Page 42 of The Patron Saint of Timber Hollow

As soon as I pull up to Coyote Bills, I park between Ivy's Impala and Sam's Bronco. My fingertips tremble so hard that I nearly drop my keys as I walk inside to find Sam. She'd been at work yesterday during the Pack meeting, and I don't know if her roommates have told her about what was said before she arrived. Either way, she needs to know, but I also desperately need her help sorting through my thoughts.

I spot Sam at the register, clocking in. When she sees me in the mirror, she quickly shouts, "Hey babes!"

"Hey," I greet, pulling her by the elbow towards the back and pausing by the open office door. Ivy's inside, so I tell her I'm going downstairs to do inventory and taking Sam with me.

The perk of working with and for your friends is that they know when something is going on just by looking at your face.

Ivy merely replies, "Got it. Slap shots later, though, yeah?" My friend's intense gaze puts me at ease, somehow.

"You got it!" I reply with a thumbs up as I walk away, Sam in tow. My hands feel clammy, and I have to wipe them on my leggings a few times to remove the excess moisture.

"So, what's wrong?" Sam asks as we descend the stairs. I grab the clipboard we use to track daily counts, flipping through it while debating where to begin.

"You know my Dad died when I was seven, right?" I start, glancing between the columns on the paper. Anywhere other than her face.

"Yeah, you've told me a little," Sam's voice is gentle, as if she's treading carefully.I hate it.

"Well, he was killed by Hunters," I blurt, and then the rest just tumbles out. "I had run off because my brother was being miserable to me, and Dad went out to look for me. He shifted, of course, to be able to find me faster."

If I'm allowed onlyoneregret in this life, it's that night. Running off when Apollo said some dumbass kid shit to me.

"Okay," Sam murmurs, grabbing the other clipboard to jot down her counts to compare against the records I'm reviewing. I know by the creases in her brow that she's listening to every word I'm saying, though.

"Well… he found me. Right before a group of hunters did," I whisper, the night rushing back in.

"What's going on, Artemis?" Sam asks, leaning against a post, clipboard resting against her middle.

"I have to tell you this so you know, so you can tell me if I'm overreacting," I rush to get the words out. "They killed my Dad, Virgil... He was a Beta when he was alive. Anyway, I saw one of the hunters raise a gun, and I screamed for them not to. There's a lot I can't remember about that night, so I don't know what any of them looked like before you ask. But now there are Hunters in the area again. Someone died last night."

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. Someone died?"

"Yeah. Coyote with dark fur."

"What does that have to do with your Dad besides the hunters?"

"Dad was a black wolf. I don't know if you know, but we're not common. Among wolves, we're rare. Among Direwolves were… likeultra diamond rare.The coyote had anunusuallydark coat." Chewing on my lip, I make a few laps around the basement, clutching my clipboard.

"Ah, okay, I see the connection. So, what's making you spiral? I know it's not the mere thought of Hunters. If that had been the case, you wouldn't have shifted on your trip at all." Sam says, watching me circle the basement, stepping around kegs and boxes of beer.

"I had a weird dream, and then I got to thinking more and more… At the Estate…" Sam makes a retching noise at theback of her throat, and I huff a quick laugh. "I saw Stephen's office once. It wasfilledwith taxidermied animals. Withunusualcoats."

"You think the Whites are responsible?"Sam hisses, grey eyes widening comically. I charge over to her, whisper-yelling my response.

"I don't know, Sam! I can't tell if I'm going insane and overthinking everything or if my paranoia actually has merit!"

Sam grips my forearm, nodding at me. "Alright, alright. Tell me everything. I assume you went to the Pack meeting?"

I nod and lay it all out for her while resuming the counts. If I focus only on what I've been obsessing over since waking up, I may just have a meltdown. When I'm done explaining, she isn't looking at me like I have five heads anymore. Unfortunately, that is not as comforting as I had hoped.

"I just have this awful feeling, and I don't know if I need to say something to Jay or Magnus.Healready thinks it's too coincidental that Hunters reappear right after I came home after shifting all across the country," I finish, struggling to resist the urge to pull my hair out.

"I think…" Sam hesitates, sighing. "That you may actually be onto something. Ethan is a little bitch boy. It does sound like him to kill beautiful things for no reason," She eventually agrees. "And, you said that the night you left, they'd been talking with a Senator about hunting?"

I nod, gripping my middle.

"You don't need to tell the Alpha if you don't want to or if you think youmayjust be being silly. But you should tell Jay. That wolf will protect you. On the other hand, if your intuitionis correct, then you'd want everyone in your house to be aware, right?"

"I guess," I reluctantly agree with Sam.