Mistreatment.

Alisha cursed under her breath and rubbed her sore forehead in pain. When she felt the weight of someone staring at her, she slowly lifted her head, to see who it was. Her breath hitches in surprise, Standing in front of her was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. He seemed to be in his late twenties, his eyes were kind and gentle yet intimidating.

He wore dark jeans, an orange t-shirt that showed off his strong arms, and black leather boots. His brown hair was styled and brushed perfectly, framing a chiseled face that made her insides melt and her heart pound wildly. It felt like he was looking right through her. And Alisha wasn't sure whether to be scared or excited. Unfortunately for her, she could not admire the beauty in front of her any longer as she took in the state of her basket.

It now consisted of only a handful of items, some of the items spilled, including the ones in glass jars. Some even got crushed. Knowing this spelled trouble for her and the amount of money her stepmother gave her couldn't be used for the broken goods. She didn't know what to do, her tears were threatening to spill out and she felt so helpless. There was no way she could spend the little money she was given on these broken goods and she couldn't possibly take them home without her stepmother skinning her alive. She sighed shakily, wiping away her tears. She felt helpless and hopeless, and her chest tightened. It was as if she was a child lost in the maze of her own home.

Alisha bit her lower lip, trying to hold back more tears as she looked around to clear the goods on the floor.

"Mate!" Kelvin's Wolf howled in his mind, his eyes contracted for split seconds in realization.

For a few seconds, he was in shock. How can this girl be his mate? The question echoed in his head as his wolf roared in joy. It was a mixture of pleasant surprise and shock. Either way, the timing couldn't be more Perfect. But soon dawned upon him as the realization set in. The girl in front of him didn't smell like a wolf. she had the scent of a human.

She smelled like Honey and Lavender, the scent that drew him into a world of temptation. A world where all he wanted to do was protect and cherish the person within his sight.

Alisha sniffled quietly as she wiped the tears falling down her cheeks. She tried her best to focus her attention on her work but she kept feeling the gaze of the person in front of her.

Kelvin's eyes softened at her as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "Hey."

Alisha flinched away as she quickly stood up, knocking a pile of broken glassware and other broken objects behind her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you startled," Kelvin said. "It's my fault, let me pay for the damages." He reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a large wad of bills. The girl shook her head vigorously. "No! No, you don't need to do that, it's fine." She said hurriedly, placing the items in the basket before standing up.

His eyes glanced over the basket and frowned slightly, as he noticed the mess.

Alisha opened her mouth to protest but froze. She looked up at Kelvin. His eyes were soft and apologetic, yet his posture was tense.

She took in a sharp breath. This situation wasn't good.

"No, you don't have to."

The man blinked at her for a moment before he smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it. Let me repay you however I can."

Alisha let out a sigh as she ran a shaky hand through her dirty blonde hair. She realized she didn't have much of a choice and she couldn't possibly take broken goods back home, thus she silently agreed and followed him as he paid for everything including the new items.

She felt cautious and didn't walk closer to him but instead stayed further than usual, she didn't want this very handsome man to perceive the stench off her body.

When they exited the store, he held the door open for her. His grip was tight on the handle as she swiftly walked past him, but he didn't seem to mind. Alisha looked up at his smiling face before looking down at her dirty shoes.

When she turned to glance up at his beautiful eyes, he stopped walking and bent down towards her. He raised the basket and pointed to the car parked beside the building with a grin.

"Hop in, let me drop you." He said.

Alisha hesitated for a second as her hands clenched tightly around the handles. She didn't move. She did not trust him and she wasn't quite ready to jump in an unfamiliar vehicle. "Please?" Kelvin asked again.

The girl glanced up at his smiling face, unsure of what to do. He looked at her tensed figure and didn't insist any longer.

He watched her leave, before sliding into his car. Once he was in the car, he slowly followed after her as she walked down the driveway and headed down the alleyway where she lived. When he saw her pull open the door and enter the apartment building, he quickly backed away from the entrance and waited for her to exit and go inside.

He watched her as she disappeared inside the door. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat, her arms held tightly around herself and she appeared exhausted.

As Alisha walked through the door, something came flying towards her, causing her to yelp in surprise and duck her head. Startled she gasped as she stumbled backward. Before she could reach out to steady herself, the tea cup hit squarely on the wall beside her head, shattering into pieces.

Her eyes widened in horror as the shards of the cup fell from the wall. A tiny piece scraped her cheek but luckily none of the shards pierced her flesh. She stared at the shattered cup in disbelief before turning to look at the person that threw it.

"What the hell, took you so long, huh?" Her stepmother yelled at her while the girls play with their phones on the couch.

"Sorry, there was a long queue in the store and I had to wait for my turn before I could pay for the goods." Alisha lied, avoiding eye contact with her stepmother. She knew she couldn't say, anything about what happened cause it would only warrant more punishment for her.

"Ugh, you are useless!" Her stepmother yelled, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Mom... I'm hungry already!" Elisa, the younger twin, whined to her mother before sending her a dirty glare. "Well, you heard my daughter. Hurry up and prepare something for us to eat!" Her stepmother spat unkindly, to which Alisha hurriedly nodded her head before heading off to prepare dinner.

Alisha dropped the grocery bags she was carrying on the kitchen island. She sorted some items out and started cooking.

After making the food, and taking a bath, she resigned to her room and locked the door, not wanting to deal with anyone just then.

Alisha sat on the bed and laid her head against her pillow as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

She couldn't shake the image in her head.

Her thoughts drifted to the stranger she met earlier. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint why.

He was handsome. She couldn't help but stare at his lips when talking to her. And she had the sudden urge to kiss those full lips. She felt ashamed for she didn't even know his name.

That night, when her eyes closed, she couldn't keep the memories of her time with the stranger away.