Page 75 of Ethan
Cooper chuckled once, the sound brief but genuine, before the weight of the moment returned to his face. He turned to the rest of us and scanned the room again, more thoughtfully this time.
His voice shifted, low and steady. “You all did good. You brought everyone back. No fatalities. No infections. Minimal injuries. That’s the outcome we hope for when things go sideways.”
Maurice nodded weakly from his cot. “Could’ve been worse.”
“Yeah,” Cooper agreed. “It could’ve. That wild wolf could’ve killed Micah. Could’ve taken down Ethan before backup arrived. But none of that happened. Because Griffin and Dean got there in time.”
I sat up a little straighter.
Cooper met my eyes. “You tracked them. Took down a feral wolf. Got everyone out alive. That’s the job of an enforcer, Dean. Not a trainee.”
My heart thudded once, hard.
“You’ve earned your place,” Cooper said. “Effective immediately, you’re no longer in training. You’re an enforcer of the Pecan Pines pack.”
The room was quiet for a beat, and then Griffin clapped me on the shoulder, surprisingly gentle for a guy who once wrestled a black bear out of a dumpster.
“About time,” he said with a nod.
Micah grinned and gave me a thumbs up. I swallowed hard. My chest felt too big for my ribs, like the weight of those words had filled me up to the brim.
Enforcer.
I’d wanted that title more than I’d let on. Not because I cared about rank or recognition, but because it meant something here. It meant I’d earned trust. Respect. A place. A home.
“Thank you, Alpha,” I said, voice rougher than I meant it to be.
Cooper nodded. “You earned it.”
Then he looked to Ethan again, not unkindly. “You’re lucky Dean got there when he did.”
“I know,” Ethan murmured.
“And you’re lucky your mate didn’t decide to drag you back to the clinic by the scruff,” Cooper pointed out.
Ethan gave him a look. “Don’t give him ideas.”
“I don’t need ideas,” I said, smirking. “I have instincts.”
Ethan rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about bossy wolves. Cooper gave us a brief smile, then turned more serious as he addressed the room again.
“This situation reminded me just how important each of you is to this pack. We don’t leave people behind. We don’t send anyone into danger alone. From now on, I want a tighter communication net. If someone goes missing, it gets reported. If someone heads into the woods, they check in. Clear?” Cooper demanded.
Everyone nodded. He let out a slow breath. “Good. We’ll talk more at the evening meeting. But for now, rest. Heal. You did right today.”
He gave me a final nod, one full of quiet approval, then stepped out, Griffin following in his wake. The room settled into silence again.
Ethan sat back down beside me, picking at the cuff of his sleeve. “So. Mate, huh.”
I looked over at him. “That wasn’t a slip?”
His cheeks were still pink. “I meant it.”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “I don’t… throw that word around.”
“Neither do I,” I lied. After this, I was going to brag to anyone who would listen that Ethan finally acknowledged me as his mate.
