Page 5 of Collar Me Crazy (Hollow Oak Mates #8)

SONYA

T he sanctuary's main cabin stood dark and empty when Sonya pulled up. She sat in her car for a moment, studying the building through her windshield. Warm light glowed from what looked like medical facilities in the distance, but the house itself felt abandoned.

"Well, damn." She cut the engine and climbed out, breathing in air that smelled like pine sap and approaching winter. "Should have called ahead."

A footpath wound away from the cabin toward a cluster of outbuildings and healing pools, but her instincts pulled her in a different direction.

Toward the tree line where another trail disappeared into the forest. Her visions had never shown her this place specifically, but something about the path felt familiar.

The trail led downhill through towering oaks and maples, their branches forming a canopy overhead that filtered the dying light.

Sonya followed the well-worn path, her boots crunching on fallen leaves while evening birds called from hidden perches.

The pull in her chest grew stronger with each step.

She emerged from the trees onto the shore of the most beautiful lake she'd ever seen.

Moonmirror Lake stretched before her, its surface reflecting the sunset in shades of amber and rose.

Mountains rose on all sides, their peaks catching the last light of day, and somewhere nearby, water lapped against stone with gentle rhythm.

A figure stood at the water's edge, silhouetted against the dying light.

Sonya felt her breath hiccup for a moment.

Even from a distance, she recognized the lean frame, the way he stood like something wild barely contained.

Auburn hair caught the sunset as he bent to pick up a stone, and when he straightened to throw it, she saw the fluid grace she'd watched in a dozen visions.

Ryker Dusk. Finally.

She approached slowly, not wanting to startle him.

He was skipping stones across the lake's surface with practiced ease, each throw sending ripples across the mirror-calm water.

Up close, he was even more striking than her visions had suggested.

Sharp features softened by an unexpected boyish charm, shoulders that spoke of physical labor, and an aura of controlled power that made her skin tingle.

"You're good at that," she said when she was close enough to speak without shouting.

He froze mid-throw, the stone still clenched in his fist. His shoulders tensed like a deer sensing a predator, and she could practically feel the urge to run radiating from him.

"I don't mean to intrude," she continued gently. "I was looking for you at the cabin."

Slowly, carefully, Ryker turned to face her. The moment their eyes met, the world tilted sideways.

Green eyes the color of deep forest shadows stared back at her, wide with shock and something that might have been recognition. But before she could process that revelation, the vision hit like a freight train.

Moonlight. Silver fur rippling over powerful muscles.

A massive wolf with those same green eyes standing guard over something precious, something that needed protecting.

The scent of pine and wild earth, the sound of a howl that spoke of loneliness and longing and a strength that could move mountains.

The images came so fast and vivid that Sonya stumbled, the real world spinning away from her feet. She was dimly aware of dropping toward the rocky shore, of loose stones rolling under her boots.

Strong hands caught her arms, steadying her before she could fall. The moment Ryker's skin touched hers, heat sparked between them.

Not just simple attraction. This was something deeper, more primal. A pull that seemed to resonate in her bones, like recognition written in a language older than words. Her seer abilities whispered what this could mean, what this intensity suggested.

Potential. Possibility. The kind of connection that could become something extraordinary if they both chose it.

Her supernatural knowledge kicked in immediately.

She'd heard Moira describe this feeling, had witnessed it secondhand with other couples in Hollow Oak.

The initial recognition between potential mates, the pull that could grow into something unbreakable if nurtured.

But experiencing it herself was like the difference between reading about fire and feeling its heat.

Ryker's reaction was immediate and devastating. His whole body went rigid, his hands jerking away from her arms like she'd burned him. The look in his eyes shifted from shock to something closer to terror.

"No." The word came out harsh, barely human. "No, that's not... this can't..."

"Ryker, wait?—"

But he was already backing away, shaking his head like he could deny what had just passed between them. The pull stretched between them, and Sonya felt an actual ache as he moved farther from her.

"You need to leave," he said, his voice raw with something that sounded like panic. "Now. Go back to town and forget you found me."

"I can't do that." She took a step toward him, noting how he flinched. "My visions?—"

"I don't give a damn about your visions." His tone turned cold, but she could see the fear underneath. "Whatever you think you saw, whatever brought you here, you're wrong. I'm not who you're looking for."

"You are, though. I've been seeing you for weeks. You, this place, that feeling..." She gestured between them, where the air still hummed with supernatural energy. "You felt it too. I know you did."

"I felt nothing."

The lie was so blatant that Sonya almost laughed. Almost. But the stark terror in his eyes stopped her. This wasn't simple denial or stubbornness. This was a man convinced that what had just happened was somehow dangerous.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Stay away from me. I mean it. Whatever game fate thinks it's playing, I'm not interested," he said with desperate finality

He turned and walked away, not quite running but moving fast enough that she'd have to chase him to keep up.

Sonya stood alone on the lakeshore, watching him disappear into the trees. The sunset painted the water in shades of gold and crimson, and somewhere out there in the distance, a wolf howled. Lonely and wild and heartbroken.

"Well," she said to the empty air. "That could have gone better."

But even as disappointment settled in her chest, she felt something else. Hope, maybe. Or just stubborn determination. Ryker Dusk could run from her, could deny what had passed between them, but he couldn't undo the recognition.

The potential was real. She'd felt it, he'd felt it, and all his terror and denial couldn't change that fundamental truth.

Now she just had to figure out why the idea of having a fated mate scared him enough to run and why her vision had brought her to him. It was more than this, she already knew that.

Sonya looked out over the lake, where ripples from Ryker's stones were still spreading across the water. Somewhere in the forest, the most beautiful man she'd ever seen was probably having a panic attack because fate had decided they belonged together.