Page 19 of Ethan
I wasin a really good mood that morning. I couldn’t stop thinking about the night before. About the way Ethan had looked at me.
He must be tired from a full day managing the clinic and from his gig. And still, he’d taken the time to talk to me. To reassure me. Griffin and I are just friends, he’d said. Just friends.
I’d spent the rest of the evening high off those words, replaying them like my favorite song. I might’ve grinned like an idiot more than once.
Hell, Ethan had even offered to introduce me to some packmates after his set. Said he wanted to. That wasn’t something he did for just anyone, right?
That had to mean something. Even a little. So yeah, I was walking into the day with a spring in my step and maybe a little swagger in my shoulders.
I had a training patrol with Griffin in the western woods later, but first, I had a plan. Breakfast. And a coffee delivery.
The dining hall buzzed with early-morning chatter and the smell of eggs, toast, and something sweet baking in the back kitchen.
The line was already building, as usual. I was tempted to cut again, but just as I stepped toward the front, I caught a few familiar faces from last night. And they recognized me.
One guy nodded and gave me a casual, “Morning, Dean.” Someone else, Kate, I thought her name was, smiled and waved like we were old friends.
I blinked, caught off guard. Was this what being… liked felt like? A casual “morning” tossed my way, a wave, a smile, it was such a simple thing, but it hit me harder than I wanted to admit.
These were people I barely knew. People who didn’t owe me anything. And yet, here they were, greeting me like I belonged. Like I wasn’t a ticking time bomb or a walking disaster.
Back in Thornebane, no one said good morning. Heck, no one said much of anything unless it was a threat, an order, or a warning.
You kept your head down, watched your back, and prayed today wasn’t the day someone decided your position could be theirs if they just bared their fangs first.
You weren’t there to make friends. You were there to survive.
Every interaction was a power play, a challenge, a test. Even smiling at the wrong person could be seen as disrespect. Weakness. And weakness in Thornebane didn’t last long.
So to be standing here, nodding back at someone who smiled at me like I was just another packmate, not a walking cautionary tale… It felt strange. Disorienting. Good, but strange.
Like stepping into a warm room after living your whole life in the cold. I wasn’t used to it. Didn’t know what to do with it.
My instincts whispered to stay on guard, to question the motives behind every kindness. But something else was starting to whisper back.Maybe you don’t have to live like that anymore.
By the time I made it to the coffee machine, I knew exactly what I wanted: a mocha latte, with a reasonable amount of sugar this time. I stirred it carefully, taking a small sip just to be sure.
Sweet, but not tooth-rotting. Nailed it. Cup in hand, I made my way to the clinic.
I was already halfway picturing how Ethan would roll his eyes and tell me I didn’t have to keep bribing him. And then maybe smile. Maybe not kick me out right away.
Maybe flirt back, just a little. But the moment I stepped through the clinic doors, reality greeted me in the form of the most annoying kid I’d ever met.
Micah. Again.
He was sitting at the reception desk like he owned the place, feet swinging beneath the chair and a stack of markers and papers spread in front of him.
“Is Ethan around?” I asked.
Micah didn’t look up. “’Around.”
I waited.
“Okay… where?” I prodded.
Micah finally looked up, eyes narrowed. “You don’t look hurt.”
“What?” I asked.
