Page 30 of Collar Me Crazy (Hollow Oak Mates #8)

RYKER

T he morning after the war council, Ryker found himself back in the Council Glade with Varric, the ancient parchment spread between them on a flat stone. The complete prophecy looked even more ominous in daylight.

"Read it again," Varric said, his voice gentle but insistent. "Not just the words, but what lies beneath them."

Ryker let his wolf rise enough to translate, the old script resolving into meaning that sat heavy in his throat.

"When seven hearts beat as one, and magic's web grows strong, the eighth shall come to seal the fate—for good or ill, the choice awaits. Bind the realms in harmony's light, or shatter veils and bring the night."

He paused, the next lines making his wolf whine with unease.

"The blood moon's child must choose his path, to save the world or face its wrath. When the circle closes and love closes the ring, the Void wakes, and chaos brings. Only sacrifice can make things right—or darkness claims eternal night."

"You keep stumbling on that last part," Varric observed. "What does your wolf tell you about sacrifice?"

"That it doesn't like the word." A headache was forming. "Every time I read that line, my animal side wants to run. Not because it's afraid of dying, but because it's afraid of losing something precious."

"And what's precious to a mated wolf?"

"His mate." The answer came without thought. "Sonya."

Varric nodded slowly. "The prophecy doesn't say death, Ryker. It says sacrifice. Those are different things."

"Are they? Because in my experience, sacrifice usually means someone dies to save everyone else."

"Sometimes. But sometimes it means giving up something else entirely." Varric traced one of the carved symbols with a weathered finger. "What if the sacrifice isn't your life or hers, but something about how you've chosen to live?"

Ryker stared at the prophecy, trying to see past his own fears to whatever deeper meaning might be hidden in the ancient words. "I don't understand."

"You've spent your entire adult life in isolation, convinced that caring about people puts them in danger. What if the sacrifice is that isolation itself? What if binding the realms requires you to finally, completely, trust in connection instead of separation?"

The idea made Ryker's wolf pace restlessly. "That doesn't sound like sacrifice. That sounds like... happiness."

"And you don't think you deserve happiness?"

The question hit harder than expected. "I think happiness has a way of getting the people I care about killed."

"Or maybe fear has a way of preventing you from fully protecting them." Varric's tone turned gentle but challenging. "Tell me, last night during the attack, when you shifted to defend Sonya and the town—did your wolf hesitate?"

"No."

"Did it worry about prophecies or consequences or whether you deserved to have a mate?"

"No, it just... acted. Protected what was ours."

"Exactly. Your wolf understands something your human mind keeps fighting. Connection makes you stronger, not weaker. Trust makes you more effective, not less."

Ryker looked down at the prophecy again, the words seeming less threatening somehow. "So the sacrifice might be my fear? My need to control everything by staying away from it?"

"Read the line again. 'Only sacrifice can set things right.' What if setting things right means choosing trust over fear, connection over isolation, love over safety?"

Before Ryker could respond, footsteps approached through the trees. Emmett and Callum emerged into the glade, both carrying the kind of purposeful energy that meant serious business.

"Sorry to interrupt," Emmett said, "but we need to talk strategy."

"What kind of strategy?" Varric asked.

"The kind where we figure out how to keep Ryker and Sonya alive while they're completing their bond," Callum said bluntly. "Because if the Void is planning a coordinated attack during Thanksgiving, they're going to need protection during their most vulnerable moment."

Ryker felt his defensive instincts flare. "I can protect her."

"Not if you're in the middle of a claiming ritual," Emmett pointed out. "You'll be focused on other things."

Ryker forced himself to think tactically. "You're right. We'll be distracted."

"More than distracted," Callum added. "Completely absorbed in each other. Which is exactly when the Void will strike."

"So we create a defensive perimeter," Varric said, his tactical mind already working. "The other couples maintain the protective circle while the eighth bond completes."

"That could work," Emmett agreed. "But we need to know exactly when and where this is happening. Timing will be everything."

Ryker looked at the prophecy again, noting how the archaic language seemed to pulse with hidden meaning. "The prophecy mentions 'when the circle completely closes and love completes the ring.' That has to refer to the moment of claiming."

"Sonya said during the sunset blessing," Callum said. "When the whole town is gathered in gratitude."

"It's actually perfect timing. The community's joy should amplify your bond while providing cover for the ritual itself."

"Assuming we can get through whatever the Void throws at us," Emmett said grimly.

"We will." The certainty in Ryker's voice surprised even him. "Because you're right about connection making us stronger. All of us."

Footsteps approached again, and this time Sonya appeared through the trees, her brown eyes immediately finding his across the glade. The sight of her made his wolf settle into contentment, and Ryker realized that Varric was right—fear had been making him weaker, not stronger.

"I thought I might find you here," she said, moving to his side with natural ease. "How's the prophecy analysis going?"

"We're making progress," Ryker said, noting how the other men relaxed when she joined them. Her presence somehow made the entire discussion feel more manageable. "Turns out the sacrifice might not be what we thought."

"What do you mean?"

"We think it means sacrificing isolation for connection. Fear for trust." He met her eyes, seeing understanding dawn in their brown depths. "Choosing to claim each other completely, without reservation, even knowing the risks."

"That doesn't sound like sacrifice to me either," she said softly. "That sounds like the only real choice."

"Which brings us back to logistics," Callum interjected, though his tone was gentle. "How do we protect you both during the claiming?"

"The same way we've been protecting each other all along," Sonya said, looking around at the gathered men. "Together. As a community."

"The seven couples form a defensive circle," Varric said, nodding. "Their combined bonds create a barrier while the eighth completes."

"Alright then," Callum said, satisfaction clear in his voice. "We have a plan. Defensive perimeter, synchronized timing, and absolute trust in each other."

"And if the prophecy's sacrifice requires something more?" Sonya asked quietly.

Ryker reached for her hand, their fingers intertwining with practiced ease. "Then we figure it out knowing we are doing whatever it costs.”

Around them, the Council Glade seemed to hum with approval, as if the ancient stones themselves recognized the rightness of their decision.

The prophecy might speak of sacrifice, but sitting here surrounded by people who'd chosen to stand with them, Ryker felt like they were gaining far more than they were giving up.

Ryker finally felt like he truly belonged somewhere. And that belonging might just be the key to everything.