Wolf Ways (The Madison Wolves Book 9) Read Online Free Page A

a hug. Reflexively, I wrapped my own arms around her.
    The hug felt really good.
    She held me for a minute before relaxing her grip, but then she slid her hands down my arms until we were clasping fingers. “I want us to be proper friends, Zoe. This is important to me. I know things have been difficult, but I am being utterly heartfelt. I hope you can learn to trust me.”
    She didn’t wait for a response but stepped away. “I’ll see you later, Elisabeth. Or perhaps not until tomorrow.” Then, chuckling, she headed for the front door, and a moment later I heard it open and close.
    Both Elisabeth and I stared after her.
    “Wow,” I said.
    “Yeah,” agreed Elisabeth. “She has half the pack wrapped around her little finger.”
    “Where do you all fit?”

Gear
    Elisabeth turned to face me. We stared at each other awkwardly. “I’m sorry,” she said finally.
    “For what?”
    “We scared you.”
    I lowered my eyes. “Do I smell?”
    “You’re fine.”
    I looked back up. “Do you want me to lie to you, too?”
    Before she could respond, there was a buzz. She pulled her phone out, glanced at it, and sighed.
    “Have to go?”
    “No. Orders from my alpha.” Then her phone buzzed again. She glanced at it and chuckled. “And more orders for you.”
    She turned the phone around and held it out for me to read the screen. She’d received two messages from Angel’s phone, but they were each signed, “Your Alpha”. The first said, “Invite her on a date tonight.” And the second was, “Zoe, tell her yes.”
    We both sighed.
    “What are you doing tonight, Zoe?” Elisabeth asked.
    I stared at the phone, the looked up at her. “It appears I have a date.”
    She looked away. “You.” She paused and looked everywhere but at me. “You don’t have to consider that an order.”
    “Neither do you,” I replied. “Put your phone away.”
    She glanced at me and then accepted my suggestion. Then she turned to me. I waited to see what she would do.
    “Zoe, would you have dinner with me?”
    “Carly’s?” I asked.
    She laughed. “I have a partial interest in this lovely steak house.”
    “Elisabeth…”
    “Green Room?” she offered.
    “I’d love to go to dinner with you,” I said. “I’m not in date clothes. What do you recommend?”
    She moved closer, and I thought she was going to kiss me. Instead, she lifted a hand and ran it through my hair, then leaned over and sniffed.
    “You just sniffed my hair?” I asked. With a screech.
    She chuckled. “Your hair smells good,” she said. “Shower and change. We’ll go hit the scuba shop and then have dinner.”
    I hurried.
    * * * *
    Twenty minutes later, we stepped out of my apartment building and together, turned to the small parking lot. Elisabeth came to a stop, and I was two steps past her before I halted and turned towards her. “What’s wrong?”
    She was shaking her head. “That.” She pointed into the parking lot. I turned and saw a small SUV.
    “Yes?”
    “That’s Michaela’s.” She laughed. “They left me Michaela’s car, and you know whose idea that was.”
    I smiled. “Got a key?”
    “Yes.”
    “So no problem. At least they left you a car. I don’t have to drive you home.”
    “No, no problem.” She chuckled again. Then she stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and escorted me to the passenger door of Michaela’s car.
    I arranged myself as Elisabeth walked to the other side, then sat calmly while she climbed in. She couldn’t help but notice my legs, which amused me greatly. She stared at them for a moment then shook herself and started the car.
    “I could have sworn that skirt was longer.”
    “It seems to have shrunk,” I replied.
    We turned to each other. “You’ve been turning me down,” she observed. She gestured at my legs. “What is this?”
    I glanced down at my legs. “Did you want me to pull the skirt back down?”
    “No. I want to know what’s going on. We were doing so well-”
    “Before.”
    “Yeah.