Page 23 of Mate Night Snack (Hollow Oak Mates #2)

EMMETT

T he howl shattered the midnight quiet like glass breaking in church.

Emmett bolted upright in bed, every instinct screaming as the sound echoed through the forest and straight into his bones.

Not the familiar call of local wolves or the distant song of coyotes hunting in the high country.

This was something else entirely. The kind of howl that spoke of challenge and claim and blood spilled under moonlight.

Beside him, Katniss stirred against the quilts, her dark curls spilled across the pillow like ink.

She'd fallen asleep curled against his side after they'd returned from the Council gathering, still glowing with the magic of her formal acceptance.

The Heartstone's power had settled into her like she'd been waiting for it her whole life, and watching her step into that role had filled him with pride and something deeper.

Something that felt like hope for a future he'd stopped believing in.

But this howl killed that hope like frost killing spring flowers.

His wolf rose beneath his skin, hackles raised, recognizing the voice that had haunted too many nightmares. Ashwin. Close enough to breach Hollow Oak's protective barriers. Close enough to make his presence known.

Close enough to take what he wanted.

"Emmett?" Katniss's voice was thick with sleep, but her hand found his arm with unerring accuracy. "What's wrong?"

"Stay here," he said, already rolling out of bed and reaching for his jeans. The denim was cold against his skin, reality crashing back with brutal efficiency. "Lock the door behind me. Don't open it for anyone but me or Maeve."

She sat up, suddenly alert, the sheet pooling around her waist. Her hazel eyes were sharp with awareness, already processing the tension radiating from him. "That wasn't a normal wolf, was it?"

"No." He pulled on his thermal shirt, the fabric stretching across his shoulders as his muscles coiled with readiness. "It wasn't."

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. A text from Maeve: Meet me at the Fang. Now.

"I have to go," he said, leaning down to press a hard kiss to Katniss's forehead. "Promise me you'll stay here. Promise me you won't try to follow."

Her jaw set in that stubborn line he'd learned to recognize. "Emmett, if this is about me, about what happened at the Council tonight, then I should be involved."

"If this is about you, then you need to be as far away from it as possible." He caught her face between his hands, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. "I can't protect you if I'm worried about where you are."

"And I can't help if I'm locked away like some fairy tale princess." But her voice softened as she covered his hands with hers. "Just... be careful, okay? And come back to me."

"Always," he promised, sealing it with another kiss before forcing himself to pull away.

The night air hit him like a slap as he stepped outside, sharp with the promise of frost and thick with the scent of distant rain.

But underneath the familiar mountain smells was something else, something that made his wolf pace restlessly behind his ribs.

The metallic tang of old blood. The sour smell of pack bonds twisted into something ugly.

He shifted into his wolf form between one stride and the next, bones flowing like water, muscles expanding as his other half took control.

Four legs ate up the ground faster than two, and he needed speed tonight.

Needed to reach the Silver Fang before whatever message Ashwin had left could fester in the night air.

The forest blurred past in shades of silver and shadow, his enhanced senses picking up every detail. A raccoon family foraging near the creek. An owl hunting from the old pine. The fading scent trail of a deer that had passed through hours ago. All normal. All peaceful.

All wrong, because underneath it all was the smell of intruders. Multiple wolves, moving with purpose, leaving just enough scent to be noticed by those who knew how to look.

The Silver Fang Tavern sat at the heart of Hollow Oak like a beacon, its windows glowing warm against the night.

But as Emmett approached, he could see Maeve pacing in front of the building like a caged predator, her short black hair gleaming under the porch lights.

She was still in human form, but her movements held the fluid grace of her lioness, all coiled power and barely contained violence.

He shifted back to human form as he reached her, accepting the spare clothes she tossed him without question. Maeve always came prepared.

"How long ago?" he asked, pulling on the flannel she'd brought.

"Twenty minutes, maybe less." Her voice was tight with controlled fury. "I was doing a perimeter check when I heard it. By the time I got here, they were already gone."

"They?"

"At least three, maybe four. Hard to tell with the way they laid the scent trails." Maeve jerked her head toward the massive oak that shaded the tavern's front porch. "But they left us a love letter."

Emmett followed her gaze and felt his blood turn to ice water.

Burned into the ancient bark, still smoking faintly in the night air, were words carved with claws and sealed with fire. The letters were crude but readable, each one a brand seared deep enough to scar the heartwood.

She's ours now too.

"Son of a bitch," he breathed, his hands clenching into fists. The smell of charred wood filled his nostrils, acrid and wrong. This tree had stood for centuries, its bark scarred by time and weather but never by cruelty. Until now.

"My thoughts exactly." Maeve crossed her arms, her dark eyes scanning the treeline like she expected attackers to emerge at any moment. "Question is, what exactly does 'ours now too' mean? Ours as in the pack, or ours as in something else entirely?"

Emmett studied the message, his wolf snarling beneath his skin. The lettering was deliberate, meant to be found. Meant to send a message that went beyond simple threat.

"He knows," he said quietly. "About the Council gathering. About her formal recognition."

"How could he know that? The Glade's warded six ways to Sunday. No way a rogue could get close enough to spy."

"He doesn't need to spy if he's got someone on the inside." The words tasted like ash in Emmett's mouth. "Or if he's got access to the same magic that protects this place."

Maeve went very still. "You think he's corrupted the Veil somehow?"

"I think he's had thirty years to figure out how this town works." Emmett ran his hand through his hair, frustration making his movements sharp. "Thirty years to study our patterns, our defenses, our weak points. And now he's ready to exploit them."

"Starting with Katniss."

