"I never knew perfection till I heard you speak. And now it kills me just to hear you say the
simple things"
-Maroon 5

Penn

I pulled into my driveway, aware that the pack dinner was bound to be over by now, meaning I would have to scavenge for myself.

Stepping out of my car, I smelled it right away. Cherry blossoms and mint. She was inside my home.

For a moment I was furious, livid, I wanted to tear heads off. I had expressly told Elijah to keep her away. But that all flew out the window when my wolf caught her scent.

I completely forgot that I had told Elijah to keep her away. Right now my wolf and I were overcome with happiness; she was here.

I marched up the steps and slammed the door behind me, smelling the air. The entire house was filled with her scent and I absolutely loved it.

I heard something rustling in the kitchen and quickly moved in that direction. What I saw made me nearly lose all of my control.

She was facing away from me, bending down to pick up a plate from the ground. It gave me a perfect view of her perky little behind. I growled at the mouthwatering sight.

She must have heard me because she stood straight and whipped around to face me.

Blue hair. Blue eyes. Beautiful full, pink lips. A curvy little figure. I was overcome with a sudden possessiveness that I had never felt before.

She was perfect. The most exquisite little creature I had ever laid my eyes on.

And she was all mine.

~~~

Alice

I turned around so fast I'm surprised I didn't get whiplash.
There was a sharp intake of breath and I thought it might have been mine, but I wasn't sure. The world was fading away and all I could see was the man before me.

He was far taller than me, probably over six feet. His dark brown hair was swept perfectly to the side, the same color as his eyes. The stubble that adorned his strong jaw told me he hadn't shaved for a week or so.

My eyes traveled down from his slightly crooked nose to his lips which were a faint pink. They looked extremely soft and I found myself wondering what they would feel like against my own. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

My eyes widened with the realization of how blatantly I was checking him out and quickly turned to look at the ground. I could feel my cheeks heating up.
He took a step closer to me before he spoke.

"What is your name?" His voice was deep and smooth. And for some reason beyond me, it made me think of melted chocolate.

"M-my name is Alice," great, now the attractive man knows I have a stutter. Just great.
"Alice," he repeated the word as if he was trying to taste the sound of it, "It's lovely to meet you Alice."
"Nice to meet you too, um-"
"Penn," he cut me off, "you can call me Penn." He took another unexpected step forward.

The movement shocked me and I stepped back, bumping into the kitchen island, and dropping the plate that was in my hand. Ceramic shards bounced off the tiles, flying in every direction.
He didn't even flinch.

"Oh crap. I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did that, I'm not usually that much of a klutz. But I guess I am today," I rambled as I bent down to clean up the mess.

What the hell is going on with me? This stuttering, clumsy girl wasn't me. Well the clumsy part was me. I didn't understand what was happening with me. I had spent the past two years developing my verbal skills and building up an archive of snappy comebacks that I could whip out at a moments notice. I didn't even recognize this stuttering mess of a girl. It's was as if nothing had changed. As if I was still the mess of a girl he had left behind two years ago.

I began to pick up the broken plate when a hand reached out to grab my wrist, making me drop a piece.
I let out a hiss when the broken ceramic cut through my palm, blood immediately coming to the surface.

At that moment, Eli ran into the room looking like he wanted to die at the sight of Penn.

I was still crouched by the island counter, now holding my bleeding hand to my chest. No doubt getting blood on my shirt. Penn crouched in front me, the broken plate lay between us.

"Alice! What happened?" Eli tried to come closer but Penn shot him a glare and something that sounded like a growl ripped through his chest. Quite frankly it scared me a bit.

"Elijah, you may go home. I will take care of Alice," Penn's voice was gruff and his tone was final.
Eli nervously glanced back at me, then at Penn, and then he left, looking guilt-ridden. I watched his back as he retreated.

The moment the slam of the door was heard, Penn turned to me. I gasped at the sudden proximity.
He stared at me for a second before glancing down at my hand, which was wrapped in my shirt to staunch the blood. He stood to his full height, towering over me, then reached down and grasped me by the waist. I was filled with panic, I've been in this situation before and I was fearful of what he might do. The house was empty. It was just me and Penn. Shit.

Like I weighed nothing, he lifted me from the ground and placed me to sit on the counter by the sink. He was careful to keep me away from the plate shards.

His hands were large, warm, and extremely gentle, like he thought I would break at any second. I watched cautiously as he moved through the kitchen. I was very aware of the fact that I was alone in an unfamiliar house with a man I had met two minutes ago. And that frightened me. I knew from experience that things like this never went well.

He pulled something out of a cabinet and made his way back over to where I sat on the counter.
"May I?" He questioned, gesturing to my hurt hand.

I hesitated for a few seconds before nodding at him, my eyes still trailed on the floor. He gently took my wrist, warmth spread where his skin touched mine. The cut was angry and red, still seeping blood. I snuck a glimpse up at Penn and noticed his eyes grew darker at the sight of my hand.

"This might sting a bit."
"What are you- son of nutcracker!" I hissed when he stuck my hand under the running water, making the wound burn painfully.

"Sorry," he looked at me sheepishly. I didn't respond, I just stared at the water flow over my hand and into the sink until it turned clear.

