Page 55 of Mate Night Snack
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.
