Page 29 of Collar Me Crazy (Hollow Oak Mates #8)

SONYA

T he Council Glade had been transformed for their emergency gathering.

Instead of the usual formal circle, Twyla and Miriam had arranged comfortable seating around a large fire pit, with steaming mugs of coffee and cocoa for everyone who needed the warmth.

All seven mated couples sat together, plus Varric and the other Council members, creating an intimate war council that felt more like an extended family meeting than a military briefing.

Which was exactly what Sonya had hoped for.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," she began, standing beside the fire with Ryker at her side. "What happened in the square last night was just the beginning. The Void isn't done with us."

"Tell us what you've learned," Varric said.

Sonya took a steadying breath, feeling Ryker's presence warm and solid beside her.

"The Void is an ancient entity that exists in the spaces between worlds.

It's been feeding on magical energy that leaks through dimensional barriers for centuries, growing slowly, waiting for enough power to break through into our realm. "

"And the mate bonds are providing that power?" Callum asked, his arm tightening around Cora.

"Not exactly. The bonds themselves aren't the problem—they're the solution.

But our delay in completing the eighth connection is creating exactly the kind of unresolved tension the Void feeds on.

" Sonya gestured toward herself and Ryker.

"Every day we hesitate, every moment of doubt or fear between us, generates chaotic energy that makes it stronger. "

"So you're saying our relationship status is a supernatural security risk?" Katniss asked with her usual bluntness.

"I'm saying the Void is literally feeding on our unresolved bond," Sonya confirmed. "The incomplete connection between Ryker and me is like leaving a door cracked open. The entity uses that opening to probe our defenses, map our weaknesses."

Murmurs rippled through the gathered couples, and Sonya could see the worry on their faces. These people had found happiness against impossible odds, and now their bonds were being used as weapons against their community.

"There's more," she continued. "The reconnaissance attack showed the Void exactly how we fight together, what our capabilities are. It's planning a coordinated assault during Thanksgiving, when our guard is down and our defenses are focused on celebration rather than protection."

"Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away," Emmett pointed out grimly.

"Which still gives us time to prepare," Ryker said, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived. "To figure out how to complete our bond properly and coordinate our defense."

Elder Bram leaned forward, his pale eyes sharp with interest. "You're planning to complete the mating during the battle?"

"Not during—before," Sonya said. "The claiming has to happen when the community energy is at its peak, focused on joy and gratitude instead of fear and chaos. If we time it right, our completed bond could create a resonance that locks the Void out permanently."

"And if you time it wrong?" Sera asked, her influencer instincts cutting straight to the potential consequences.

"Then we give it enough power to tear through all the barriers at once," Sonya admitted. "But doing nothing isn't an option. Every hour we delay makes it stronger."

Freya raised her hand tentatively. "What exactly does 'completing the bond properly' entail? Because if the entire town's safety depends on your relationship, we need to understand the logistics."

Sonya’s cheeks grew hot, but she forced herself to answer directly. "Physical intimacy and Ryker's claiming mark. But it has to be synchronized with the positive energy from the rest of the community. A moment of perfect harmony between all eight bonds."

"So you need privacy for the intimate part, but also connection to the group energy," Moira said thoughtfully. "That's... complex timing."

"Which is why we need everyone's help," Ryker said, his voice steady despite the personal nature of the discussion. "We can't do this alone."

Varric studied them both with ancient eyes. "Are you certain about this path? Once a claiming mark is given, the bond becomes permanent. There's no changing your minds later."

Sonya felt Ryker's hand brush against hers, a gesture of support that steadied her more than any words could have.

"We're certain," she said, meaning it completely. "The bond between us isn't the problem, it's the solution. The Void fears what we could become together."

"Then it's settled," Twyla said, her fae heritage lending authority to her words. "We rally around our eighth couple and help them save us all."

"Wait," Kieran interrupted, his tiger instincts clearly skeptical. "You're asking us to base our entire defense strategy on a mating ritual. What if something goes wrong? What if the bond doesn't form properly?"

"Then we fight anyway," Callum said firmly. "We've been preparing for threats to Hollow Oak long before any of us found our mates. We don't abandon that now."

"But the prophecy—" Elder Bram began.

"The prophecy says Ryker will either bind the realms or shatter them," Sonya interrupted. "It doesn't say he'll do it alone. Binding the realms could mean exactly what we're planning—bringing all eight couples together into something unbreakable."

She looked around the circle, meeting each person's eyes. "I've seen both futures. The one where we trust each other, where love wins over fear, where the community comes together to protect what matters—that's the future where Hollow Oak survives."

"And the other future?" Lucien asked quietly.

"The other future is why we're here talking instead of waiting to see what happens."

Silence fell over the glade, broken only by the crackling of the fire and the distant sound of night birds in the trees. Then Cora stood, moving to Sonya's side.

"Whatever you need," she said simply. "We're with you."

One by one, the other women joined them. Katniss, Moira, Leenah, Freya, Kaia, and Sera, forming a circle of support around Sonya that made her throat tight with gratitude.

"The men too," Emmett said, standing and clasping Ryker's shoulder. "We've got your back, brother."

Callum, Lucien, Luka, Elias, Kieran, and Maddox gathered around Ryker, their different supernatural backgrounds unified by shared purpose. For the first time, Sonya could see him truly accepting his place in the community—not as an outsider to be tolerated, but as family to be protected.

"So how do we do this?" Miriam asked, her practical nature cutting through the emotional moment. "What does the town need to know, and how do we coordinate eight couples plus community celebration without tipping off the Void?"

"We keep the Thanksgiving festivities exactly as planned," Sonya said, already working through the logistics. "The Void expects us to be distracted by celebration. We use that expectation against it."

"And the claiming?" Varric asked.

Sonya felt her cheeks flush again, but Ryker's steady presence gave her courage. "During the sunset blessing, when the whole town is gathered and the energy is focused on gratitude. The moment when everyone is thinking about what they're thankful for."

"The most powerful positive energy of the entire year," Twyla murmured approvingly. "Clever."

"Can the other couples help somehow?" Cora asked. "Channel energy toward you during the crucial moment?"

"Yes," Sonya said immediately, though she wasn't entirely sure how. "If you're all thinking about your own bonds, your own gratitude, it should create a resonance that amplifies our connection."

"A network," Moira said, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Eight bonds creating a web of protection around the entire town."

"Exactly." Sonya reached for Ryker's hand, their fingers interlacing naturally. "Together, we're stronger than the sum of our parts."

Around them, the community leaders began discussing practical preparations—strengthening wards, coordinating patrols, preparing the traditional Thanksgiving feast while secretly readying for battle.

But Sonya's attention was focused on the man beside her, noting how he stood taller now, how his green eyes held determination instead of fear.

The fire crackled between them and their community, casting dancing shadows on faces filled with resolve. Sitting here surrounded by people who'd chosen to stand with them, Sonya felt hope burning brighter than fear.

The Void might be ancient and hungry, but love was older. And community was stronger than any entity that fed on isolation and despair.

They were going to win. She could feel it.