Page 46 of Collar Me Crazy
"Visions can be wrong."
"So can fear."
They glared at each other across the truck's cab, the air thick with tension and unspoken feelings. Ryker's hands clenched on the steering wheel while his wolf pressed against his control, demanding he claim her, protect her, prove to her that she was wrong about his cowardice.
Before either of them could speak again, the truck's windows began to rattle. Not from wind, but from something deeper, a vibration that seemed to come from the earth itself.
"What the hell?" Ryker straightened, his supernatural senses immediately on alert.
Outside, people in the square began pointing at the sky. Ryker followed their gaze and felt his blood turn to ice. Cracks were spreading across the air itself, black lines zigzagging through reality like breaks in glass. And through those cracks, something dark was seeping into their world.
"It's starting," Sonya whispered. "The Void's making its move."
Shadow creatures began pouring through the cracks—twisted shapes that moved like smoke but struck like solid matter. People screamed and ran as the entities descended into the square, their forms shifting and writhing as they sought living hosts.
"Get down," Ryker ordered, but Sonya was already moving.
"I need to see where they're coming from," she said, closing her eyes and letting her seer abilities extend. "The main breach is near the fountain, but there are smaller ones opening all around the square."
Through the windshield, Ryker could see the other mated couples emerging from various businesses, their supernatural abilities flaring as they prepared for battle. Callum's lion form rippled beneath his skin while Cora's hands blazed with silver fire. Emmett and Katniss moved with coordinated precision, his wolf instincts guiding her enhanced human reflexes.
"I have to help them," Ryker said, reaching for the door handle.
"Wait." Sonya grabbed his arm. "In my vision, the Void was specifically targeting us. It wants to corrupt our bond, use our energy to tear bigger holes."
"Then we stay away from each other."
"No. That's exactly what it wants—our separation, our fear, our refusal to complete what we started." Her grip tightened. "We fight this together, or we lose everything."
A shadow creature slammed into the truck's hood, its form writhing as it tried to find purchase on the metal surface. Its eyes—if they could be called eyes—fixed on Sonya through the windshield with hungry intelligence.
Ryker's wolf exploded outward, protective fury overriding every other consideration. He shoved the truck door open and launched himself at the creature, shifting mid-leap.
His clothes shredded as his body expanded, auburn fur rippling over muscle as his frame grew to fit his wolf's massive size. When he hit the shadow creature, he was seven feet of snarling predator with fangs designed to tear through supernatural threats.
The entity dissolved under his assault, but three more immediately took its place. Around the square, the battle was intensifying as more couples joined the fight. But for every shadow creature they destroyed, two more poured through the growing cracks in reality.
Ryker wheeled toward the truck where Sonya sat with her eyes closed, her seer abilities clearly working to track the Void's strategy. A cluster of shadow creatures was moving toward her, drawn by her magical signature.
His howl echoed across the square—a sound of rage and territorial fury that made every supernatural in hearing distanceturn toward him. This was his mate they were threatening. His pack. His territory.
And he would burn the world down before he let anything touch her.
The bloodmoon wolf that prophecy had feared was finally awake. And it was pissed.
27
SONYA
Ryker's howl reverberated through the square, a sound of pure territorial fury that made every shadow creature pause. Sonya opened her eyes to see his massive wolf form tearing through the entities threatening her, auburn fur rippling with each powerful movement. Seven feet of supernatural predator defending what was his.
But the Void's creatures were adapting, learning from each attack.
She jumped out of the truck. "Callum, three more breaches opening behind the bank!" she called, her seer abilities tracking the dimensional tears as they spread. "Emmett, there's a cluster forming near the fountain—they're trying to establish a permanent anchor point!"
Vision flashes hit her in rapid succession. The Void's strategy unfolding like a chess game played across dimensions. It wasn't trying to win this battle, it was testing their defenses, learning how the mated pairs fought together.
"Cora, your left!" Sonya shouted as shadow creatures flanked the fae woman. Silver fire erupted in response, but more entities poured through the cracks faster than they could be destroyed.
