Page 20 of Ethan (Pecan Pines #7)

Dean

Griffin and I had just finished sweeping the northern ridge, our paws kicking up dry leaves as we loped through the final stretch of patrol.

The forest was quiet. No birdsong. No rustling in the underbrush. Just the whisper of wind weaving through the trees like it was holding its breath.

Something felt wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but my hackles had been prickling since we passed the treeline.

We reached the hollow where we’d stashed our clothes, and I shifted back, breath steaming in the late afternoon air. My skin prickled at the sudden change, bare feet sinking into the loam.

I padded over to my pile, grabbing my phone from my jeans and waking it up with a flick. Three missed calls. All from Ethan.

My chest seized. I opened his latest message, pulse drumming in my ears.

Heading to Maurice’s cabin. Cathy hasn’t heard from him or Micah. I’m worried.

Griffin’s phone buzzed. He swiped it open, listening intently, his expression tightening with every second.

“He went alone,” Griffin said, ending the call and looking at me, jaw tight. “That was Cathy. She said Ethan went by himself.”

“Damn it,” I hissed, already tossing my phone back to the ground.

Griffin and I locked eyes for a heartbeat. No words needed.

We shifted back into our wolves at the same moment, the shift snapping through my body like wildfire. Then we were gone, paws hammering the dirt, leaves exploding beneath our feet.

Why the hell would Ethan go alone?

He knew better. We’d been tracking increased wild wolf activity for weeks now, most of it circling the edge of the territory, Maurice’s stretch.

If something had happened out there…if a pack of wild wolves had wandered closer…

My gut twisted. Ethan, dang it. You should’ve waited. You should’ve called again.

I forced my limbs to move faster, even as the forest blurred past in streaks of brown and green. Beside me, Griffin ran silent and focused, matching my pace stride for stride.

We didn’t speak. Didn’t need to. We felt the same fear, burning beneath our ribs. Then a howl split the air. Not Ethan, but Micah. It was high-pitched, pain-laced and young.

A jolt of panic shot through me like lightning. I kicked harder into the earth, shoving myself ahead of Griffin, dodging roots and low-hanging branches.

Trees thinned. I caught the faint scent of smoke. Maurice’s woodstove? Or something worse?

Then I saw Maurice’s cabin, low and squat at the edge of a rocky slope. The back door hung open, swinging on its hinges like something had burst through.

I ran right in, heart in my throat. Inside, the air smelled of fear and blood. There was a red smear on the floor. I growled, hoping Micah would respond.

A soft whimper answered me. I moved fast, nearly slipping on the worn kitchen tiles. The smell led me past the overturned dining table, into the cramped kitchen.

There curled under the table, his too-small body shaking, fur puffed in fear was Micah, in wolf form. His wide eyes locked on something behind me. A low growl vibrated through the room.

I turned. A wild wolf stood near the pantry, lean and frothing, its eyes glassy and wrong. Its lip curled back from blood-slick teeth. It had been circling Micah, trapping him.

Now it turned its sights on me. I lunged. We collided with bone-crunching force, my teeth sinking into its shoulder. It howled and thrashed, claws raking my side. I didn’t let go. Didn’t stop.

It clawed at my belly but I bit harder, shifting my grip, going for its neck.

Blood burst into my mouth, hot, thick, and metallic. The wolf spasmed. I drove it back against the cabinets with my full weight. It bucked once more, then stilled. Panting, I backed away.

The wolf slumped to the floor, twitching once before going completely still. The coppery scent of blood saturated the room now, layered over fear and scorched adrenaline.

I turned to Micah. He hadn’t moved. Still under the table, still shaking, his little body pressed into the corner.

I shifted back and crouched beside him, wincing as pain lanced through my side. One of those claws had definitely scored me.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice rough but soft.

Micah didn’t respond, but he didn’t look away either. Just stared at me like he wasn’t sure if he could believe what he’d seen.

“It’s over,” I promised. “You’re safe now.”

He whimpered softly and crawled forward a few inches, still on his belly.

“You hurt?” I asked.

He shook his head. Or maybe it was just a tremble. I reached out slowly and brushed my fingers over his head, then down his spine. No blood. No obvious injuries. I exhaled.

“Stay here, alright? Don’t move until I come back,” I told him firmly.

He tucked his head under his paws.

Then I heard a scream. It was muffled, but nearby. Not a wolf howl. Human. Ethan. My heart dropped.

I looked at Micah one last time, pointing with my eyes to the floor and growling low to keep him there. He whimpered in response and curled tighter into himself.

I bolted. Back through the kitchen, over broken furniture and splintered tile. The scream had come from the west, near the ravine behind the cabin.

I exploded through the back door, feet tearing into the dirt as I ran and shifted. The ravine came into view just beyond the tree line.

I finally saw Ethan. He was backed up against a crumbling stone outcrop, shirt torn, blood running down his arm.

A wild wolf, bigger than the one from the cabin, paced before him, snarling low and furious. Ethan held a long branch like a spear, hands trembling.

