cure all. When Zara released her, Gal raised her glass and they clinked glasses. “To many more girls nights out.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Heli said and sipped her pink drink. Zara’s beverage looked quite a bit stronger. Something amber on ice. Whiskey. Yikes. Hanging out with her friends when they weren’t drinking moved up on the priority list. She'd do her best to pull whatever was wrong out of Zara later.

  Gal squeezed Zara’s hand and made a silent promise to be there for her. “Okay. I want all the town gossip from you two. Six years is far too long to be gone. Give me the low down on who is sleeping with whom and who else is mad about it. The preschoolers at storytime don't know squat. Totally unreliable for gossip, those kids are.”

  Heli exhaled and smiled, a thank you in her eyes. “Well. Remember Cynthia, third in line for the mean girl title my year?”

  “The one who bleached her hoo-ha so her carpet would match her curtains?” They all knew, because every horny jock on the football team, basketball team, baseball team, and even the soccer team knew. High school boys were worse gossips than any of them ever were.

  “Yeah.” Heli rubbed her hands together and her eyes flashed with the kind of mischief Gal loved her for. “She married Mark Grubler.”

  “No.” Gal gasped in fun. “But his family is uber religious. He used to go to church before school every morning.”

  Heli took another sip of her drink and popped a piece of fruit in her mouth, chewing and making them wait. “I know, Cyn is a devout Sunday school teacher now and the perfect little homemaker. She’s the president of the PTA.”

  “How is that even possible? You have to have a child enrolled.... oh. What? They were doing it in high school?”

  Zara laughed and finally joined in the conversation. “Yep. Little Noah is six and started first grade this year. He’s some sort of math prodigy or something. Can you even imagine?”

  They giggled and laughed and gossiped until Gal’s cheeks hurt. Man, she needed this. She absolutely needed to make more time to hang out with her friends and rekindle all the good times they’d had together. Who would have thought three girls who’d bonded over the horrors of the aerobics unit in their mandatory high school PE class would be such good friends after six years apart?

  “Speaking of old gossip. Look who just walked in.” Heli gave the tiniest of motions with her head behind Gal. “Wait. Don’t just turn around and stare. Be cool about it.”

  Cool? Right. Gal picked up her glass, downed the rest so it was empty and turned toward the bar like she was going to get another one.

  Standing where she expected to see the bartender was the boy, uh- huge, hot, man had he gained a lot of muscle, man she’d had a crush on since about the third grade. He caught her looking and his eyelids lowered to half-hooded and he grinned.

  Every butterfly in the northern hemisphere flew straight into her stomach and a good fifty percent of those migrated south. Gal spun around and widened her eyes at Heli. “You could have told me it was Max. Cripes. He isn’t coming over here, is he?”

  Heli nodded. “He sure is.”

  “Ack. Do I have anything in my teeth? Did I spill down the front of my shirt. Dirt on my head, I always do that.”

  The words poured out of Heli’s mouth, hurrying to answer. “You look great. His mouth is probably already watering. Here he comes.”

  “Ladies.” A hand landed on the back of her chair and she could practically feel the heat coming off his extreme hotness. “Can I get you another round?”

  “Hi Max. That’s nice of you.” Heli grinned up at Max. Gal didn't have the guts to do the same.

  “Heli, Zara.” Max gave Zara a bit of a nod and a conspiratorial grin. The Troikas’ parents had never approved of Max’s older brother Niko and Zara seeing each other. Max and Kosta didn't agree with their parents. One time they even pretended to have a broken down car in the next town over to get their mom and dad out of the house so Niko could take Zara to the prom.

  His rebelliousness was one of those qualities that had drawn Gal to him in the first place. Back then she couldn’t imagine defying her father. Dating a Troika would probably send him into fits. She was an adult now. She could do what she wanted.

  Sort of. Man, she really needed to figure out a way to move out of her parents’ house faster than what her librarian’s salary afforded her.

  “You drinking chocolate milk there, Galyna?” Max tipped his head at the few dribbles left in the bottom of Gal’s martini glass.

