“Don’t hold back,” she gasped, meeting his thrusts with desperate need. “I need it, Ryker. All of you. Don’t you dare hold back.”
That was all the permission he needed. His hips snapped into hers, deep and unrelenting, his cock stroking the sweetest spot inside her again and again. The sound of skin meeting skin mingled with her cries, his groans, and the low rumble of his wolf’s growl echoing through the chamber.
“Mine,” he bit out, teeth grazing her throat as his pace grew savage. “You’re mine, Sonya. Forever.”
“Yes!” Her voice broke as she clung to him, her legs locked tight around his waist. “Yours. Always yours. Don’t stop—please, don’t stop.”
Magic flared with every thrust, shimmering in the air around them. Sonya’s seer power opened wide, visions sparking behind her eyes—flashes of stars, of light cutting through darkness, of the circle of couples joining hands as energy pulsed through their bonds. She gasped, shuddering as Ryker’s cock drove her higher, her climax building like a tidal wave.
“I can feel it,” she moaned, her pussy clenching around him. “The bond—it’s pulling everything together. It’s—oh God, Ryker?—”
“I know,” he panted, sweat dripping down his temple as his thrusts grew faster, harder. “I can feel it too. Like fire under my skin. Like we’re rewriting everything with every move.”
Her nails raked down his back, leaving red lines he would wear with pride. “Mark me,” she cried, her climax cresting. “When I break—mark me.”
His wolf surged, emerald eyes glowing as he bent to her hip, his teeth hovering over the curve destined for his claim. But still he moved inside her, fucking her through the storm, his cock filling her over and over until her body trembled with release.
“Ryker—!” Her orgasm ripped through her, pussy clenching around him like a vice, pulling his climax from him with merciless force.
“Sonya!” He roared her name, slamming deep as he came, hot pulses spilling into her, his cock throbbing inside her as his teeth sank into her hip.
The claiming was precise, his claws deep but controlled, blood mingling with magic as their bond ignited like a star going supernova. Power exploded outward from them, flooding the sanctuary, the circle, the town itself. Every bond answered, pulsing in perfect harmony.
Sonya’s scream of pleasure became a cry of triumph as the bond locked into place, eternal and unbreakable. Ryker’s wolf howled in victory, the sound reverberating through stone, wood, and spirit.
The moment his mark completed, power exploded outward like a star being born.
Ryker felt it rush through him—not just their combined energy, but the accumulated love of eight couples freely choosing each other despite impossible odds. The magic waswhite-hot, transformative, carrying the essence of every kiss, every promise, every moment of trust and vulnerability they'd all shared.
Sonya caught that power with her seer abilities, shaped it with will and desperation, directed it through the network of seven existing bonds until all eight couples blazed with harmonized energy. The combined magic of true love, freely given and joyfully received, wove itself into a web that touched every corner of Hollow Oak.
"Seal the tears!" she commanded, and the universe obeyed.
Ryker watched in wonder as the rushed to put their clothes back on and join the others. Reality bent to her will, their bond serving as the focal point for cosmic transformation. The massive rift above the square slammed shut with a sound like thunder, trapping the Void's manifestation on the wrong side of existence. Smaller tears sealed themselves in rapid succession, cutting off the entity's access to their realm completely.
The Void's scream of rage echoed across dimensions as it was banished back to the emptiness between worlds, its hunger denied, its ancient plan thwarted by the very bonds it had tried to corrupt and consume.
And in the sudden silence that followed, eight couples stood triumphant in a town square that had never looked more beautiful, more whole, more protected by the magic of love freely shared.
"Is it over?" Kaia asked quietly, her dreamwalker senses still reaching for threats.
"It's over," Sonya confirmed, her voice strong despite her exhaustion. "The Void is banished, the Veil is stronger than ever, and Hollow Oak is safe."
40
SONYA
The celebration began almost without anyone deciding it should. One by one, doors opened, and townsfolk carried out platters, bottles, and steaming pots into the square until the air itself smelled like cider, roasted chestnuts, and spiced meat. Children shrieked with laughter, chasing each other through clusters of adults, while fiddles struck up quick, bright tunes that made even the stiffest shoulders sway. Lanterns hung from branches and porch rails, their light pooling golden against the early night.
Sonya hardly had time to take it in before Moira and Twyla swooped down on her, both with identical expressions of mischief.
“Come with us,” Moira said, tugging on her arm.
“Now? But the celebration?—”
“Will wait,” Twyla cut in, her smile knowing and sly. “Trust us.”
They led her past the laughter and music, down the familiar path toward Moonmirror Lake. As the trees opened, Sonya stopped short. The shoreline had been transformed—garlands of scarlet leaves and gold mums trailed along torchlit paths, theirflames dancing against the rippling water. An arch of twisted branches stood at the center, wound with ribbons that caught the breeze like living flame. The air smelled of woodsmoke, crushed leaves, and faintly of magic itself.