Stars were gazing down, twinkling, burning hot, shimmering lights. Ashlee was amazed to see so many stars and a clear night sky. She rarely went out of her room like this at night.

"It's so beautiful." Ashlee's eyes sparkled with the starlight. Her focus was all on the beautiful, sparkly sky above her head.

"Surely, it is." Kyle's eyes were glued to Ashlee as she admired the sky; he, in turn, was admiring her. How could someone so ordinary in his life be this pure, innocent, and pretty?

"I feel so free. Thank you." She whispered, lying back down on her back on the roof, closing her eyes, and inhaling the rare, cold breeze brushing past her.

Kyle lay beside her and closed his eyes. Her scent was strong, and he could only smell her in every particle of air that brushed past him. He couldn't deny it, but somehow he liked it. Smelling her, feeling her, and being around her was comforting.

"Can I ask you something?" Ashlee turned her big, dazzled eyes, blinking cutely toward Kyle. As soon as he turned to face her, he was lost in her tear-bright eyes.

"Yes." He knew he would tell her the truth from this moment on. He prayed she wouldn't ask about Heather.

"Why me?" she whispered in a low, almost hesitant voice.

"What do you mean?" He was genuinely confused by her question. She was the most unpredictable thing that had ever happened to him.

"Why are you with me right now?" she whispered as her eyes drifted down to his lips. He wasn't even blinking his gaze away from her. It was starting to fluster her heart.

"Because I am fated to you," Kyle replied, still not looking away from her face. Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could sense him looking at her.

"And how do you know that?" She chuckled lightly at his response, which she definitely didn't believe at all.

"The other day I showed you. That voice is my inner self, and he tells me everything that is right." Kyle finally took his eyes off her and stared at the dark, lifeless sky above him. He couldn't understand what was so beautiful about the stars twinkling on the darker surface.

"So what do you guys do? Talk to each other?" Ashlee giggled at her own question. She was indeed enjoying this moment with him.

"Most of the time, yeah," he replied, chuckling along with her.

"No, like seriously. What if one of you guys kills someone, who gets arrested for that?" Ashlee asked, straightening up with curiosity.

"I told you, it's part of me. If he killed someone, I'm totally responsible for it. Although we probably wouldn't get arrested for that, we are still responsible for each other." Kyle folded his hands under his head, calmly answering every curiosity.

"Yeah, sure. You won't." Ashlee scoffed playfully. "Okay, seriously. Where did you learn all of this? Are you even legally allowed to go around showing your magical skills to people?" she asked, biting her lip as the cool air made her shiver slightly.

"Honestly, I wouldn't call them magic skills. These abilities have been with me since I was born, so technically, I was born this amazing." Kyle smirked sarcastically at her. She snickered, rolling her eyes at him.

Stolen novel; please report.

All of a sudden, Kyle stood up, and within the blink of an eye, he disappeared. Ashlee was stunned by his sudden disappearance. Then she realized she needed to get down from this roof, and without him, she wouldn't be able to.

"Kyle?" she called, raising her whisper. She knew her uncle was asleep, and she definitely didn't want to wake him up; otherwise, this might be the last smile she'd ever have.

"Where the hell did he go, leaving me alone?" she hissed, rubbing her arms as cold prickles ran over her skin.

Instantly, a blanket that she guessed was hers covered her in a roll. Kyle completely wrapped her in the blanket, making sure she wouldn't feel too cold. Ashlee stared at him, wide-eyed. Her heart couldn't stop thumping loudly, feeling his breath ghosting over her skin.

"Why...why are you being so nice to me?" she asked aloud, realizing too late and silently cursing herself. Seeing the shock on his face, she worried she'd made him uncomfortable as he pulled away from her.

"Because I promised you—I'll protect you." Kyle whispered, flustered by his own words. What was up with him? Where was his alpha ego?

"But why, though? I mean, there are so many people who'd appreciate your help—then why me?" Ashlee looked at him, her face full of curiosity.

"I've told you many times. You're my mate, and it is my duty to protect you." He replied, whispering the last sentence under his breath. The guilt began gnawing at him, recalling what he'd done. But he still couldn't bring himself to tell her.

"What if I reject you?" Ashlee smiled, sticking her tongue out at him. He chuckled immediately, letting go of the guilt.

They stayed up until late into the night. Ashlee's curiosity wouldn't let him get bored at all. She kept asking silly questions, but he would still answer every one of them without any sign of annoyance.

As Ashlee entered the school, her phone buzzed with a lot of messages on the school's social page. She ignored them as usual and walked past the hall to her locker.

Today felt different. Every person who passed by her was giving her nasty looks. She grimaced and opened her locker, putting her books inside and retrieving the ones she needed.

"Hey, freak!" Crista came up to her with her usual posse. Nothing except for the looks had changed about her day.

"Morning to you too, Miss Wannabe." Ashlee calmly flashed a tight smile and attempted to walk past her, but Crista blocked her way.

'What now?' Ashlee glanced at Crista, annoyed. Every morning, she had nothing better to do than pester Ashlee.

"I think 'Miss Wannabe' should be your tag from now on," Crista smirked, flipping her hand in the air dramatically. Ashlee rolled her eyes and decided to ignore her.

But Crista blocked her again. "Why the rush? Can't wait to see your teacher boyfriend?" she snickered, confusing Ashlee.

"What?" Ashlee frowned in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that supposed to be a secret?" Crista mocked, clearly enjoying herself. But seriously—what was she talking about?

"What the hell are you on about, Crista?" Ashlee sighed in frustration, wanting Crista to just get to the point and leave her alone.

"You haven't checked the school web?" Crista grinned wickedly. Seeing Ashlee's face, she smirked. "I think you should check it out."

Crista leaned close to Ashlee's ear, "I just made you famous." She whispered while walking past her with her posse snickering behind her.

"What the hell?" Ashlee muttered and pulled out her phone to check the school web. Her body froze as she saw her picture with Mr. Harvey while he was confessing to her. He was holding her hand and smiling at her.

She remembered clearly that she had no idea he would take her to an empty classroom not for a consultation but to confess his feelings. But why is Crista everywhere? Why did she have to post this picture on the school's homepage?

"Miss Ashlee Cox?" The principal's secretary came over, her heels clicking.

"Yes," Ashlee replied as the whole school watched her follow the secretary to the principal's office.

Then they suddenly stopped. The secretary stopped, and so did Ashlee. Kyle stood in front of them, taking in Ashlee's exhausted, scared face.

"Where are you taking her?" he asked the secretary in a deep, commanding voice.

"Sir, she was summoned by the principal." The secretary replied with a strained smile that looked odd.

"I just came from speaking with him," Kyle responded smoothly, his gaze not leaving Ashlee's face. "He didn't mention anything to me about calling her in. I'll take it from here."

The secretary looked conflicted but finally nodded, stepping back. "Very well, sir," she replied, her eyes flickering between the two before she turned and walked away.

Kyle's expression softened slightly as he turned to Ashlee, who looked both relieved and confused. "Come on," he murmured, gently guiding her away from the curious stares. "We'll figure this out."