I didn’t think, simply launched forward with a roar. The wolf barely had time to turn before I slammed into it, jaws locking onto its flank. We tumbled down the short slope in a tangle of limbs, teeth, and fur.

I tore into it with everything I had, rage and fear lending me strength I didn’t know I still possessed.

It fought dirty, went for my underbelly, my legs, but I was faster. A bite to its neck ended it. I stood over its body, panting, fur dripping blood.

Ethan was above me now, eyes wide and horrified. He dropped the branch, stumbling toward me.

I shifted back, collapsing to my knees. “You okay?”

He nodded, but he was pale. “Micah?”

“Alive. Safe. In the cabin,” I told him.

He exhaled, shaky and relieved, then dropped to his knees beside me. “You came.”

“Of course I came,” I rasped. “Why the hell didn’t you wait?”

He didn’t answer. Just leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine. Then, he suddenly looked at me, frantic.

“Maurice,” he suddenly said. “We got separated!”

“What?” My heart nearly stopped.

We heard a series of snarls nearby. The fight wasn’t over but I recognised one of the growls. Griffin. Relief filled me. .

“Griffin probably found him, I’ll head to where they are,” I said quickly, shoving my wolf’s urgency to the surface. “You check on Micah.”

Ethan’s eyes snapped to mine. “You sure?”

“Go,” I growled, already moving. “I’ll find them.”

I launched myself into the undergrowth, my paws barely touching the ground as I raced toward the trees.

The scent of blood thickened the air. Old pine, churned dirt, fear. I tracked Griffin by scent. He was just ahead, already engaging.

A loud snarl echoed through the trees, followed by a pained yelp. I pushed harder, leaping over a fallen log just in time to see one of the wild wolves slam Griffin into a tree. I silently swore.

I dove into the fight without hesitation, jaws snapping around the throat of the second wolf mid-lunge. It yelped, thrashing against me, but I didn’t let go.

I dragged it down, ramming it into the forest floor with all the weight of my body.

It kicked and bit, claws raking along my side, but I didn't care. I twisted, felt the crunch of bone under my jaws, and let its limp body fall.

Griffin had recovered, now mauling the one that tackled him. A third wolf appeared from the trees, this one larger, more ragged.

Its eyes burned with mindless rage as it bolted toward Maurice, who was half-collapsed near a boulder. I didn’t even think. I launched at it from the side, intercepting its charge.

The two of us rolled across the dirt, biting and tearing. It got in a good bite on my shoulder, and I howled in pain, but I bit down harder on its leg this time, wrenching until I heard the pop of a joint.

It yelped, bucked, but I was already moving. I lunged again, clamping my jaws around its spine.

This one didn’t go down easy.

Griffin joined in, finally taking the thing down with a crushing bite to its neck. Silence dropped like a curtain, heavy and still.

All that remained was the panting. Mine, Griffin’s, and Maurice’s wheezing breaths. I shifted back, falling to my knees, heart hammering in my chest.

“Maurice?” I rasped.

He lifted his head slowly. “Still breathing. Though I won’t be winning any races tonight.”

Griffin helped him up while I stumbled to my feet.

Blood dripped down my side. My shoulder was torn open, but the adrenaline numbed it.

“We need to get back to the cabin,” I muttered.

Griffin nodded, throwing Maurice’s arm over his shoulders. “Lead the way.”

I did, half-stumbling, half-jogging through the brush.

It felt like forever, but eventually the warm light of the cabin came into view, flickering behind the windows like a beacon.

Inside, Ethan was crouched near the fireplace, gently stroking the fur on Micah’s head. The pup was still in wolf form, curled into Ethan’s side like he didn’t want to let go.

The second Ethan saw us, he stood. I collapsed to my knees just past the threshold, shifting back with a groan. My entire body throbbed. Blood soaked my side and leg. I probably looked like hell.

Ethan let out an exhale and then dropped to his knees beside me. He just leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine.

His touch was warm, grounding. For a second, I forgot the blood, the pain, the mess around us. All I could feel was him.

“Cathy and I couldn’t reach Maurice,” he whispered. “And neither Griffin, you nor Cooper’s available, I just couldn’t wait.”

“You should’ve called again,” I murmured. “I would’ve come with you. You didn’t have to do this alone.”

“I know,” he said, voice cracking. “I just wasn’t thinking. I just had to make sure they were okay.”

I wanted to be angry. Part of me was, because he could’ve been torn apart out there. But another part of me understood all too well.

That desperate need to protect the people you cared about, even if it meant doing something reckless. Even if it meant walking into danger with nothing but your bare hands and a stubborn heart.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I shook my head, forehead still resting against his. “All that matters is that you’re alright.”

We stayed like that for a long moment, blood and sweat and dirt between us, but something solid and fierce beneath it all. Ethan reached for my hand, fingers lacing with mine.

Behind us, I heard Griffin guiding Maurice to the couch and Micah finally letting out a tiny, tired yip as he settled beside Maurice. We were all alive and for now, that was enough.