Page 56 of The Patron Saint of Timber Hollow

I don't think she would have eaten anything today had I not put it before her.

There's a distance around her, a giant wall I don't know how to cross.

I can't help but wonder if her silence is directly related tomeand my proximity. Is Artemis shuttingmespecifically out?

After asking around, I know that Artemis's dad was killed by a hunter and that she was there. I didn't ask for more details. At the time, it felt like an intrusion into her privacy. Now, I wish I had.

Jealousy ripples through me as I ponder if she's so quiet because she just wantsJay.

For just a brief moment, I let myself wonder what it would have been like if I'd made a move before Jay, ifIhad been the one to become Artemis' boyfriend instead. I just want her to be happy, and I'm finding myself at a loss about how to make that happen.

Don't be jealous.My wolf snarks, crossing his paws and laying his head down on them.

I'm trying.

I guess, for a start, I'll just bring her a snack.

Artemis

Jay's been gone all morning, though Saint has been home with me. He keeps himself busy, wandering around the house. I can see him from my perch on the window seat. He's been making sure I eat and drink water.

Meanwhile, I've chewed the skin around my thumbnail raw, overanalyzing every interaction I've ever had with the Whites.

Did they know? Have they known this whole time what I am?

If I'm not thinking about that, I think about the full Moon tonight. Enough people have complained about Magnus canceling the full moon run that he changed his mind. We won'tgo outside Pack lands or venture far from the Hollow. It will likely be enough for most of the Pack.

But I can feel the call of the forest in my blood.Iwon't be able to stay out of the deep forest. Iknowit.

My wolf craves the solace of the trees just as much as I do.

But will the forest be safe? Will Ethan and his brothers be prowling for animals with coats like mine in the darkness?

Around and around, my thoughts spin until I'm convinced that Ethan did not know at first. There is no way.

We met at a car show. Ethan had treated me hardly any better than a Track Tramp until I beat him in a drag race event once in an at-the-time friend's borrowed car.

But it's very possible that he found out at some point.

If they hunted the grounds, they might have trail cameras set up on the Estate.

Or he figured it out when he darkened my doorstep. I have no idea how long Ethan was in the Hollow or Sommerville when he came to demand my return, even going so far as to try and tell me Sam was dead.

Maybe Ethan saw the wildlife when he was here. Had he run on trails like he had been last night? Maybe spotted a wolf orwolves.

And... Does it even matter? We just need to get him to leave before someone else in this Pack ends up dead.

With that settling over my shoulders, my breathing slows. I'm sure of it now. Ethan knows I am a wolf. He found out at some point.

Maybe we really will be able to bite his hand off.I whisper to my wolf,her golden eyes keeping watch from the dark corners of my mind. She's close to the surface, the Moon pulling her while my anxious thoughts drive her forward.

Something is going to happen tonight. I can feel it.

The Cold Moon is the longest night of the year, and the addition of Ethan's presence is bound to make it feel even longer.

Normally, I would revel in the forest, overjoyed at the prospect of the Cold Moon and the ability to chase it into the early hours of the morning. I can picture the quiet hush of a sleeping forest muted with freshly fallen snow. I can picture the naked deciduous trees reaching up to the sky with empty branches. Evergreen pines dot the hillside, limbs laden with snow.

Tonight, the Moon will be in the sky for the longest- it will linger high in the inky blackness over the treetops until the forest wakes up. And I can't help but feel like it's a mistake to go into the darkened depths of the trees. I won't be able to stop myself, but…