Kai was Dean’s first ever love—the kind of love that seared into his soul, fierce and all-consuming. For a man who had grown up losing everyone he cared about, Kai was a miracle. The one person who made Dean believe in something beyond the hunt, beyond the pain.

Every day was a new chance to show Kai how much he meant—the way Dean kissed him like it was the last time, wrapped him in tight hugs, held him close through restless nights. Kai was the home Dean never thought he’d find, the calm in a storm that never stopped raging.

But there was a shadow lurking beneath every smile.

Dean never told Kai about the hunting life. Not the late-night stakeouts, the blood-soaked battles, the demons that still whispered threats in the dark. He told himself it was to keep Kai safe—to shield him from a world too brutal, too cruel.

But the truth was more complicated.

By keeping the secret, Dean was building a wall between them—one that grew thicker every day. And sometimes, he caught Kai’s eyes searching his face, sensing the distance, the weight behind Dean’s calm.

Dean didn’t know how much longer he could keep the truth buried.

Because the hunting life didn’t just follow him.

It was coming for Kai too.