His tongue moved in slow, careful strokes, cleaning away the blood. Laura's breathing quickened. Each touch sent shivers through her that had nothing to do with the cold river water soaking her clothes.
"W-why are you really doing this?" she managed to ask, her voice trembling slightly.
Dante's eyes flicked up to meet hers, his mouth still pressed against her thigh. The sight made her stomach flip in a way that was both terrifying and exciting.
"Because I can't stand to see you hurt," he said, his warm breath tickling her sensitive skin. "Because something in me needs to protect you, even from yourself."
The raw honesty in his voice caught Laura off guard. This wasn't the arrogant Alpha she had come to know. This was something else—something that made her heart race for reasons she did
