Page 45 of Ethan
I’d tried reasoning with him, bribing him, even switching mugs when he wasn’t looking. Nothing had worked.
“When did Micah stop sneaking coffee?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“I told him it would stunt his growth. If he wanted to be big and strong like his grandpa, he should drink something else. Healready liked the chocolate in your mocha, so I suggested hot chocolate instead,” Dean explained.
Words failed me. He’d done what I couldn’t. Micah had actually listened to him.
I rubbed the back of my neck, still thrown. “When did you two get so close?”
Dean thought about it for a moment, then that familiar grin spread across his face again. “I’ll tell you if you admit you were thinking about me earlier.”
I cursed myself for even opening my mouth.
The conversation had circled back again, right where I didn’t want it, and now Micah, my only excuse, was gone. Dean didn’t look like he planned on leaving anytime soon, either.
I lowered my voice to a sharp whisper. “So what if I was? I was mostly thinking about the bed because I’m tired. Anyway, don’t you have training to get to or something?”
Dean bent down and brushed the tip of my nose with his lips. “I missed you too,” he murmured.
Just like that, the edge of my irritation dissolved.
He straightened and continued, “No training until the afternoon. Griffin called me in last night for that emergency, so the schedule got shuffled. Which means I can hang out with you this morning.”
Before I could protest, he placed another brown paper bag in front of me and set down a cup. My mocha from the cafeteria.
I shook my head and gave in, taking the muffin from the bag.
He grinned even wider, clearly pleased with himself.
The rest of the morning passed faster than I expected. With Dean there, somehow the work that had been haunting me for weeks didn’t feel so heavy anymore.
He did whatever I needed him to. He fetched files when I asked, organized piles into neat stacks, even offered to alphabetize charts.
At one point, he held papers steady while I signed them, leaning his chin in his palm like he was perfectly content just being there.
I managed to finish all the filing and clear the easy admin work that had been stacking up since Devon left.
I even managed to squeeze in some reading from the healer journals I’d been ignoring.
Every so often, Dean would make a comment that made me laugh under my breath, or he’d brush against me when handing something over, his hand warm even through the paper.
It was ridiculous how much lighter the clinic felt with him inside it.
Eventually, my stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Guess we missed lunch.” I glanced at the clock. “You should head back, get some rest before your training with Griffin this afternoon.”
He shook his head. “I’ll eat with you, then I’ll head out.”
I chuckled, half exasperated, half fond. “You really don’t take hints, do you?”
Before Dean could reply, the clinic door swung open again. Griffin stepped inside. He scanned the room and relaxed slightly when he saw me.
“Good. You’re here,” he said without preamble. “Emergency call. A couple of our packmates got attacked by wild wolves near the western section of the forest. We need to get them out and stabilized fast.”
I was already moving, heading to the storage shelf for my healer kit. Behind me, I heard the click of Griffin’s bag opening.
It was his field pack, the one enforcers carried on emergencies. He was checking the contents quickly.
