My Mate. My Hero.

Chapter 7

(Jessic'a POV)

I woke up the next morning with a big yawn and stretch. It took me a minute to figure out where I was, then I sighed when I remembered that I was at Kyle's house. I laid there for a few minutes, just thinking about the events of the day before. It had been insane and so much had happened.

Suddenly, my bedroom door flew open and I quickly shot up, grabbing the duvet around me. Kyle stood in my doorway with a panicked look. What was up with him?

"Stay up here, Jess." He told me, bounding through my room and taking quick glances out of my window, shifting my curtains out of the way. That was how he was going to wake me up? I folded my arms and raised my eyebrows.

"Good morning to you too, mate." I muttered. He rolled his eyes and came over to me, sitting on the edge of my bed. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated about something. Was he ok...?

"Seriously, stay up here. For your own safety." He warned me. I raised my eyebrows. Was Luke back? Was he downstairs? Outside?

"Why? What's happening?" I asked him, starting to panic. Then, I realised something. When I was scared, I wanted to be near him. I wanted him to hold me tight against him and not let me go. I just didn't know how to admit that to him...

"Some wolves are attacking. I've got the rest of my pack outside waiting for them." He whispered, looking away from me. My eyes went wide. Oh no. Was it Luke and his friends? Or was it a different pack of wolves? All of this was too much!

"What do they want?" I asked. Kyle frowned, looked back at me, and answered me with one simple word.

"You." I looked away from his piercing gaze, feeling more scared than ever. A whole pack of wolves were after me? What if they won against Kyle's pack? What will happen then? They would definitely get to me.

"I-Is it Luke?" I had to ask, although I already knew the answer. I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. I put my head in my hands and sighed. Would he ever stop?

"You don't need to be scared, Jess." Kyle told me. I looked at him and nodded, knowing he was right, but I couldn't help it. I liked how he always reassured me, no matter what was going on. That was one of the calming things about him.

"I know you won't let them hurt me, but there's always a chance." I whispered, looking back down. It was true. It'd only take one wolf to slip past undetected, then that would be it for me. He sighed, getting my attention. I looked back up at him just as he reached a hand towards mine, before pulling it back quickly. What was he doing?

"Jess, while I am here, there will never be a chance. I have to go now, but stay here." He told me. Wait, what're was he going?! He got up but I grabbed his arm, all of my scared emotions had gone, I just needed to be calmed down, and I knew he could do that.

"What if you get hurt?" I worried. He raised his eyebrow. The thought of Kyle getting hurt actually made me angry. I felt a little protective over him, which was weird because I had never felt that with anybody before.

"Don't be silly." He told me with a chuckle. He sat back down on the bed and I let go of his arm."How can I risk getting hurt knowing that you're here waiting for me." He said. That had to be the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. I made the bold decision to reach across the small distance between us and put a hand on top of his. He looked shocked for a second but then tried to cover it up quickly.

"I don't want you getting hurt for me, Kyle." I told him. I couldn't stand it, especially for me. He sighed in response and looked down at our hands."Please don't go out there, Kyle." I begged. I wouldn't be able to deal with it if he did.

"Jess..." He trailed off. Was he really considering staying? I just had to push a little more. I shook my head at him.

"Please." I pleaded with him. He put his head in his hands, taking his hand away from me. When he did that I felt kind of...empty. I didn't like it.

"Jess, I have to do this. You have to understand." He looked up at me again, determination in his eyes.

"And you have to understand that I don't want you going out there!" I shouted, suddenly feeling my anger. I stood up and paced the room as I spoke."If you go out there, then I'm going back home." I told him, stopping to look at him. I knew I was being harsh, but I didn't want him getting hurt. I knew that he wouldn't want me to leave his house, so it had to work. He stood up and walked towards me, looking a little angry.

"You're not going home, Jess." He told me in a flat tone. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"And you're not going out there." I shot back, standing my ground. He sighed and looked like he had given up.

"Ok, fine. You win, but I don't want anymore stubbornness off of you, Jessica." He growled. He walked out of the room and ran down the stairs, leaving me alone. Ok, if I said I didn't feel bad then I would be lying. I knew that he just wanted to protect me, but something in me wanted to protect him too. I got angry at the thought of him fighting a pack of wolves.

I sighed and ran down the stairs after him, not wanting him to be mad at me. I knew how he was feeling, but I needed him. Was that really selfish?

I spotted Kyle just as he walked outside, and I could hear him telling a bunch of young guys that he was staying inside with me. They all nodded and said that they understood, then Kyle walked back inside, completely ignoring me. Had I really annoyed him that much?

"Kyle." I said, walking after him. He walked into the lounge and sat on the couch, not saying a word. I took a seat next to him, not taking my eyes off him."Kyle, don't be mad." I whispered. He looked at me, and I could see the frustration in his eyes.

"Jess, listen to me." He started as he sat forward. "My duty as your mate is to protect you and you're not making that easy for me." He told me. I nodded. I understood where he was coming from.

"I know, but I protected you by making you stay in here. It works both ways, right? And I feel like you're protecting me by staying in here." It was true. It would be worse if he was out there fighting. At least if he was with me, I knew he was ok. He let out a breath and looked away from me.

"Mates are confusing." He whispered. I leaned back against the couch, shaking my head.

"Wolves are confusing." I corrected him, making him smile slightly. At least I got a smile out of him.

"Are you not scared of me anymore?" He raised an eyebrow, studying my closely. I didn't even know anymore. Sometimes I was and sometimes I wasn't.

"I don't know." I told him truthfully. He nodded. "I don't want to be scared of you, trust me. I don't know why I am sometimes. It's just a big adjustment...I'm sorry." I whispered. He put his hand on my leg and I resisted the urge to flinch. I wasn't expecting it and it made me jump, but I was proud of myself for keeping my cool.

"I know, Jess. Stop apologising. You haven't done anything wrong, ok? You've gone through some bad things so I don't expect you to warm up to a guy just like that who changes into a wolf." He was completely right. I was so glad that he understood how I was feeling.

"I know, thank you." I hesitated for a minute before I finally got the same courage as when we were upstairs, and put my hand on top of his, calming down immediately."I don't like being scared of you. I want to be like a normal mate. I promise that after a few days, I'll get used to everything." I promised him. I just wanted to be everything he had expected in a mare. He smiled.

"I'll hold you to that promise." He gave me a wink. I smiled and felt my cheeks turn a little red. I couldn't believe he made me blush... then, a howl erupted from outside. I jumped but Kyle acted quickly. He moved his hand from my leg and pulled me over to him, keeping an arm around my waist. I loved how that made me feel, and I needed that more than ever right now.

"What's happening?" I asked. He pulled me even closer to him so I was pressed against his side completely, obviously making sure that I was calming down. Or was it so he could calm down? I wasn't sure anymore.

"The fight is starting." He muttered. I took a deep breath rested my head on Kyle's shoulder. Right now, I needed my mate.