Page 33 of Collar Me Crazy (Hollow Oak Mates #8)

SONYA

T he sanctuary felt different in the evening light, peaceful in a way that made Sonya's soul settle as she watched Ryker check on his animals one final time.

Tomorrow would bring the claiming ritual, the battle with the Void, and the culmination of everything her visions had been building toward. But tonight was theirs.

"The dryad's grove is looking stronger," she observed, noting how Maple's healing tree pulsed with gentle green light.

"She's been drawing energy from the other couples' bonds," Ryker said, his voice carrying wonder. "Says the love in the air is better than any fertilizer."

"And how do you feel about that? All the love in the air?"

His green eyes were serious in the fading light. "Like maybe I've been fighting the wrong battle all these years."

They walked together toward his cabin, their fingers intertwined with an ease that still amazed her. Three weeks ago, she'd been a lonely seer following cryptic visions across state lines. Now she was about to claim a mate and possibly save two realms in the process.

"Are you nervous?" she asked as they reached his porch.

"Terrified," he admitted, opening the door for her. "Not of being with you, but of getting it wrong when it matters most."

Inside, the cabin felt like home in ways her apartment in Asheville never had. Ryker's scent clung to every surface, and her own belongings had begun to blend with his in small, domestic ways that spoke of a future they'd been afraid to acknowledge.

"The other women shared their experiences today," Sonya said, settling onto the couch while he built up the fire. "Their claiming stories."

"And?"

"Cora said the moment Callum marked her, she felt like she'd been incomplete her whole life without knowing it." Sonya watched the flames catch, painting Ryker's profile in gold. "Katniss described it as coming home to a place she didn't know existed."

"What about the physical aspects?" His voice was carefully neutral, but she could see the tension in his shoulders.

"Intense. Overwhelming. Like every nerve ending becomes hypersensitive to your mate's touch." She moved to kneel behind him, her hands settling on his shoulders. "But also perfect, because it's with the person you're meant to be with."

His muscles relaxed under her touch, some of the day's stress melting away. "The guys gave me advice too. About placement, timing, making sure I don't hurt you."

"You won't hurt me." She pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, tasting salt and warmth. "I trust you completely."

"Even knowing what the marking involves? The bite, the claim, the permanence of it?" He turned to face her, his expression vulnerable. "Once I mark you, Sonya, there's no undoing it. You'll be mine, and I'll be yours, until death."

"I know." She framed his face with her hands, thumbs tracing the sharp lines of his cheekbones. "That's what I want. Not just for tomorrow, not just to save Hollow Oak."

Something shifted in his expression, the last walls between them crumbling. "I love you," he said quietly. "I should have said it before, but I was afraid?—"

"I love you too." She kissed him softly, pouring three weeks of growing affection into the connection. "I've loved you since that first vision, even when I didn't understand what I was seeing."

His arms came around her, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened. But this time, there was no urgency, no desperate need to claim before circumstances tore them apart. This was about connection, about choosing each other with full knowledge of what that choice meant.

"Show me," she whispered against his lips. "Show me what tomorrow will feel like."

He lifted her easily, carrying her to the bedroom where moonlight streamed through windows overlooking his domain. But instead of immediately reaching for her clothes, he simply held her, his face buried in her hair.

"I've never been this scared of losing someone," he admitted.

"Then don't lose me." Her fingers found the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head to reveal the body she'd come to know so well. "Trust that we're strong enough together to face whatever comes."

"What if the claiming goes wrong? What if my wolf can't control the bite, or the energy overwhelms the defensive grid, or?—"

She silenced him with another kiss, this one deeper, more demanding. "Stop thinking like a guardian and start feeling like my mate."

Her sweater joined his shirt on the floor, followed by jeans and undergarments until they stood skin to skin in the moonlight. But instead of the desperate hunger of their first time, this felt reverent, like a ritual in itself.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, his hands skimming over her curves with worshipful attention. "Inside and out."

"So are you." She traced the scars on his shoulder, the ones he'd gotten protecting his first pack. "Every part of you, even the broken pieces."

He laid her across the quilts, his body covering hers with a weight that felt protective rather than heavy. The flicker of firelight danced across his auburn hair, turning it into living flame, his emerald eyes searching hers like he needed reassurance that she was really here.