"Starting with Katniss," he agreed grimly. The message wasn't just a threat. It was a claim. Ashwin was announcing his intention to take what Emmett valued most, and he was confident enough in his plan to advertise it.

"So what's our move?" Maeve asked. "Because standing here staring at his graffiti isn't going to keep her safe."

Emmett was thinking. The smart play would be to gather the Council, set up defensive positions, wait for Ashwin to make his move. But Ashwin had never been one to play by conventional rules. He specialized in psychological warfare, in turning an opponent's strengths into weaknesses.

"He's trying to make me react," Emmett said slowly. "Trying to push me into doing something reckless."

"Is it working?"

"Yeah." He looked back at the burned message, feeling his wolf's fury rise like tide. "Part of me wants to track him down right now, end this before he can hurt her."

"And the other part?"

"The other part knows that's exactly what he wants me to do." Emmett forced his hands to unclench, made himself think tactically instead of emotionally. "He's counting on me charging off into the woods like some lovesick pup. Leaving her undefended while I chase shadows."

She pulled out her phone, fingers flying over the screen. "I'm calling Varric. And Callum. If Ashwin wants a fight, we'll give him one. But it'll be on our terms, not his."

As Maeve made her calls, Emmett studied the tree again, memorizing every detail of the message. The depth of the burns. The spacing of the letters. The way the smoke still curled from the deepest grooves.

This wasn't just intimidation. It was reconnaissance. Ashwin was testing their response time, their communication networks, their ability to coordinate under pressure. Every second they spent reacting to his provocation was data he could use against them.

"Varric's on his way," Maeve said, sliding her phone back into her pocket. "So is half the Council. Callum's already started mobilizing the outer patrols."

"Good." But even as he said it, Emmett felt the familiar weight of command settling on his shoulders. The same weight that had nearly crushed him when he was younger, when he'd made choices that cost lives and destroyed everything he'd tried to build.

"Hey." Maeve's voice was gentler now, understanding. "This isn't like before. You're not leading a pack of hotheads into a fight they can't win. This is different."

"Is it?" He looked at her, seeing his own doubts reflected in her dark eyes. "Because it feels exactly the same. Ashwin making threats, me trying to outthink him while people I care about hang in the balance."

"The difference is that you're not alone." Maeve stepped closer, her presence solid and reassuring. "You've got backup. You've got allies who know what they're fighting for. And you've got a mate who's not some helpless victim waiting to be rescued."

The reminder of Katniss's strength steadied him. She wasn't like the other seers Ashwin had targeted. She was a fighter. Someone who'd chosen to stay and fight instead of running when things got dangerous.

"She's going to want to be involved," he said.

"Course she is. She's not stupid." Maeve grinned, showing teeth. "Question is whether you're smart enough to let her."

Before he could answer, the sound of approaching footsteps announced Varric's arrival.

The elder appeared out of the shadows like he'd been born from them, his silver braids catching starlight.

His storm-cloud eyes took in the burned message with the kind of calm that spoke of decades spent dealing with supernatural crises.

"Well," he said mildly, "that's unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" Emmett stared at him. "He just declared war on our entire community."

"Did he?" Varric stepped closer to the tree, studying the message with scientific interest. "Or did he just reveal how little he understands about what he's truly facing?"

"I'm not following."

"Ashwin operates on old assumptions. Old patterns.

He expects to find the same fearful community that's been hiding from him for thirty years.

" Varric traced one of the burned letters with his finger.

"But we're not the same community anymore, are we?

We have new allies. New strengths. New ways of thinking about old problems."

"You mean Katniss."

"I mean all of us. But yes, her recognition tonight changes the equation considerably." Varric stepped back from the tree, brushing soot from his fingers. "She's not just under our protection now. She's part of our defense. And that's something Ashwin won't be prepared for."

More footsteps announced the arrival of other Council members. Miriam emerged from the darkness with the quiet grace of someone who'd spent decades walking night paths, while Callum materialized like a golden shadow, his lion's presence filling the space with predatory energy.

"Damn," Callum said, studying the message. "He's not subtle, is he?"

"Subtlety was never his strong suit," Emmett replied. "Brutality and psychological warfare, on the other hand..."

"Then we'll have to be smarter than he is." Varric turned to address the assembled group. "This message tells us several things. First, that he knows about tonight's ceremony. Second, that he feels confident enough to make open threats. Third, that he's close enough to act on those threats."

"So what's our response?" Miriam asked.

"We protect what matters most," Varric said simply. "And we prepare for a fight that's been thirty years in the making."

Emmett felt his wolf settle beneath his skin, no longer pacing with helpless fury but coiled with purpose. Ashwin wanted a war? Fine. But this time, the old monster was going to discover what happened when he targeted a community that had finally learned to fight back.

This time, he was going to lose.

"Emmett," Varric said quietly, "go home to your mate. Make sure she understands what's coming. The rest of us will handle the tactical preparations."

"I should be involved in planning"

"You should be where you're most needed," the elder corrected gently. "And right now, that's with her. Trust us to handle the details."

It went against every instinct he had, leaving the planning to others while he retreated to safety. But as he looked around at the faces surrounding him, familiar and determined and united in purpose, he realized Maeve had been right.

He wasn't alone this time.

"All right," he said. "But if you need anything..."

"We'll call," Maeve promised. "Now go. Before she decides to come looking for you herself."

Emmett nodded and shifted back to wolf form, letting his other half carry him swiftly through the forest toward home. Toward the woman who was now officially part of this community's defense, whether Ashwin understood it or not.

Let the old monster think he was hunting prey.

He was about to discover he'd walked into a trap instead.