Chapter 18: Ethan's Wall
Chapter 18: Ethan's Wall
Lena started paying closer attention to Ethan.
She'd noticed his protectiveness before but now she was watching for the pattern underneath it. And once she started looking, it was impossible to miss.
He sat in specific spots during their shared class that gave him clear sightlines to her. When she walked down crowded hallways he appeared just often enough to clear space without making it obvious.
If a conversation near her locker got too loud or too aggressive, Ethan would materialize within seconds and the situation would dissolve.
It wasn't random but the question was why.
The new transfer student arrived on a Tuesday morning.
His name was Marcus something. He was tall and athletic with an easy smile. He was introduced in second period and spent the rest of the morning getting oriented. By lunch he'd already made friends with half the junior class.
Lena noticed him during fourth period when he slid into the seat next to hers, the one that had been empty all week.
“Hey,” he said, flashing that easy smile. “You're Lena, right?”
She nodded, surprised he knew her name.
“I'm Marcus. Just transferred in.” He leaned back in his chair, relaxed. “This place is intense. Everyone's so serious.”
Lena didn't know how to respond to that so she just smiled politely and turned her attention to the front of the room.
Marcus didn't take the hint. He kept talking, asking her questions about classes and teachers and what there was to do in this town. Lena answered briefly, trying to be polite without encouraging him.
She felt Ethan's stare before she saw him.
He was sitting three rows ahead and he'd turned slightly in his seat, his gray eyes locked on Marcus with an intensity that made Lena's stomach tighten.
Marcus didn't seem to notice. He was still talking, leaning closer, his body language open and interested.
The bell rang and students started packing up. Marcus stood and waited for Lena, clearly intending to walk with her.
“I'll see you around?” he asked hopefully.
Before Lena could respond, Ethan appeared beside them. He didn't look at Lena. His eyes were fixed entirely on Marcus.
“Marcus,” he said, his voice flat. “Walk with me.”
It wasn't a request.
Marcus's confidence faltered slightly. “Uh, sure.”
Ethan turned and walked out of the classroom. Marcus glanced at Lena once, confused, then followed.
Lena grabbed her bag and headed into the hallway, her heart pounding. She didn't know what Ethan was going to say to Marcus but based on the coldness in his voice, it wasn't going to be friendly.
She didn't see either of them for the rest of the period.
By lunch, word had spread that Ethan Wolfe had pulled the new transfer student aside for a private conversation. Nobody knew what was said but Marcus spent the rest of the day keeping his distance from everyone, his easy smile completely gone.
And he didn't look in Lena's direction once.
Lena found Ethan after school in an empty classroom on the third floor. She'd watched him go in there during last period and waited until the final bell rang to follow.
He was standing by the window when she walked in, his back to the door. He didn't turn around.
“What do you want, Lena?”
His voice was controlled but there was an edge underneath it.
“I want to know what you said to Marcus.”
“Nothing that concerns you.”
Lena closed the door behind her. “You told him to stay away from me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I did.”
The non answer made frustration flare in her chest. She walked closer, her hands clenched at her sides. “Why do you keep doing this? Inserting yourself, protecting me, scaring people away. If you want nothing to do with me then stop acting like you do.”
Ethan turned then, his gray eyes meeting hers.
“You don't understand what you're dealing with,” he said quietly.
“Then explain it to me.”
“I can't.”
“Won't.”
“Can't.” His jaw tightened. “You think you want answers but you don't. You want everything to make sense and it doesn't. It won't.”
Lena took another step closer, anger and confusion battling in her chest. “I'm trying to understand. But everyone keeps talking around me like I'm too fragile to handle the truth.”
“Maybe you are.”
The words hit harder than they should have. Lena's throat tightened but she refused to back down. “That's not fair.”
“Fair has nothing to do with it.” Ethan's control was slipping, just slightly. She could see it in the tension around his eyes, the way his hands had curled into fists at his sides. “You want to know why I do this? Why I can't seem to stay away even when every instinct I have tells me I should?”
“Yes.”
“Because my wolf won't let me.” The admission came out harsh, almost angry. “Because every time you're in danger or upset or scared, everything in me demands I fix it. And I can't stop it no matter how hard I try.”
The air between them felt charged. She could feel it physically, pressing against her skin, making her heart race.
“Why?” she whispered.
Ethan looked at her for a long moment and his expression softened slightly. “You really don't know?”
“No.”
He shook his head and turned back to the window. “You need to stay alert. Keep your guard up. Don't trust anyone you don't have to.”
The subject change was deliberate and Lena knew pushing wouldn't get her anywhere. But she wasn't done.
“Is that why you warned Marcus off? Because your wolf made you?”
“Among other reasons.”
“What other reasons?”
Ethan's shoulders tensed. “He was going to ask you out. And if he did, you might have said yes. And if you said yes, things would get complicated in ways you can't imagine.”
Lena's breath caught. “Why would that matter to you?”
Ethan didn't answer. He just stood there silently, his back to her, every line of his body radiating tension.
Finally he moved toward the door. Lena thought he was going to leave without saying anything else but he paused at the threshold, his back still to her.
“Lock your window at night,” he said, his voice flat.
Then he was gone.
Lena stood alone in the empty classroom, her heart pounding, trying to process what just happened. The conversation had raised more questions than it answered but one thing was clear.
Ethan was fighting something and whatever it was, it had to do with her.
She was heading to her locker when Caleb appeared beside her, his expression dark.
“What were you thinking?” he asked, his voice low and tight.
Lena blinked. “What?”
“Cornering Ethan alone in an empty classroom. What the hell were you thinking?”
“How did you even know about that?”
“Everyone knows about it.” Caleb grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty hallway, away from listening ears. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
“He wasn't going to hurt me.”
“You don't know that.” Caleb's jaw was clenched, his eyes flashing with something that looked like fear underneath the anger. “You don't understand what he's capable of when he's pushed.”
“Then explain it to me.”
“I can't.”
“Everyone keeps saying that!” Lena pulled her arm free. “I'm so tired of being kept in the dark.”
“And I'm tired of watching you walk into situations that could get you killed.” Caleb's voice cracked slightly. “You think you're safe because nothing's happened yet but you're not. You're in the middle of something you don't understand and every wrong move could be your last.”
The fear in his voice, barely hidden under the anger, frightened Lena more than the argument itself.
“Caleb,” she started.
“Just stay away from Ethan unless other people are around. Promise me.”
Lena wanted to argue but the look on his face stopped her. “Okay. I promise.”
Caleb exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. He didn't say anything else.
He just turned and walked away, leaving Lena standing there trying to make sense of why cornering Ethan had scared him so much.
That night Lena got ready for bed in a daze. Unable to sleep, she walked to her window and looked out at the forest in the distance, dark and still under the moonlight.
Lock your window at night.
Ethan's words echoed in her head.
Lena reached for the latch and twisted it, hearing the click as the lock engaged. It was such a simple thing – a basic safety measure – so why did it make her feel like she was sealing herself in
as much as keeping something out?
She climbed into bed and lay there staring at the ceiling, hyperaware of the locked window, the darkness outside and the silence of the house.