Page 65 of Wolf's Fate

At the moment, I wasn’t sure which.

“No.” She wet her lips, her fingers curling into her thighsas she faced me down. “Your bullshit stops today. Right here. Right now.”

“Is that right?” I felt the sneer and couldn’t stop it. “Who the fuck do you think you are, little girl?”

Willow’s heart rate sped up as fury lit up her eyes, her cheeks flushing despite the fact she was squaring her shoulders. “I’m thelittle girlthat’s been drawing yourmiseryfor months. So stop with your macho bullshit, and tell me what the hell I need to know.”

Dear Luna, she was stunning. Did she know how sexy she looked as she openly challenged me?

Reaching out, I heard Willow’s breath hitch as I tugged her closer, the fabric of her sweater bunching in my hand. Her lips parted in a small gasp, so close to mine that I could feel the warmth of her breath against my skin. Her eyes were wide with surprise and something else—something that echoed inside me—and I wanted to explore it further, but I knew I couldn’t.

“You don’t need to know everything. Donotask again.”

Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, but she didn’t pull away. Her gaze flickered between mine, and I could feel the tension between us.

Electric.

Dangerous.

She was as pissed off as I was, but beneath her anger, there was something raw, and it matched the fire in me.

“Maybe I don’t need to know it all,” she whispered, the tremble in her voice not from fear. I could sense her arousal, and I almost wished I couldn’t. “But I’ve seen enough, and I need it to make sense.” Her fingers curled lightly around my wrist gently. “You don’t need to carryit alone.”

My grip on her sweater tightened, and I was clenching my jaw so hard it hurt. She was too close. Too close to me, too close to the truth, and yet I was the one holding onto her. I wanted to push her away, but my fist remained tight in her shirt.

I felt her fingers caress my wrist. “Let me in, Caleb.”

TWENTY

Caleb

It wasmy pulse that I heard pounding in my ears. It was my instincts that told me to retreat. It was my inner voice screaming at me to let go before I dragged her into my darkness. But still, I held on, resisting the urge to run from this connection, this bond between us, even as I knew it was getting stronger.

I hated it as much as I needed it.

“You don’t want this, Willow,” I murmured, my lips brushing hers as I spoke. “You don’t know what I’ve done. If you did, you would never let me this close to you again.”

I felt her other hand rest against my chest, her palm flattening over my heart. “I know that it’s not evil.” Her lips were so close I could taste them. “I know this darkness you fight can’t take you. I won’t let it.”

“Willow…”

“I’m here, Caleb.” She pulled back slightly, her stare steady and strong. “I’m still here.”

Her words broke through my defenses.

Fuck.

I closed the distance between us, my hand pulling her flush against me. My other hand cupped the back of her neck, fingers lacing into her hair, just enough pressure to make her tilt her head up towards me.

There was a heartbeat where we both seemed to stop, the tension so thick it felt almost unbearable. Her eyes searched mine, and I knew she felt the same, the same force dragging us together and both of us were done fighting it.

I kissed her.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t an apology. It was hard and unrelenting. It was filled with every unspoken truth, every frustration, every emotion we’d been ignoring. Our mouths collided, and the world outside of the car didn’t matter. It was just me and her and the fire that burned between us.

Willow responded instantly, her fingers fisting into my shirt as she kissed me back with equal intensity. Her hunger matched mine. Her desperation to be closer was as much as my own. I could taste her, feel the way her body pressed into mine, and I knew there wasn’t an inch of space between us.

My hand in her hair tugging her head back more, I deepened the kiss as my tongue slid against hers, drawing out a moan from her that sent a shiver down my spine. It felt as if every nerve in my body was on fire, every part of me was alive with the feel of her. The taste of her was addictive, and I knew I would never have enough of her.