Page 24 of Collar Me Crazy (Hollow Oak Mates #8)

RYKER

T he protective ward at the sanctuary's eastern boundary was cold when Ryker pressed his palm against it. Not just cool from the November air, but wrong—like touching metal in winter. His wolf whined, hackles rising as it sensed something fundamentally off about the magical signature.

"This one's compromised," he called to Emmett, who was checking the neighboring marker fifty yards away. "Whatever's been feeding on the wards, it's gotten stronger."

"Same here." Emmett's voice carried across the frost-covered meadow. "The ward's still active, but barely. Feels like it's being drained from the inside."

Ryker pulled his hand away from the stone, flexing his fingers to work feeling back into them.

Three days since he'd woken up with Sonya's scent on his skin and the certainty that his world had shifted forever.

Three days of increasingly frequent patrol calls as Hollow Oak's defenses continued to fail in ways that defied explanation.

They worked their way through the remaining boundary markers in grim silence, documenting the deterioration with methodical precision. Each ward stone told the same story—steady drainage, weakening connections, and an underlying wrongness that made Ryker's wolf pace restlessly beneath his skin.

The animal had been agitated since yesterday, when reports started coming in from other couples about nightmares and unsettling dreams. Cora mentioned shadows that moved independently in her peripheral vision.

Freya's apothecary had been overwhelmed with requests for protection charms and calming teas.

Even Twyla's usual cheerful demeanor had developed cracks of worry.

"Last one," Emmett said, approaching the final marker on their route. "And this one's..."

He trailed off, his expression shifting from concern to alarm. Ryker hurried over, immediately understanding why. The ward stone was dark, its carved runes cold and lifeless. But worse than the obvious failure was what surrounded it.

The grass in a perfect circle around the marker had turned black, not burned but drained of life itself.

Trees within twenty feet showed signs of rapid decay, their branches brittle and leaves scattered despite the lack of wind.

The air smelled of nothing, which was somehow more disturbing than any foul odor.

"This wasn't like this two days ago," Emmett said quietly. "I checked this exact spot on Sunday."

Ryker crouched beside the dead ward, extending his senses carefully. His wolf recoiled from what it found—not just absence, but active hunger. Something that devoured magic, life, hope itself.

"We need to evacuate this area," he said, standing abruptly. "Whatever did this is still feeding. If it spreads..."

A scream echoed from the direction of town, high and terrified. Then another. Both men were running before the sound faded, their shifter speed carrying them across the meadow toward Hollow Oak's outskirts.

They reached Moonlit Meadow Restaurant as chaos erupted. Patrons streamed from the building while servers stood frozen in the doorway, their faces pale with shock. Inside, through the large windows, Ryker could see shadows moving independently of any light source.

"Everyone back!" Callum's voice cut through the confusion as he arrived with Cora, both of them breathing hard from their own sprint. "Get clear of the building!"

"What's happening?" a young woman asked, clutching her purse to her chest.

"Ward failure," Emmett said grimly. "Something's gotten through."

Ryker was already moving toward the restaurant's entrance, his wolf surging forward despite every instinct screaming danger. "How many people are still inside?"

"Three," said one of the servers. "Antone, the cook, and two customers who were in the back booth. They didn't make it out when the... when the things appeared."

Through the windows, Ryker could see the shadows more clearly now. They moved like smoke given substance, flowing across walls and ceiling with purposeful intelligence. And in the middle of the dining room, three figures stood motionless, their eyes reflecting an unnatural light.

"They're not shadows," Cora said, her fae magic allowing her to see deeper than the rest of them. "They're possessing people. Using their bodies as anchors to stay in our realm."

"Can we get them out?" Callum asked.

"Maybe. But we need to disrupt whatever's letting them maintain their hold." Cora's hands began to glow with silver light. "Someone needs to create a distraction while I work."

Ryker was through the door before anyone could object, his wolf's protective instincts overriding caution. The temperature inside the restaurant had dropped at least twenty degrees, and the air itself felt thick, oppressive.

The possessed figures turned toward him in unison, their movements unnaturally synchronized. When they spoke, it was with voices that seemed to come from somewhere else entirely.

"The guardian comes," they said in perfect harmony. "The one who delays our purpose."

"Let them go," Ryker growled, letting enough of his wolf rise that his voice carried otherworldly authority. "These people don't belong to you."

"All things belong to us, in time. All light feeds the growing dark." The possessed cook stepped forward, his familiar face twisted into something alien. "But you, child of prophecy, you resist what must be."

"I resist a lot of things. Doesn't mean I'm wrong."

Behind him, Ryker could hear the others entering, their magical signatures flaring as they prepared for confrontation. Cora's silver light grew brighter, and he could feel her working to unravel whatever supernatural hooks the entities had sunk into their victims.

"She comes," the shadows whispered through their stolen voices. "The seer who sees too much. Soon she will understand the futility of her visions."

Ice formed in Ryker's veins. "Stay away from her."

"We need not approach. She will come to us, drawn by the certainty of loss. When the eighth bond breaks, when love proves insufficient, she will feed our purpose as surely as any other."

The possessed figures began to move toward him, their eyes reflecting that unnatural light. But before they could close the distance, Cora's magic reached critical mass.

Silver fire erupted through the restaurant, not burning but purifying. The shadows writhed and fled, pouring out through cracks in reality that sealed themselves as quickly as they'd opened. The three possessed individuals collapsed, unconscious but breathing.

"Is everyone okay?" Emmett called from the doorway.

"They're alive," Callum confirmed, checking the fallen customers. "Unconscious, but their vitals are strong."

Ryker remained in the exact center of the room, his wolf still on high alert. The entities were gone, but their words echoed in his mind. The seer who sees too much. When the eighth bond breaks.

They knew about Sonya. They knew about the connection between them, and they saw it as a weapon to be used against Hollow Oak's defenses.

"Ryker?" Cora approached carefully, her silver light dimmed but still present. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Worse," he said quietly. "I think I just got a preview of what's coming for all of us."

Outside, the sounds of normal life resumed as people began to filter back toward the restaurant. But Ryker could feel the change in the air, the way the very fabric of Hollow Oak's reality had grown thinner. Whatever had attacked the restaurant was just the beginning.

The real assault was still to come..