Page 61 of Ethan
Missed waking up to his warmth pressed against me, his breath steady against my skin.
Missed the quiet weight of his hand curled over my side, like I was something worth holding onto. Instead, I was alone.
With a heavy sigh, I turned on my side and fumbled for my phone. Maybe there was a message. Maybe a simple "sorry, I had an early shift" or "got pulled into something" would be waiting for me.
Anything to chase away the slow-burning worry that had been gnawing at me for days.
Nothing. Disappointment slid into my chest like a dull blade.
I tossed the phone onto the bed and rubbed my face with both hands. What the hell was going on? Ever since Devon showed up again, Ethan had been… distant.
He claimed he was just busy at the clinic. Said the influx of wild wolf injuries had kept him running on fumes. And maybe that was true. Maybe he really was buried in work.
But too busy to even send a message?
I tried to stay rational. I tried to believe there was a good reason for it. But the longer the silence stretched between us, the more my brain started picking at itself, going over everything I might have done wrong.
Was I too much? Had I moved too fast? Had I said something I didn’t realize cut too deep?
The screen of my phone lit up again. Not with a message from Ethan, but with an incoming call from Carter. I groaned and flopped onto my stomach.
Of all the people I didn’t want to deal with this morning, Carter was at the top of the list.
But I knew my brother. If I didn’t pick up now, he’d just keep calling. And calling. And calling. Reluctantly, I swiped to answer.
“What?” I muttered, voice gravelly with sleep and frustration.
“Well, good morning to you too,” Carter drawled. “You sound like you slept on the wrong side of the bed.”
“I’m fine,” I gritted out, already regretting answering.
“Uh-huh. You always get like this when you’re fine.” There was a pause, and his voice turned serious. “Talk to me, Dean. What’s going on?”
“Enforcer training’s going well,” I said automatically. “I’m shaping up and learning fast.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Carter pointed out.
I stayed silent.
“Look,” Carter continued, gentler now, “you know I can tell when something’s eating at you. You sound like a kicked puppy.”
I huffed a breath, half amused, half irritated. “It’s nothing,” I mumbled. Why couldn’t Carter leave this alone?
Carter let the silence stretch until I cracked.
“It’s Ethan,” I finally admitted, voice low. “I think he’s avoiding me.”
“Damn. Really?” Carter sounded surprised.
“Yeah. Ever since Devon came back, Ethan’s been distant. Says he’s busy at the clinic, but…” I trailed off, staring at the empty spot beside me. “I don’t know. Feels like he’s slipping away,” I admitted.
“Have you asked him about it?”
“No,” I said tightly. “I don’t want to pressure him. If something’s wrong, I figured he’d tell me.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know how,” Carter said. “Or maybe he thinks he’s protecting you. People do dumb things when they’re scared or confused.”
“Yeah, well, I wish he’d let me in instead of shutting me out,” I muttered.
