Page 35 of Collar Me Crazy
“The Seer was explicit. The eighth bond must be completed willingly by both of you, with full knowledge of the consequences. And the sacrifice…” His voice dropped. “It requires both hearts to make the choice.”
Ryker’s world tilted. “So if we complete the bond, if we choose each other—one of us has to die to keep the Void from tearing through?”
“I’m saying the prophecy speaks of sacrifice, but not what kind. It could be death. It could be power. It could be the bond itself.” Varric’s hands clenched around the parchment. “I’ve studied this text for twenty years, and every path leads back here.”
Ryker’s pacing grew frantic, boots scuffing against damp stone. “Then love isn’t enough. That’s what you’re saying?”
Varric’s gaze softened with regret. “Sometimes the greatest act of love is walking away.”
“No.” The word tore out, sharp and final. Yesterday, he’d told Sonya something similar—pushed her away for her own good. But hearing it now, cast as fate, felt like a noose. “No, I won’t accept that. There has to be another way.”
“Maybe there is. Maybe binding the realms in harmony doesn’t mean destruction, but something we don’t yet see.” Varric rose, shoulders bowed beneath centuries. “But you must understand what you’re risking. Not just your life, but hers. Everyone in Hollow Oak. The fabric of reality itself.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Ryker snarled. His wolf pressed against his skin, restless with fury. “You think I haven’t been terrified of this exact thing since the moment I saw her?”
“Then why stay? Why not leave and spare us the risk?”
Ryker stopped pacing, chest heaving. “Because she won’t let me. Because every time I try to shove her away, she pushes back harder. Because she makes me believe I could be more than the monster this prophecy says I am.”
“And if she’s wrong?”
“Then we’ll find out together.” The words crystallized in him, sharp as steel. “But I’m done running. If destiny wants a fight, it’ll get one.”
Varric studied him, then sighed. “The magical disturbances are accelerating. Whatever you and Sonya decide, you must decide soon. The Void grows stronger with every ward that fails. Days—maybe a week—before the choice is ripped from you.”
Ryker’s pulse hammered. He tucked the knowledge away: the full prophecy, the sacrifice, the clock already ticking down. He couldn’t carry it alone anymore. Not this time.
Varric rested a hand on his shoulder. The gesture was rough, paternal. “I’m glad she gives you strength. I only wish the timing had been different. I truly am sorry, Ryker.”
Ryker swallowed hard, then turned toward the path out of the Glade.
“Ryker,” Varric called after him.
He paused.
“The night your pack died, when I found you—I knew this was coming. I hoped I was wrong, that the prophecy wouldn’t touch you. But I knew. And I’m sorry, son. Sorrier than you’ll ever know.”
Ryker left with his wolf howling protest at the injustice. Just when he’d begun to believe in happiness—Sonya’s stubborn faith, her refusal to let him hide—the universe had shoved the truth in his face.
But she was right about one thing: he got to choose who he became. And he’d had a taste, these past days, of life without fear. A life with acceptance. A life with her.
And he chose to fight for that.
For her.
For them.
For whatever fragile future they could steal from fate.
Even if it killed him.
21
SONYA
The pull hit Sonya while she was having breakfast at the inn, sudden and overwhelming. Not pain, but anguish so raw it made her drop her coffee cup and gasp. Somewhere, Ryker was hurting, and her newfound connection to him made his distress impossible to ignore.
"Everything alright, dear?" Miriam asked, moving quickly to clean up the spilled coffee.
