"Ezra, I think I screwed up," I said chugging down the last of my drink.

Ezra hummed with a grin on his face and cradled his drink. "How so?"

"I didn't mean to hurt his friend. Ya' know?" My head flopped onto my hand.

"I know," He chuckled.

"I just wanted to protect him, but everything I do is wrong and we end up just fighting." I frowned and flagged down the bartender for another drink.

"You seemed to do just fine without him for this long." Ezra pointed out while telling the bartender to close our tab.

"That's just it, I wasn't fine." I said grabbing Ezra's shoulder. "It didn't matter how much I drank or who I slept with, he was always on my mind. "

"Well, he's your mate I'm sure he'll understand if you tell him how you feel," Ezra said trying help me from my chair.

"Sure, or he'll think I'm a crazy person!" I shouted and Ezra cringed.

"What is it with Alphas and Betas thinking they could get wasted all the time?" Ezra groaned as he put my arm over his shoulders. "I'm sure he won't think you're a crazy person."

"He already thinks I'm a psychopath!" I confessed as we wobbled out of the bar. "Which I probably am, but as long as he's safe and happy, I don't care what he thinks of me."

I stood up straighter, already feeling the effects of the alcohol wearing down.

"Okay, maybe I care a little bit. But who wouldn't?"

"You're a mess," Ezra said shaking his head.

"I know," I sighed realizing I'm going to have to come back to the bar and get my car tomorrow morning. "But did you see how cute his face got when he was mad at me?"

"Do you want a ride?" Ezra asked when we got to his car.

"No," I said shaking my head and watching my world spin. "It's probably best I walk in case I decide to throw up."

One thing that was nice about a beach town was how close everything was to each other.

"Fair," Ezra said opening his car door and reaching for something inside. "Take this, its for the nausea."

Ezra tossed me a small bottle of pills.

"I probably just need water." I said looking at the contents. They were small white pills in the shape of hexagons.

"It's not for alcohol poisoning." Ezra noted. "Get home safe and don't do anything dumb."

"Thanks," I said pocketing the pills. I waited for Ezra to leave the parking lot before heading home.

The walk felt a lot shorter than I remembered and when I got to my house, all I wanted to do was fall onto my bed and sleep. Until about five am, my plan was pretty much solid, however a sudden heat wave a nausea had forced me to wake up. I couldn't throw up and I couldn't go back to sleep and what I really wanted to make me feel better was probably sleeping just fine in his own bed.

I shook my head knowing it was impossible to get what I really wanted, so instead I opted to going for a run. Outside, the ocean air calmed my restless stomach. I took a deep breath before I shifted into my wolf form. On the rock wall that separated my house from the rest of the beach stood a familiar furry friend. He had jumped off the ledge and rubbed his face against my foot. After a short greeting he had started running along the beach and my instincts took over.

If I wanted to, I could have chased down the cat within seconds, but I liked the idea of running along side him instead. In fact, I was so preoccupied, that I didn't notice the pain in my stomach had completely subsided, nor that my mate had been sleeping soundly with his toes in the sand just a few feet away from me.

When his scent hit my nostrils it took every fiber of my being to just walk over to him and not pounce him right away. As I got closer to him, I noticed his body was covered in sweat and he was shaking. I had more than half a mind to just shift back into my human form and carrying home, but the idea of waking him, held me back. I knew if he woke up and saw me, he'd want nothing to do with me.

Instead, I walked around him a few times, found a comfy spot and rested my body next to his. He was ice cold from being outside and so small compared to my wolf form. I could feel my heart melting, when he instinctively turned to face me.

The sun began to peak through the horizon and for a brief moment, everything seemed right with the world.