Confusion, panic, and stress bottled up in Ashlee's throat. This shouldn't be happening. Who is this guy?

She abruptly pulled her hands back, her body shivering as a sudden wave ran down her spine. Kyle looked at her, confused, not understanding what suddenly happened to her.

"What's wrong?" Kyle took a small step closer, and she moved back.

"Who are you? How did you do that? What do you want from me?" Questions raged in her mind. She couldn't accept the fact that a human could seem not to be human.

"Ash... I—" He knew whatever he said, she wouldn't believe him. It wasn't that she was unaware; she just didn't want to accept it. She was hiding something—or maybe too much.

A knock at the door cut off their conversation, catching their attention. Ashlee gulped, and Kyle sensed her nervousness. Without another word, he slipped out of her house, jumping through the window.

"Who is this?" Ashlee inhaled deeply, pulling herself together. She walked to the door and stopped, remembering her mother told her not to open it for anyone.

"I have mail for you. Can you please open the door and sign here?" The person on the other side of the door explained. So it was just a mailman. What was so scary about that, anyway?

She opened the door and signed the papers. He looked at her, grinning widely. He seemed young, maybe a little older than Ashlee. He extended his hand to give her the mail. She tried to take it, but he kept a firm hold, staring at her face with an excited grin.

"What?" Ashlee let out an annoyed sigh, batting her eyes.

"Ashlee Cox, huh?" He checked the paper she signed. "You're beautiful," he whispered in a deep, husky voice, with an intense expression.

"So, what do you want?" she asked, unbothered by his glances. He was looking her over from head to toe. Inwardly, she felt a little uncomfortable with that.

"How about your number first?" he asked, licking his lips as his eyes moved down her body.

"My bad, I don't have a phone." Ashlee forced a tight smile and tried to snatch the mail from his hand, but his grip was annoyingly firm.

"It's literally in your hand," he smirked, not taking the hint that she didn't want to engage with him. What was wrong with this man? Couldn't he just back off?

"Baby, how about you start telling people you already have a boyfriend? Who doesn't like jerks talking to you?" Suddenly, Kyle was standing beside Ashlee. When did he come back?

He looked at the guy, clenching his jaw. The guy was defiant; he wasn't leaving. Kyle could already hear his thoughts and knew exactly what he was thinking.

'Boyfriend? Like hell I'll believe that.'

"What are you doing?" Ashlee whispered, covering her mouth so the other guy wouldn't get suspicious.

"What? You want to go for another round?" Kyle smirked, staring down at Ashlee as she shook her head in denial. He didn't bother to listen and pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"I... I'll leave," the guy said awkwardly, handing Ashlee the mail. He gave a nervous smile and left immediately.

Ashlee nudged Kyle's stomach with her elbow. He growled at the sting of pain. She needed to tell him where she got this strength.

"Hey! What the hell?" Kyle shouted, pressing his back against the wall.

"That should be my line. What the actual hell were you thinking?" she yelled back, fanning herself with the mail she'd received.

"When? What did I do?" He feigned an innocent face, acting as if he didn't know why she was mad.

"About what you just told him. When did I ever say... wait, when did we ever go for a round?" She got embarrassed after saying that, her cheeks flushing red.

He noticed her every change. Her expression shifted from calm to strawberry pink. She must want to hide right now. This was his perfect chance to tease her.

"So, are you mad because we didn't do it?" he snickered, barely holding back his amusement. She blinked rapidly, swallowing nervously. He stepped closer, closing the distance between them.

"Wh... What... are you doing?" she stuttered, her breath becoming shallow.

"You do want me, right? So why did you push me away earlier? I might have made a move." He knew he wouldn't have actually made a move—not unless she wanted him to. He'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't force her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ashlee shoved him away, making him thud into the wall. Little did she know she'd pushed him with a lot more force than intended, causing him to jolt in pain.

"Damn it!" Kyle groaned, biting the inside of his cheek. Who said guys didn't feel pain? He'd asked for it, though.

"I..." Ashlee trembled with fear, thinking she might have hurt him more than he could handle. She quickly knelt, reaching for his back.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't... I didn't mean to..." Her eyes watered as she watched his face scrunch in pain. She took his hand, placing his arm around her shoulder and walking him to her room. She had recently bought some meds, which she kept in her drawer.

"Sit here." She helped him onto her bed and went to look for the meds.

"Come on. Take off your shirt." Her mind was focused on finding the meds. Kyle looked at her, surprised—she didn't even realize what she'd just said.

"You... you want me to take my shirt off?" he asked, hesitating, and crossed his arms in mock defense.

"What the hell is wrong with your brain?" Ashlee realized what he was thinking and hissed at him. He seriously needed a mental check-up. "Maybe you should go for some tests to get your brain checked." She rolled her eyes and pulled his shirt off.

'Damn!! She's strong.'

"I just want to put some ointment on to ease your pain, you pervert," she scoffed, gently tapping his head playfully. Crawling to the other side of the bed, she began applying the meds.

"How naïve are you to let a stranger sit on your bed with his shirt off?" Kyle muttered as she gently rubbed the spot where he'd been hurt.

"You gonna shut up with your nonsense?" Ashlee smirked, pressing into his muscles, making him wince.

"Ow! Ow! Okay, okay, I'll stop," Kyle pleaded, shaking his head. She was one fearless girl. But the one thing he couldn't understand was why, if she was this strong, she allowed her uncle and the bullies at school to push her around.

"By the way, how did you do that earlier? The voice—I mean that telepathy-type thing?" she asked, still rubbing his back and applying the bandages. He was almost enjoying it.

"It was my..." Before he could tell her about his wolf, they heard a car honk outside her house. Both of them startled, and she realized it must be her mom.

"Hey! Quickly, take this and get out." She hurriedly grabbed his things, threw his shirt at him, and urged him to leave. He gawked at her in disbelief. How could she ask an injured person to jump out of the window?

"I can't jump that far with what you did to me," he said, pointing at his back, making her feel guilty. He knew he could jump, but he didn't want to leave, and he'd found the perfect excuse to stay.

"Then... What do you want? Hide in my closet?" Ashlee sighed, tilting her head in frustration. It was Kyle who'd broken into her house. She didn't even invite him.

"Why not? I think it's a great idea." Kyle grinned, winking. She looked at her small closet and shook her head.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Both of them shook their heads in sync.

"What about under your bed?" Kyle suggested. They looked at her bed; he could fit there, but it would be too obvious. He'd get caught easily.

"No!" she shook her head, reaching to stop him, but he was too quick and slipped under her bed.

"Ashlee!!" Her mother called from downstairs. With no choice left to argue with him, she stomped her foot in frustration and left the room, slamming the door behind her.