He shut off the water and dabbed at my cut with a paper towel. Pulling out antibacterial spray from the medicine kit he found in the cabinet, he sprayed it over the cut. My nose wrinkled because it stung almost as much as the water. He wrapped gauze around my hand and tying it off, he turned my hand over in his and brought it to his lips. Leaving a gentle kiss on my knuckles, making my heart pound in my chest.

"So it'll feel better," he explained. I gulped. "Come on, I'll drive you home," he lifted me off the counter, setting me on my feet.

I looked down at my feet, feeling incapable of looking at the man before me. That's when I noticed the large red stain on my formerly white shirt. My hand had bled more than I thought.
I shifted uncomfortably as he followed my gaze, down to my stained shirt.

"Wait here," he mumbled before disappearing around the corner. I stayed by the sink, not moving a muscle. Where was he going? What was he going to do? Oh god, he isn't going to hurt me is he? He wouldn't take the time to bandage my hand if he was just going to hurt me later, right?

Penn made his way back around the corner towards me, something black clutched in his hand.
"Here, wear this," he pushed the black T-shirt into my hands. I hesitated for a beat.

"No-um, that's okay, I'll be fine," my voice was barely above a whisper. I didn't feel comfortable with the prospect of wearing his shirt. But the idea excited me at the same time, sending butterflies through my stomach.

A rumble quaked though his chest, sounding eerily similar to a growl.
"Put on the shirt, Alice." Something about the way he said it was so commanding, it made me nearly bow down and obey every word he said.

I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, "I-I'm. W-where should I change?"
"Change here." My gaze snapped up to his face, a smirk was plastered on it.

"Wh-what?" I squeaked.
"Change. Here." His speech slowed as if he was speaking to a child. A devilish glint in his eyes, he stared at me like I was a pot roast and he hadn't eaten in weeks.

His eyes grazed over my face, doing unexpected things to those pesky butterflies in my stomach.

I stood unmoving for a minute or two, expecting him to do something, but he didn't. He simply continued to watch me through those animalistic eyes.

"Please just put on the shirt, Alice."  His tone was softer and shivers were crawling up my skin at this point. I couldn't hold out much longer and I knew it. I was tired of just standing there. It was late, I wanted to sleep, and I knew that he wouldn't drive me home until I put the shirt on.

With a sigh, I reluctantly pulled the shirt over my head, my stained long-sleeve still on my body. I was not about to strip in front of this man. I didn't even know him.

I pulled my arms inside his huge shirt that reached a few inches below my butt. Years of changing for gym class in school locker rooms full of judgmental teenage girls had prepared me for this.

I strategically shimmied out of my stained shirt and pulled it out from the neck of his T-shirt, not allowing anything to be exposed.
He scrutinized me through this whole endeavor, his eyebrows drawing together.

My ruined shirt in hand, I stared at my shoes, rather smug about what I had done.

He grumbled and ground his teeth together, obviously not pleased that his plan to see me shirtless hadn't worked out.

Without warning, a massive yawn escaped my mouth and my eyes fluttered shut with sleepiness. I pried my eyelids open to find Penn staring, transfixed by my sudden movement.

"It's getting late. Why don't you just stay here," his voice was deeper than it had previously been.
I began to panic at this proposal. No. This isn't happening, not again. I couldn't relive those days. Not when the nightmares had just begun to leave me alone.

I didn't know what he planned to do and the uncertainty caused my breathing to grow shallow. I was on the edge of hyperventilation.
"I-I don't know. I really should go home-"
"Look, it's late and I'm just asking that you sleep here tonight and I'll take you home tomorrow." His voice was strained, but his eyes were pleading with me.

"Alright," I whispered in reluctance. I prayed that he wouldn't hurt me. I prayed to a God I didn't even believe in.

The second the word left my mouth he grabbed my wrist, startling me a bit, and led me from the kitchen. He dragged me up four flights stairs and through multiple twisting and turning hallways.

We eventually ended up in a dimly lit hall with dark hardwood floors and beautiful paintings lining the walls.

I was busy admiring a print of Botticelli's Primavera when Penn came to a sudden stop, making me run headlong into his back.

"Ow," my free hand went up to hold my throbbing nose.
"You alright there?" A chuckle vibrated through his chest, making my heart pound.He spared me one more glance before pushing the door open.

"The guest bedroom." He entered the dark room, still pulling me along. The ceiling light flickered on, allowing light to flood the room. It was beautiful.

A queen size bed sat opposite the door. The floor was covered in a thick, beige carpet, the color matched that of the walls. Decorative paintings and prints lined the walls, adding touches of color to the room. I noticed a door off to the right that was slightly ajar. I caught a glimpse of white tile; the bathroom.

"I'm right down the hall if you need anything. Sweet dreams, Alice." The door clicked shut after his parting words, I was alone.

One more glance around the room and I release a sigh, forcing my feet to move forward.

I drew the curtains shut and turned on the bedside lamp before flicking the ceiling light off.

Making sure the door was locked first, I tugged my jeans down my legs. They lay carelessly on the floor, not that anyone would know. I clambered onto the bed, being instantly surrounded by plush pillows and comforters.

I lay my head down, completely exhausted for some unknown reason. The bedside lamp was still on. I never could sleep in the dark. Monstrous creatures lived in the dark, that's the reason I always put fairy lights up in my room.

My mother thinks I'm insane. That no seventeen year old girl should be afraid of the dark. But she hasn't seen what I have. She didn't lay cold, trembling, afraid, and alone in the darkness, waiting for the monsters to come.

The memories sent  a shiver down my spine. I didn't know if I could sleep with those thoughts floating around in my head. I shut my eyes anyway, hoping for a dreamless sleep.