Page 44 of Collar Me Crazy
"Do you feel that?" she whispered.
Ryker's nostrils flared, his wolf clearly sensing the disturbance. "Something's changed. The magical currents are..."
He didn't finish the sentence because that's when the vision hit.
Sonya had experienced powerful visions before, but this one struck with the force of a lightning bolt. The present world disappeared, replaced by something vast and terrible.
She stood in a space that wasn't space, surrounded by the hungry dark between stars. Here, in the void between realms, something ancient stirred. Not a creature in any recognizable sense, but a presence—intelligent, patient, and utterly alien.
The Void.
It wasn't a name but a description. This entity existed in the emptiness between worlds, feeding on the energy that leaked through cracks in reality. For centuries, it had subsisted on minor magical spillovers, growing slowly, waiting.
But now, something had changed.
Seven bright threads pulsed with power—the mate bonds of Hollow Oak's couples. Each connection blazed like a star, their combined energy creating a beacon that called to the Void across dimensional barriers. The entity pressed against the boundaries of reality, testing, probing, finding weaknesses.
The vision shifted, showing her the truth behind the recent disturbances. The Void hadn't been breaking through randomly. It had been systematically weakening the Veil, using the mate bonds' energy like a key to unlock doors between worlds. Every intimate moment, every emotional milestone, every deepening of connection between the couples fed power into the magical infrastructure.
And the Void drank from that power, growing stronger with each passing day.
But there was more. An eighth thread, still forming, still potential rather than reality. Her connection to Ryker pulsed with different energy than the others—not just love and magic, but prophecy. Destiny. The power to reshape the very foundations of reality.
The vision pulled her deeper, showing her two possible futures.
In the first, the eighth bond completed in fear and haste, its power chaotic and uncontrolled. The Void seized that energy, using it to tear massive holes in the Veil. Shadow creatures poured through in endless waves, consuming everything they touched. Hollow Oak fell first, then the surrounding counties, then entire states as the infection spread. The human world burned while the supernatural realm collapsed into the hungry void.
In the second future, the eighth bond formed in perfect harmony—not just between her and Ryker, but synchronized with all seven existing pairs. Their combined power didn't feed the Void but created something new. A network of protection that sealed the cracks between worlds, banishing the entity back to the emptiness where it belonged.
But this second future required precise timing, absolute trust, and a sacrifice that made Sonya's soul ache to contemplate.
The vision shifted again, focusing on Ryker. She saw him as the Void saw him—not a potential destroyer, but a catalyst. His bloodmoon heritage made him uniquely sensitive to the barriers between realms. In the wrong circumstances, that sensitivity would make him the perfect conduit for the Void's influence. He could become the weapon that tore reality apart.
But in the right circumstances, that same sensitivity would let him feel every crack in the Veil, every weak point the Void was exploiting. He could guide the other bonds into perfect alignment, weaving their combined power into a barrier strong enough to hold back the dark between worlds.
The choice wasn't whether Ryker would destroy or save. The choice was whether he would trust himself—and her—enough to become what he was truly meant to be.
The vision began to fade, but not before showing her one final image. the Void, sensing her intrusion into its realm, turning its attention toward her like a vast eye opening in the dark. It knew she had seen its plans. It knew she understood the stakes.
And it was done waiting.
Sonya gasped as the present world crashed back around her. She was on her knees on the cobblestone street, Ryker's hands steady on her shoulders while his voice called her name with increasing urgency.
"Sonya! Come on, come back to me."
"I'm okay." Her voice came out hoarse, like she'd been screaming. "I'm back."
"What did you see?" His green eyes searched her face, reading the terror she couldn't quite hide.
"The truth." She let him help her to her feet, grateful for the solid warmth of his touch. "The real enemy. And what we have to do to stop it."
"Tell me."
"Not here." She glanced around the square, noting the few people who'd stopped to stare at her collapse. "Somewhere private. What I saw... it changes everything."
Ryker nodded, his protective instincts clearly on high alert. "My truck's just around the corner."
As they walked toward his vehicle, Sonya's mind raced through the implications of her vision. The Void was real, it was coming, and their time was running out faster than anyone realized. The entity had been patient for centuries, but her intrusion into its realm had accelerated its timeline.
