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It had been four days since Somin had seen the wolf staring up at her window (was it her window? She couldn't be sure of anything anymore.), and she hadn't said a word to her father, or anyone in the pack about it. Not that it actually mattered--her father wouldn't have listened, no one would have. Even if he did, odds are he'd be more worried about the fact that if there really were an unknown wolf out there, that he'd seen his disgraceful runt daughter. He'd also probably board up her windows so she couldn't look outside, and therefore have anyone look back.

So she just didn't say anything. However, during the past few days, she'd only caught one more glimpse of the mysterious stranger wolf. She still wasn't sure what his intentions were. But they'd made eye contact, and strangely he'd done nothing. No bolting into the woods, no threatening growls or snarls. They just stared at each other evenly until eventually, he melted back into the forest. She should be afraid, in all rights.

Another wolf in the area could be dangerous, and if they wanted to attack, Somin would be more than fair game. But there was something about the wolf's eyes that was calming to Somin. Familiar, in some way she couldn't quite place her finger on.

Somin's curiosity was piqued. She wanted to know who this person was.

And even though she was aware it was incredibly dangerous, and stupid, she snuck out of the house in the morning, and headed to her secret little hiding place.

During her entire journey there, Somin became acutely aware that she was, once more, being watched. But still, the wolf made no move to harm her, no move to scare her off. So she kept going, turning off the wolf path and going to the bay. Once she stepped out onto the rocky beach, and leaned against the weird archway, she glanced around. The feeling of eyes on her was gone.

Had the wolf lost interest after he saw she was only going to the water for some alone time? After all, if he were watching the house because of her father's pack, she would be the least of his concern. By now his hearing would have picked up every nasty thing anyone in that house said about her, so he'd know she wasn't going to do a damn thing about him being out there.

Deciding that this wasn't any of her business, and that she just needed to relax right now, Somin slipped off her shoes, and went into the water, not caring that her flowing beige top and loose pants would be ruined by the sea water. She just needed to be in the water, and it wasn't like she owned any bathing suits, anyway. This was fine.

Sinking back, Somin just floated in the water. And the feeling came back; eyes. Watching her. Slowly, her eyes opened, and on one of the large rocks near her, stood a male.

The sun was shining down on her eyes, so she couldn't quite make his looks out. All she could tell was that they were decently tall, lean, and that his head was tilted while he watched her just float in the water.

"Why have you been watching my house?" was the first thing out of .

The stranger moved, and now Somin could see him better. He was smirking. The male was also young, probably close to her age. His dark brown hair was an absolute mess, as were the clothes he was wearing.

"Your house? Don't know what you mean." His voice was smooth, lilting, teasing. There was also a slight accent marking his words, like Korean wasn't his first language.

Somin narrowed her eyes. "You're the wolf that's been watching my house for days now. Maybe even longer, I don't know."

"Wolves? There aren't any wolves native to this area."

"Don't play dumb," Somin snapped, frowning.

But the male's retort was just as sharp. "Then don't play cute. You know better than that."

Well, that made her pause. So her next words were far more careful. "Who are you?"

Now the wolf was smiling. His teeth were white and perfectly straight, the expression lighting his face up. Somin realized he was handsome, just then. Under the dirty hair and ratty clothes, he was definitely handsome. "You don't need to know who I am. Not right now, anyway, if you ever will at all. You haven't told your pack about me, either--well, they're not y