Page 16 of Mate Night Snack (Hollow Oak Mates #2)

EMMETT

T he hinges on the back door of the Hollow Oak Book Nook squeaked just slightly when Emmett stepped out, a smear of sawdust still clinging to his forearms. He’d been replacing the threshold beneath the storage room since the old one had warped from last winter’s freeze.

Easy job. His hands were busy. His mind wasn’t.

And now, with the task done and the tools packed up, he had nothing left to distract him from Maeve’s voice echoing in his head.

You can’t outrun who you were… but maybe you can stop punishing yourself for it.

He wasn’t sure he knew how.

But he did know one thing. Katniss was unraveling.

Slowly. Quietly. Like a thread tugged one inch at a time until the whole damn thing fell apart in your hands.

And after what Maeve said, after what he’d seen in her lately, he couldn’t keep standing on the sidelines pretending that letting her walk this road alone was the same thing as keeping her safe.

He walked straight to the Hearth & Hollow.

Miriam met him in the front hallway with her usual calm and her hands dusted in flour.

“She’s not here,” she said before he even asked.

He didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Where?”

“She didn’t say. Looked… tight around the mouth, though. The kind of look folks get when they’re tired of holding themselves together.”

His jaw tightened. “When?”

“Not long ago.”

He gave a sharp nod and turned, heart starting to pick up pace.

He didn’t like this. Not one bit.

She had a habit of wandering when she needed space and it usually meant trouble.

He inhaled through his nose. Her scent hit him faint, braided with bergamot and damp cotton. The trail curved around the inn, then split along the main road, heavier where her steps dragged. He followed.

Down Hollow Oak’s side street, through the back alleys between the Griddle & Grind and the Silver Fang. The air got cooler here, where the trees leaned close and the town forgot to be friendly.

He found her behind the tavern, half-curled on the stacked woodpile.

Katniss had her arms wrapped tight around her middle, knees drawn up, hair falling in tangled waves over her face. Her shoulders trembled.

Not shaking. Sobbing. The kind of quiet, breathless crying people did when they didn’t want anyone to see them fall apart.

He didn’t make a sound. Just walked over and crouched low beside her.

She didn’t look up. But her hand clenched like she felt him near.

He spoke low. Even. “Talk to me.”

She exhaled shakily. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“You are.”

“I shouldn’t still be here, ” she said again, voice cracking on the end.

Emmett’s hands stayed where she could see them, open and steady, his presence quiet but solid as the ground under her.

Her chin tucked down as she wiped at her cheeks with the edge of her sleeve. “I had another vision,” she whispered. “Worse this time. Ashwin. The town square. He said my name like he already owned it.”

Emmett didn’t speak, but his jaw clenched hard enough to ache.

She went on.

“I woke up and the charm was scorched. Just like the girls. Just like Mabel. Like it doesn’t matter what I do, the same pattern’s playing out again.”

She finally looked up. Her eyes were bloodshot and bright, her lips parted just enough to show how hard she was breathing.

“I’ve been recording everything. Taking notes. But pieces keep disappearing. Pages smudge. Files don’t save. It’s like the town’s fighting back. Like something out there wants me gone .” She closed her eyes, voice raw now. “Maybe I’m already in too deep.”

He moved closer, slow enough she could stop him.

She didn’t.

“You’re not alone in this,” he said, voice low and grounded.

“I feel like I am.”

“You’re not.” He reached out and pulled her in. There was no hesitation this time.

Katniss didn’t argue. Didn’t resist. She folded into his chest like she belonged there, her face pressing to the collar of his flannel, her fists bunching in the fabric like she needed something to hold her together.

He wrapped both arms around her and held on.

Her heartbeat pounded against his. Her breath hiccupped through his shirt.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore,” she whispered.

“You don’t have to carry this alone,” he murmured, voice thick in his throat.

They sat like that for a long time, shadows curling around them, the tavern silent behind.

Then Katniss shifted, head tilting up, her cheek brushing his jaw.

He looked down just as she rose onto her knees, her hands still at his chest, her lips a breath away.

She didn’t ask. She just leaned in and kissed him. Soft. Slow. Searching.

Emmett kissed her back.

His hand slid into her hair, pulling her closer, anchoring her there like he’d wanted to since the moment she spoke his name like it meant something.

The kiss deepened, mouths meeting with a hunger sharpened by restraint. His wolf surged behind his ribs, silent but alert, recognizing what had always been true.

Mine.

He pulled her tighter, her body molding to his, heat blooming between them like a promise whispered into kindling.

This wasn’t caution anymore. It was fire. Emmett didn’t put it out.

He let it burn.