Hungry Wolf - Aidy Award Page 0,13

wedding?” Heli shoved a piece of pumpkin pie covered in just the right amount of whipped cream into Helena's hands.

Oh, right. That's why. Because everyone and their mothers wanted her to get a fricking boyfriend...or in Heli's case, a husband. “Don't start with me, you smartass. Just because you're blissfully married, doesn't mean I need to be.

“I see. So it's just about the sex.” Heli took a bite of her own slice and groaned from the deliciousness.

“We haven't had sex, so no.” In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had sex, it had been that long. As her body was currently reminding her by craving everything naughty under the sun.

Heli's fork paused midway to her mouth. “Wait. What? You're telling me after the way you two left the Friendsgiving all over each other, that he chastely walked you home and went on his merry way? I'm not buying that for one teeny-tiny second. Good try, thanks for playing.”

Helena was royally screwing this up. Maybe she should just tell Heli what was going on. But what was going on? This whole fake relationship thing, sure, but if that was all, then she shouldn’t have this monster attraction to Aleksei. He was hot, she'd give him that, but so was every other guy who came into the club. She didn't go all twitterpated for just anyone.

Her twitters were definitely pated. Helena avoided replying to Heli by scooping a big bite of pie into her mouth. She licked her fork clean and damn if that didn't lead to fantasies of licking Aleksei's, uh...fork.

Heli stared her down. She wasn't going to be able to avoid answering that question. Fine. “Sort of. We maybe made out a little more after we left the party, but he didn't come into my house and he isn't here now.”

None of that was a lie. So far so good.

“Uh-oh.” Heli's eyes went wide. “He left you all hot and alone? He did. That asshat. That's why the desperate cry for pie. Or is there something you're not telling me?”

Heli pointed her fork right at Helena's face. How was she going to get out of this? Tried and true, she would answer a question with a question. “Is there something you aren't telling me?”

That shouldn't have worked, but Heli looked away. That sneak. “Heli. Is there something I should know about Aleksei? I know he's part of the Troikas pack and so that makes him a wolf-shifter. I've never dated one. Not that I’d know if I had. Dish, girl.”

“You two haven't...no. That's silly. It's not the full moon.”

Helena didn't know all the ins and outs of wolf-shifter culture, but she didn't think that whole full-moon turn into a werewolf thing was a part of it. “What does that have to do with anything? Something particular happens then? Because if you say he's gonna go all crazy and try to eat me during the full moon, I don't think I will believe you.”

“Nothing. Yet. Just...how do you actually feel around Aleksei? Is it like just sexy times attraction or...?” Heli looked down at Helena's chest.

Umm. Wait. Not her chest. Her neck. Helena reached up and rubbed the spot Aleksei had scraped his teeth across. She didn't think he'd left her a hickey or anything.

Helena did not like talking about feelings. Feelings were for suckers. “He's totally hot and a great kisser. I'm sure we will be great in bed when we get there. He's probably just playing the anticipation card.”

“Yeah. Maybe. But wolf-shifters aren't usually like that. Not once they've...” Heli cut herself off from finishing her sentence with another bite of pie.

“Don't make me steal the rest of your pie. Stop holding back from whatever it is you want to say.” Helena pointed her fork at her friend like a weapon. Not as good as Wonder Woman's lasso of truth, though. The Pie Fork of Truth didn't quite have the same ring to it. “If I can't find out from you, then I'll go ask someone else, you poop.”

“Okay. But don't freak out.” Heli waited to continue until Helena put her fork back in her pie and nodded her agreement. “Once a wolf-shifter finds his mate, he doesn't hold back.”

Mate?

Like fated mate? One true mate? The. One?

No way, nuh-uh.

Wolves were crazy for believing in crap like fate. “I'm clearly not his mate or whatever, because he's not here.”

Aleksei had definitely held himself back. Except when he hadn't. Like when they had their tongues in each other's mouths