Page 38 of Collar Me Crazy
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RYKER
Ryker woke to the scent of jasmine tangled in his sheets, and his wolf's absolute certainty that the woman sleeping beside him was everything they'd ever need. Sonya lay curled against his side, dark hair spread across his pillow, one hand resting over his heart like she was claiming it even in sleep.
His wolf hummed with satisfaction, flooding him with contentment and the unshakeable knowledge that she was theirs. Mate. The word resonated through every cell in his body, as natural as breathing.
But his human mind was already racing ahead to consequences.
The prophecy. The sacrifice. The choice that would determine whether Hollow Oak survived or fell to the Void. Last night, wrapped in her warmth and the wonder of finally, finally being with her, it had been easy to push those fears aside. In daylight, with Varric's words echoing in his memory, the weight of responsibility settled back on his shoulders like lead.
Sonya stirred against him, and he forced himself to stay still despite the urge to either pull her closer or flee entirely.
"Morning," she murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his collarbone.
"Morning." His morning voice came out rough. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I finally understand what all the fuss is about." She lifted her head to look at him, brown eyes warm with satisfaction and something deeper. "You?"
"Good. Great." The lie tasted bitter. "Sonya, about last night?—"
"Don't." She placed a finger over his lips, cutting off whatever backpedaling he'd been about to attempt. "Don't you dare try to make this into a mistake."
"I'm not. It wasn't. But we need to talk about what happens next."
"What happens next is we figure out how to save everyone without sacrificing ourselves." She sat up, taking the sheet with her, and the casual way she claimed space in his bed made his wolf rumble with approval. "Unless you've decided to go back to the martyr complex."
"It's not a complex if it's actually necessary."
"Ryker." Her tone carried warning. "We talked about this. You don't get to make unilateral decisions about our future."
"What if it's not about us anymore? What if every moment we spend together makes the situation worse?" He sat up as well, putting distance between them before his wolf could convince him to pull her back down. "What if last night was the trigger that starts the countdown?"
"Then we deal with it."
"You don't understand." He stood, pacing to the window where dawn light filtered through the trees. "I can feel the difference, Sonya. In my magic, in my connection to the Veil, in everything. My wolf knows what you are to me now, more than even before, and that knowledge is changing things."
"What kind of things?"
How could he explain that he could sense every protective ward in Hollow Oak like they were part of his own nervous system? That the magical disturbances felt personal now, like attacks on something he was meant to defend? That power was building in him, ancient and wild, begging to be released?
"The kind that make me dangerous to everyone around me."
He heard her get out of bed, but didn't turn when she approached. Her hand settled on his shoulder, warm through his t-shirt.
"You're not dangerous to me."
"You're the most in danger of anyone." He finally faced her, noting how she'd wrapped herself in his flannel shirt. Even that small claim of ownership made his wolf possessive. "The prophecy is specific, Sonya. The eighth bond, completed willingly by both parties, triggers whatever comes next. And after last night..."
"After last night, we're closer to completing it than we were before," she finished. "I know. I can feel it too."
"Then you understand why I need to be careful. Why we need to be careful."
"Careful is one thing. Shutting me out is another." She moved closer, close enough that he could smell his own scent on her skin. "Don't confuse protecting me with abandoning me."
"I'm not abandoning you. I'm giving you space to reconsider before it's too late."
"Too late for what?"
