Page 52 of Ethan
“We’ve been out there for hours,” he went on, his voice softer now, almost sheepish. “And he was fine. Nick was fine, until we circled back to check on that scent trail. He told me to stay behind and I didn’t listen. If I had…”
“Don’t,” I said, cutting him off gently. “Don’t blame yourself. Those wild wolves came outta nowhere.”
Ben looked like he wanted to argue, but then his shoulders slumped. “Still.”
I nodded toward the sink in the corner. “Go clean up. You’re covered in blood. Ethan’s got Nick now,” I reassured him.
He hesitated, eyes lingering on Nick. But then Ethan finally glanced over and said, quietly, “He’s stable. I promise.”
That seemed to do it. Ben let out a breath and stepped away from the bed, heading to the sink with dragging footsteps. I stayed behind, watching Ethan work.
He was all focus again, cleansing the wound with swift, precise movements, stitching where he needed to, wrapping Nick’s leg with practiced ease.
The glow of healing magic started to bloom faintly beneath his palms, just enough to close the deeper tissue damage. Nothing reckless. Nothing that would wipe him out.
Still, I could see how pale he looked under the overhead lights. There were smudges under his eyes and a drawn tightness to his jaw.
I reached for one of the extra stools near the exam table and quietly pushed it closer to him.
“Sit,” I murmured. “Just for a sec. While you wait for the healing to settle.”
Ethan gave me a look. “I’m fine.”
“You’re tired. There’s a difference,” I pointed out.
He opened his mouth to argue but before he could, the clinic door swung open and Griffin strode in.
His presence filled the room instantly. Calm, controlled, all business.
“Dean,” he said, heading straight for me. “Update me.”
I straightened, stepping out of Ethan’s way. “We were tracking the scent trail west of the forest, near the hills when we found Nick and Ben. They were hiding under a bunch of rocks and bushes.”
Griffin’s brow furrowed. “Nick took the worst of it?”
“Yeah. Gash across the leg. Ethan patched him up as soon as we got back.” I said. “Ben had a few injuries, but nothing life-threatening.”
Griffin’s gaze swept the room, assessing everything like he was mapping it out in his head.
His eyes lingered on Ethan for a beat, long enough to take in the exhaustion radiating from him, then flicked back to me.
“And the wild wolves?” Griffin asked.
“Gone. Slipped away during the scuffle. But we’ve got scent markers. Next time, we’ll be ready,” I said.
Griffin gave a small nod. “Good. I’ll talk to Cooper and loop in the outer patrols. We’ll need to double down for the next few nights until we’re sure the threat is gone.”
He turned toward the door, then paused. “And Dean?”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“You did well out there,” Griffin told me.
It caught me off guard. I managed a short nod, swallowing whatever reflexive response wanted to crawl up my throat. I wasn’t used to praise from alphas. Especially not ones I respected.
“Thanks,” I said.
Griffin left with the same quiet efficiency he’d entered, and I turned back toward the exam table.