  She did love a good flirt. So why was there a funny wiggle in her tummy where her flirter should be? She couldn’t seem to get it kick started. “I’ve graduated to chocolate martinis, thank you very much.”

  “Mmm. Sounds delicious. Can I try it?” Max eyeballed the glass in her hand, or maybe he was staring at her chest.

  Okay, that grin he was giving her was way too sexy, and he knew it. Definitely her chest. She had dressed sexier than her usual sweater sets. Certainly not because she'd hoped to see him tonight. No, not at all. “Afraid there’s not much left.”

  “Just enough.” Max took the glass, his fingers barely brushing against hers and oh, so slowly ran the tip of his tongue over the rim and then dipped into the well, once, twice. The pink of his tongue was visible through the bottom and he swirled it around licking up every last drop.

  The inside of that glass wasn’t the only thing that was wet.

  Her eyes must be the size of the moon tonight. Gal half coughed, half laughed.

  “That is delicious. Come on over to the bar and show me how to make that.” He held out his hand to her.

  She almost didn’t want to touch it. No doubt putting her skin to his would be electric. She didn’t need to be any more turned on by him than she already was. “I’m pretty sure your bartender can show you. He made me this one.”

  Someone kicked her under the table. She didn’t know which sister did it though because they were both making are-you-insane faces at her.

  “He’s busy. Besides, I’m sure yours will be much, much sweeter.” Every word out of his mouth dripped with delicious sexual innuendo.

  Her hand reached out for him of its own accord. The traitor. It was in league with the butterflies in her stomach and her girly parts, which were all on team Jump Max’s Bones.

  The naughty look on his face said he was on that team too. He took her hand and pulled her up from her chair. She'd been right, something like electricity but more fun zipped through her sending the nicest kind of shivers along her skin. If simply touching his hand was like this, what would sex be like?

  Gal mentally eye-rolled herself. It wasn’t like they were gonna go into the back store room and get it on. She didn’t even know where the store room was and this wasn’t a porno. Max dragged her through the crowd and behind the bar. They stood side by side in the small space, so close their arms and hips touched. Max pulled down two martini glasses from the rack overhead and she felt every one of his movements down to her core.

  “What’s next, Galyna?” His tongue peaked out licking his bottom lip and his eyes flicked between hers and her lips. Why did it sound like he was asking a whole lot more than how to make a martini?

  “Chocolate vodka, vanilla bean if you don’t have that. Chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, cream, and chocolate syrup.” If she were in her sorority ho
use back in Michigan she would have also dipped the rim in chocolate sprinkles, but she doubted they had any of those behind the bar.

  Max grabbed both kinds of vodka without even leaving her side. Then he winked at her and and sunk down, down, down her body. His hand went to her leg, using her for support. Those butterflies in her tummy burned up in the flames his touch ignited.

  He slid open a cooler where all the refrigerated ingredients were kept and even the cool blast of air did nothing to lower her internal temperature. It’s not like she thought he was going down there for anything other than the freaking chocolate syrup, but her libido sure didn’t seem to know that.

  Up came the cream, liqueur, and chocolate syrup. Kind of like he knew that’s exactly where they kept all the ingredients. Gal held in a snort-laugh. Of course Max knew where everything they needed was and probably exactly how to make this drink. He owned the bar for goodness sake.

  Fine. It wasn’t like she didn’t know they were playing a game anyway. She’d just smartened up to the rules a little better. She could do this. Max wanted to get his flirt on? Two could flirt better than one.

  He took his sweet time standing back up, his eyes wandering over every single one of her curves. Gal straightened her back so by the time he got above her waist, her girls were proudly thrust forward. She wasn’t disappointed by the extra sparkle in his eye as he lingered on chest. Again.

  Her hips, thighs, and butt might be bigger than was considered acceptable by main stream media and her family, but she had killer boobs. Max stared at her chest long enough that she cleared her throat. He swiped a finger across the tip of his nose and then his lips before finding his way to her eyes again.