Page 32 of Mate Night Snack
Her eyes locked on his. “Why me?”
“Because you’re asking the wrong questions.”
She frowned. “Or the right ones,” she whispered.
Emmett took a step toward her.
“Because the town pulled you in. Because you’re seeing things no one has in years. Because someone like you… you’re the kind of threat Ashwin always wanted to snuff out before you understood what you were.”
He stopped in front of her. Not touching. Not crowding.
But close.
The room felt smaller, the air tight with something heavier than fear.
She looked at him, jaw set but uncertain. “So what now? You lock me up? Tape my mouth shut so I stop pulling threads?”
“No,” he said. His voice came low. Solid.
He caught a glimpse of her charm that she started to fiddle with due to nerves.
Wolf fur. Twyla’s idea, sure. But part of him wondered if the old fae-blood knew what she was doing when she wove a piece of him into that charm.
“You belong here,” he said quietly. “More than you know.”
Her voice came soft. Barely there. “I don’t know what you think I am.”
“I do,” he said. “And I’m not going to let anyone take you before you figure it out for yourself.”
Her brows drew together, confusion carving soft lines across her forehead. “Why would anyonetakeme?”
He hesitated.
Then her eyes narrowed. “Wait, you said you don’t wear apackmark. Ashwin’s pack.. Pack as in–”
He stayed silent.
“Emmett. Tell me the rest.”
He let the silence stretch for one more breath before he finally answered. “I’m a shifter.”
Katniss blinked. “A...”
“Wolf shifter,” he said. “Born, not made. My other half lives in me. Bone deep. Breath to breath. It’s not just folklore.”
She stared at him. “I’ve heard of shifters,” she said slowly. “Urban legends. Small towns with weird stories. But I thought that was all...”
“Fairy tales,” he finished for her. “Ghost stories that get chalked up to too much moonshine.”
“Yeah,” she breathed.
He gave a faint nod. “Most people never see behind the curtain. That’s what the Veil is. It keeps us hidden from the ones who aren’t supposed to know. Keeps balance. But you—” He paused. “You’re different. You see through it.”
Her expression cracked. “Because of the visions.”
He nodded. “Because something in you called out to it. And now it’s answering.”
She backed away a step, sitting back on the bed like her knees gave out all at once. Her hands twisted in her lap.
