Rhaella's POV.

"So you can put on a new shirt,” he explained quickly, noticing my panic.

“Oh,” I breathed, embarrassed.

I lifted my ripped hoodie over my head and threw it onto the bed, leaving me in only my bra from the waist up. Once he found a shirt, he turned around to face me, and his entire body froze as his eyes trailed down my body. I was too busy checking him out to notice him staring at me but the longer I stood there, the more the tipsiness was getting a strong hold on me.

The room did a slow little spin, like it couldn’t decide which way was up and my eyes were so heavy like they could pop out of their sockets. I blinked at him, over and over again; and suddenly his eyes looked… I don’t know… pretty? Sharp? Definitely too handsome for my current level of brain function.

My wolf, who had been purring, suddenly piped up in my head. “Uh… what are you doing?” she asked in alarm and clearly intrigued too. “Standing there in your bra? In a stranger's suite? Interesting.”

“Shhh!” I whispered aloud, forgetting for a second that she was in my mind. “I’m being… strategic.”

The man’s brow arched, his lips curling into a faint smile. “Talking to yourself?”

“Nah! It's my wolf.” I giggled, pointing at my forehead. “She’s… she's just being shy on my behalf..” I waved a dismissive hand, which almost made me lose my balance as I took a wobbly step forward towards him. “She doesn’t appreciate the… the mood of the moment.”

“Ella, you're half-naked and he's staring. Tell him to give you the shirt and let's go home before we do something we'll cry about tomorrow.” her voice came up again.

“She says you’re staring,” I reported, my words starting to slur just a little. I took another step toward him. Then another. He smelled stronger now of mint, and some expensive cologne that probably cost more than my entire life savings.

My wolf couldn't help but let out the softest whine in my mind. “He smells like trouble and heaven... And a little bit like ‘let’s make a mistake’ but we really shouldn't.” she whispered, doing her best to protect me from my drunken self, even as she secretly admired him.

“I don’t… want it either,” I mumbled, now standing right in front of him. I reached out, poking his chest. It was like poking a warm, solid wall. “You’re too solid. And you smell too good. It’s distracting me from my… my profound sadness.”

He didn’t move, just watched me with that intense, amused gaze. “My apologies for the offense.”

“Ask him what his name is! No, don't! Just take the shirt and leave! …But look at his jawline. Damn!” My wolf argued with herself, clearly conflicted on what to do and it was giving me a terrible headache.

“My wolf can’t decide if she wants to run or… or lick your jawline,” I confessed, the alcohol making me brutally honest. I leaned in closer, my bra-clad body almost touching his. “I think I’m… I'm going for the licking option. For.. for research.”

His smile widened, that damn dimple appearing again. “Is that so?”

“Mhmm.” His face was so close. Those lips looked… firm and plump. And my own heart was pounding, a mix of vodka, tequila, and pure, unadulterated attraction buzzing in my veins. My grief over Jason felt miles away, buried under a warm, fuzzy blanket of this strange man.

“Ella, no. This is a terrible idea. We are drunk and heartbroken and..”

“Oh, be quiet,” I whispered to my wolf, my eyes still fixed on his mouth. “I’m going to kiss him. It’s a… it's a rebellion kiss. Against Jason. Against everything. Against my life.”

“…your life?” he asked.

“Shhh! I’m making a statement.” I whispered dramatically and he chuckled.

I went up on my tiptoes and brought my hands to rest on his shoulders for balance. My intention was to be seductive, to claim this moment of power. And he stayed perfectly still, letting me make the move. His eyes darkened with something that made my stomach flip; my lips were an inch from his and I could feel his breath.

Suddenly, my wolf panicked. “ELLA! WAIT!!”

But it was too late, my stomach rebelled and I clamped a hand over my mouth as the vodka-tequila cocktail surged back up; right onto his clean black shirt and the muscular chest beneath it.

A gasp escaped me as part of me felt satisfyingly relieved, like I’d finally let it out. Another part… horrified that it had landed on him.

He looked down at the mess, then back at my wide-eyed, frozen face.

For a long, tense second, neither of us moved. Then he suddenly let out a low, amused chuckle; like I’d just told him the funniest joke he’d heard all year.

“Strategic, huh?” he said, repeating my earlier whisper with a smirk. My wolf whimpered, clearly embarrassed by what I had done.

The last of my energy drained away with the vomit. Making exhaustion, and the remaining alcohol crash over me like a blow. Instantly, my legs gave out.

The last thing I saw was his arms reaching out; catching me for the second time tonight.

The next morning, the first thing I felt was a sharp headache that made my eyes water. The second was someone watching me from the sofa, a few inches away from the bed.

I slowly turned my head expecting to see the strange man but it wasn't him.

“Hell!” I screamed, flinching and grabbing the shirt on me by the chest. I was shocked to see who was before me.

“How did you get here?!”