“Show me,” she whispered again, her voice trembling with want.

Ryker kissed her slow and deep, his tongue brushing hers as though tasting a promise. His hands moved reverently, sliding over her ribs, down her waist, curving around her hips like he was committing every inch to memory. She shivered beneath his touch, arching into him, needing more.

“God, Sonya…” His voice rasped against her lips, heavy with hunger and reverence. “You’re driving me insane.”

“Then let go.” She lifted her hips into his, her pussy already slick and aching, begging for him. “I want all of you.”

He groaned low in his chest, the sound vibrating through her as he shifted between her thighs.

His cock, hard and hot, pressed against her belly, leaving no question of how badly he wanted her.

She reached down between them, fingers circling his thick length, marveling at the heat and weight of him in her hand.

“You’re so big,” she whispered, stroking him slowly.

His breath caught, forehead dropping to hers. “Careful, baby. If you keep that up, I won’t last.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to last.” She teased the blunt head across her slick folds, coating him in her arousal. “Maybe I just want to feel you inside me.”

His control snapped. With a growl, he caught her wrists, pinning them gently above her head against the pillow. “You don’t get to play with fire unless you’re ready to burn.”

“Then burn me,” she challenged, brown eyes blazing.

He released her wrists only to line himself up at her entrance. She gasped as the broad head of his cock pushed against her opening, stretching her, filling her with a slow, relentless pressure.

“Ryker…” Her voice broke on his name, back arching as he pushed deeper. “Fuck?—”

“Too much?” His own voice shook as he held himself still, every muscle tight with restraint.

“No,” she gasped, nails digging into his shoulders as her body stretched to take him. “You feel perfect.”

With a groan, he pressed forward inch by inch until he was buried to the hilt, their bodies locked together in the most primal way possible. He lowered his head to kiss her temple, breathing hard. “I swear, Sonya, I’ve never felt anything like this.”

Her pussy clenched around him, pulling another rough sound from his throat.

He began to move, long, deliberate thrusts that dragged over every nerve ending inside her.

The thick slide of his cock filled her completely, each withdrawal only making her ache for the next deep stroke.

His pelvis ground against her clit with every roll of his hips, drawing cries from her lips she couldn’t hold back.

“Look at me.” His emerald eyes pinned hers as he moved inside her, his voice raw.

She moaned, wrapping her legs tighter around him, pulling him deeper.

That broke his last restraint. His rhythm turned wild, primal, his hips snapping into hers with force that made the bed creak and the headboard thud softly against the wall. Her breasts bounced with each thrust, her curls spread across the pillow like a dark halo.

“Sonya… fuck, Sonya…” His growl was animal, but his gaze stayed locked on hers, fierce and tender all at once.

She clung to him, nails raking down his back, each hard stroke shoving her higher, closer to the edge. “Oh my God, don’t stop, Ryker!”

“I couldn’t if I tried,” he gritted, sweat slicking his temples as he drove into her. “You feel too fucking good… so tight around me…”

Her pussy fluttered around him, the pressure spiraling hotter and tighter until she shattered beneath him, her cry echoing through the cabin. Her pinnacle tore through her like lightning, her whole body shaking as she clamped down on his cock.

He roared her name, his own release hitting with devastating force. His hips slammed deep, holding her pinned to the mattress as he spilled inside her, heat flooding her core in hot pulses. The rhythm of his release matched the pulsing grip of her climax, binding them in perfect sync.

Ryker collapsed against her, his weight grounding, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

“Holy shit,” she breathed, running her fingers through his damp hair.

His answering smile curved against her skin, warm and boyish even in his exhaustion. He rolled just enough to keep from crushing her, but refused to let her go, one arm locked around her waist. The fire popped in the hearth, the only sound in the cabin besides their mingled breaths.

“Tomorrow,” he murmured, kissing her damp temple, “I’ll mark you. But tonight… tonight I just needed this.”

“So did I.” She touched his cheek, feeling the rasp of stubble under her palm. “Whatever happens tomorrow, I’ll never regret this.”

He kissed her hand reverently, his emerald eyes heavy but shining. “Neither will I.”