"Hey Gamma." Alice giggles looking up to me, not even noticing that Jay has gone.

Her cheeks have a pink hue to them from all the Vodka, her eyes are full of mischief as she goes to take another sip. I quickly grab the drink from her hand before it can reach her lips and throw it away into a nearby bush without a second thought.

"Yeah, you're done with that, Wonderland." I grin at her as she scowls at me.

"Hey!" Alice protests.

She gets to her feet, a little wobbly. Then stands on the log she was just sat on, so she is at my height. She puts her hands on her hips and scrunches up her eyes as if to try and get me into focus. "I'm not scared of you, Gamma! You can't just take a girls drink you know!" She slurs out as she pokes my chest now with an accusing index finger.

Anyone else would be in a world of pain for talking to me like this, but all I want to do is pull her into my arms and kiss her till her lips are bruised and swollen.

She's fucking adorable when drunk.

Not giving a fuck if anyone's watching us or not, I step forward, crowding right into her space making her physically gulp at our proximity.

"I don't scare you huh?" I growl at her in a deep but quiet voice. She bites her lip, but not out of fear, she likes it when I talk to her like this.

Alice slides her hand to my chest now instead of just her index finger. Her eyes follow her own hand as it continues to slide up my chest, then against the side of my neck until she reaches my face. I don't pull her hand away; I love how she feels on my skin as I watch her face intently. I crowded into her thinking I'd make her nervous, yet here she is turning the fucking tables on me. Her thumb grazes across my lower lip as I inhale sharply.

"You don't look like the big-bad-wolf to me." She whispers.

"What do I look like to you?" I rasp out quietly as her fingertips continue featherlight touches to my lips.

"I don't know...something..." She breathes, her eyes crease with both confusion and fascination.

She suddenly gets unsteady on her feet from being stood up high on the log. "Everything's spinning." She whispers as she closes her eyes.

In one swift motion, I swoop in and pick her up bridal style before she can fall. She rests her head against my chest with her eyes closed and her hands clinging onto my shirt as a wave of intoxication hits her hard.

"Cole." She whimpers and fuck me if this girl wasn't driving me insane before I'm totally addicted to her now. My possessive and protective side kicking in once more to carry her away to safety. The thoughts of what Jay would've done with her tonight if he'd gotten her home alone in this state makes my wolf roar with madness.

"I got you." I say to her gently, as I start to carry her back towards her dorm room when I halt in my tracks. Shit, what if Jay goes back there tonight after he's done in the office. With how he's been with her lately I'd not put anything past him at this point.

I look down at her, torn with what I should do as she hugs onto me whilst her world spins looking so fragile and vulnerable.

There's just no way I can leave her tonight.

I may live to regret this, but instead of heading to her dorms, I take a sharp turn and head to my lodge where Jay won't be able claim her tonight.

------------------------

... something smells so good... like the pine forest after the rain with something earthy mixed in... I love this smell... something about it makes me feel safe... it makes me feel something else, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is... so good... where have I smelt it before...

SHIT!

My eyes snap open as I shoot to sit up in a bed that's not my own. I quickly look down, relieved to see that I'm still in last night's clothes. A piercing pain strikes my head and I wince as a major hangover begins to kick in like a lightning bolt to my brain.

I hate Vodka!

As I grip one hand to my head, I scan around the room. Noting, most importantly that; A - I'm alone and B- by the sexy smell of these bedsheets I'm in Gamma Coles home.

What the fuck happened last night?

I shuffle to the edge of his huge bed rubbing my temples before I stand up unsteadily on my feet. This is a fucking nightmare, how the hell do I get out of this?

As I stand in the middle of the room debating what to do, my eyes start to scan around Cole's bedroom and I'm surprised to see a mountain of well-read looking books littered around the room. There's handful of photographs that look to be of his family. I recognise Cole's father, Krane, the packs former Gamma straight away by his deep blue eyes and dark hair. He's the spitting image of Cole. Stepping closer to a desk by the window, I spot an old record player with a huge pile of records stacked messily next to it. I reach for a record and flip it over looking at the cover with interest.

"Miles Davis." I murmur to myself, wondering if I've heard any of his songs.

"So, you're into Jazz music as well as bird watching, huh, Wonderland?" Gamma Cole says dryly from behind me.

Dropping his record on the floor in shock, I spin around to see him stood leaning in the doorway with an arched eyebrow and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Shit, sorry." I curse as I quickly pick up the record from the floor. I chew on my bottom lip, before nervously looking up at him. He says nothing, but just watches me, waiting for me to speak first.

Fuck. I feel a hot flush hitting my cheeks already.

Say something Alice. Say anything.

"Is this Jazz?" I frown at him as I hold up the record, as nothing else pops into my head to say to alleviate the tension.

A small smile hits Coles lips. Dear god has he always been this sexy?

"Yeah, that's a good one." He says quietly.

"Why do you like it?" I ask, now genuinely interested. Cole's surprised me with his music and literature collection. I kind of thought he'd be too busy down the gym to ever read the Great Gatsby or listen to Jazz.

Cole takes a deep breath, looking away as if to try and find the right words before looking back at me. He pushes off the door frame and walks to stand right in front of me gently taking the records out of my hand before switching on record player then dropping the needle onto the flat disc.

The music comes out low at first. I hear a lone trumpet then other eclectic instruments join in. The pace changes, then changes again.

"It helps me sleep." Cole admits quietly as he watches my reaction to the music carefully.

I smile up at him, it's like nothing I've ever heard before. I like it. I walk past him and reach for another record. I pick it up and look at the cover then back to Cole. "What's this one like?"

Cole smirks at me. "That one's more chaotic I guess, maybe not the best with a hangover."

Cole reaches around me and picks up a different record and passes it me. "This however is more bluesy, perfect for you."

I look down at the record grinning before I look back at Cole. "Can we listen?"

Cole smiles at me, before it drops slowly from his face, and I see him scratch his neck as if uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Maybe another time. You should get back to your dorm, cadet."

I don't hide my disappointment in time as my face drops at his words, I look away feeling embarrassed. Of course, he doesn't want to spend the morning listening to jazz music with me. He's the packs fucking Gamma.

Refusing to look at him in the face, I give him a small nod as I place the record back on top of the others and slowly head towards the door to leave.

As I get to the door, I stop, but don't look back. "Thank you for last night... for looking after me. Apart from my dad, no one ever does that, no one usually cares. Having an uncontrollable wolf kind of does that, I guess. I'm sorry I've taken up so much of your time, I won't waste it again."

As soon as I finish talking, I make a bolt from the room and down the hallway to the front door. I hear Gamma Cole call out my name after me, his voice seems strained, but he doesn't follow me out of his home.

As soon as I get outside, tears start rolling down my face as I run into the forest to get away not fully understanding why I'm so upset.

Why does Cole have this effect on me? After all I'm in love with Jay. It's always been that way. Never once did I ever question my feelings for him. I shake my head and brush away my tears feeling stupid. This is just my hangover, that's all this is, all that booze still flowing through my veins is making me feel irrational.

Beta Jay is the perfect mate for me.

My wolf whines in my head, but I choose to ignore her. I never listen to her instincts; I overrule her every time in fear that she'll just lead me astray. After all she's a category three wolf and can't be trusted