Page 61 of Teeth To Rip & Tear

I exhaled, realizing I hadn’t taken a full breath since Donovan sat down.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, to Dean. When the Alpha looked down at me, the wolf inside of him stared out, close to the surface. He jabbed a finger in my direction.

“Whatare you doing here?” His eyes narrowed, and he glanced over his shoulder, checking that Donovan had indeed left before he sunk to his knees in front of me. Dean’s nostrils flared, taking in my scent. “You’re a wolf.”

My eyelids fluttered, short-circuiting as I tried to think of something to say.

I hadn’t had to explain to Kaleb. He had known since the moment he met me.

Wyatt was a different matter entirely. He didn’t like me and didn’t feel entitled to my secrets.

Mitchellsuspected, especially after our conversation at breakfast.

But Dean? We had slept together. Even as he knelt in front of me, I couldn’t help but think of the way his cock had felt inside of me or the way his teeth had marked my shoulder, scarring me to the bone in a way I didn’t understand. Dean meant something to me, though I wasn’t sure what it was. Even if it was just sex, I owed him an explanation. No matter how much I wanted to avoid it.

“Is there somewhere we can talk? Privately?” I asked, wincing.

Dean gave me a long look before he nodded and stood, holding his hand out. I took it without thinking, sliding my fingers into his palm. Every hair on my body stood up, and I shivered.

Dean led us through the kennels and up the stairs to another floor. When we reached the end of the hallway, hepushed open the door and gestured for me to walk inside. The room looked exactly the same as the one I’d slept in. Bare walls and bare floor, with a single bed.

I spun on my heel to face Dean as he shut the door behind him. I had no idea what he knew or what he had guessed. Did he know I was the wolf from the night before? The one that had ruined the hunt?

Before I could say a single word, Dean rushed forward. He lifted his hands to cup my cheeks and pressed his lips against mine. I froze in shock before I quickly melted into his embrace. Dean’s hands brushed against my face, tangling in my hair as he held me to his body and kissed me like he feared I would disappear.

We broke away slowly, breathing like we had run a marathon. Dean rested his forehead against mine, closing his eyes and savoring the moment.

It felt more intimate than I was ready for. Sex was easy. I could rationalize it as a physical reaction. A need. But as Dean held me, as if he had truly worried about what happened to me, I wasn’t sure how to react.

“I’m so angry with you right now,” Dean told me, not opening his eyes. “You should’ve told me.”

“I didn’t tell anyone,” I murmured. “My grandmother told me not to.” I reached up and pressed my fingers against my cheek, frowning when I realized the swelling had gone down almost immediately.

“Has the Huntsman told you why he needs a Weaver?” Dean asked.

I grimaced. “He said he wants to close the Gate.”

“And you don’t believe him?”

“I can’t close the Gate, even if I wanted to. When my grandmother came from the Aos Sí, she ripped a hole in reality.It took almost all her magic to do it, and it didn’t return. I’m not as powerful as she is, and opening the Gate almost killed her.”

“Eva...” Dean echoed my grandmother's name. “Éabha. Does the Huntsman know?”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t be alive if he did.”

“We can’t let him find out.” Dean pulled away from me, his jaw hardened. “He’ll kill you.”

“Kaleb knows.”

“Of course he does.” Dean scoffed. “He was alive when Éabha made the Gate. He was the Beast King’s second.Thatwas what you were gossiping about?”

“What did you think we were talking about?” My brow furrowed, trying to remember the conversation all those days ago when Dean caught Kaleb and me in the tunnel.

Dean’s eyes flicked to the bite mark on my shoulder. “Never mind.”

I pushed my hands through my hair, turned to the bed, and sank onto the mattress in defeat. “I want to kill him.”

“Kaleb?”

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