Page 17 of The Right to Bear Claws (Hollow Oak Mates #6)

ELIAS

" S he sleepwalked to the lake again last night," Elias said without preamble as he entered the Council archives beneath the library. "Fourth time this week."

Lucien looked up from the ancient text he'd been studying, his green eyes sharp with concern. "How close did she get to the water?"

"Standing at the edge when I caught up to her. Bare feet, nightgown, completely unaware of her surroundings." Elias rubbed his face with both hands, exhaustion making his voice rough. "She said Tobias told her four more nights. After that, he can pull her through permanently."

"Shit." Lucien closed the book with careful reverence. "That fits with what I've been reading about anchor claims. The entity builds connection through repeated contact until the barrier between realms becomes permeable."

"There has to be a way to stop this."

"Maybe. But we're running out of time to find it." Lucien gestured toward the stack of books surrounding his workspace. "I've been going through everything we have on dream magic and anchor bonds. Most of it's theoretical, but there are a few case studies that might be relevant."

Elias sat down across from his friend, noting the dark circles under Lucien's eyes that suggested he'd been pulling all-nighters in the archives. "Tell me what you've found."

"The bad news first. Once an entity establishes this level of connection with a dreamwalker, traditional protective measures become less effective. The anchor stone helps, but it's not enough on its own."

"And the good news?"

"There's one type of anchor that dream entities can't override or corrupt. A completed mate bond with a supernatural being creates spiritual barriers that are almost impossible to breach."

Elias felt something cold settle in his stomach. "Almost impossible."

"The keyword there being 'completed.' A partial bond, one where the claiming ritual hasn't been finalized, can actually make things worse. Gives the entity access to both the dreamwalker and their mate, like we read before."

"So we're back to the claiming conversation."

"We're back to the claiming conversation," Lucien confirmed. "Question is, how do you bring that up with someone who's already terrified and fighting for her sanity every night?"

"Carefully." Elias leaned back in his chair, mind racing through possibilities. "She needs to understand what's at stake, but she also needs to make the choice freely. No pressure, no desperation, just honest information about her options."

"And if she's not ready?"

"Then we find another way. There has to be something else, some other form of protection we haven't considered yet."

Lucien was quiet for a moment, studying Elias with the kind of perception that made him an excellent hunter. "You're scared."

"Terrified," Elias admitted. "I've never faced a threat I couldn't physically fight. Can't punch a dream entity, can't intimidate something that exists in the unconscious realm. All I can do is watch her suffer and hope she's strong enough to resist whatever's calling to her."

"She's stronger than you think. Stronger than she thinks, for that matter."

"But what if that's not enough? What if I wake up and she's just... gone?"

The possibility made his bear snarl with helpless fury. Every protective instinct he possessed demanded action, but this was a battle that could only be fought in realms where his physical strength meant nothing.

"We'll find a way," Lucien said firmly. "But in the meantime, we need to establish better security around both the lake and the inn. If she's sleepwalking that frequently, we can't rely on you catching her every time."

"Already thought of that." Elias pulled out his phone, showing Lucien the patrol schedule he'd drafted during his sleepless pre-dawn hours. "Night Guard rotations, motion sensors around the lake perimeter, and backup alarm systems in her room. If she leaves the inn after dark, we'll know about it."

"Good. What about during the day? Is she showing any signs of the entity's influence while awake?"

"Exhaustion, mostly. And she's been having trouble concentrating, like part of her mind is somewhere else." Elias's jaw tightened with frustration. "She's trying to hide it, but I can see how much this is wearing her down."

"The closer Halloween gets, the stronger the entity becomes. He's probably influencing her thoughts even when she's awake, making her doubt herself and everyone around her."

"Like making her think she should run away to protect people."

"Exactly. Classic manipulation tactic. Isolate the target, convince them they're a danger to everyone they care about, then swoop in as the only solution to their problems."

The calculated cruelty of it made Elias's bear rage. "What kind of creature preys on children desperate enough to make supernatural bargains?"

"The kind that feeds on fear and desperation.

He probably has dozens of these arrangements scattered across the world, waiting for the right moment to collect.

" Lucien's expression darkened. "The good news is that dreamwalkers with his level of power are incredibly rare.

Most people don't survive long enough to be useful to entities like him. "

"That's supposed to be good news?"

"It means Kaia is extraordinary, even by supernatural standards. Her power is what makes her valuable to him, but it's also what gives her the strength to fight back."

"If she believes in herself enough to try."

"That's where you come in. Your job isn't to fight this battle for her, it's to remind her that she's worth fighting for. That she has people who believe in her even when she can't believe in herself."

Elias nodded, understanding the wisdom behind his friend's words even as his bear demanded more direct action. "The claiming bond conversation needs to happen tonight. She deserves to know all her options before we run out of time."

"Agreed. But Elias?" Lucien's voice held warning. "Make sure she understands that you're offering the bond because you love her, not because it's her only chance at survival. The distinction matters."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean a claiming bond entered into out of desperation rarely works the way it's supposed to. Both parties need to choose it freely, understand what they're agreeing to, and trust that the relationship will survive even if the immediate threat doesn't."

"You think she might say yes just to save her life?"

"I think she might say yes because she thinks it's what you want to hear.

Or because she's so scared and exhausted that she'll agree to anything that promises protection.

" Lucien leaned forward, his expression serious.

"But a mate bond built on anything other than genuine love and trust will break under pressure.

And if it breaks while you're both fighting a dream entity. .."

"We could both end up trapped in Tobias's realm."

"Or worse."

The conversation continued for another hour, covering contingency plans and worst-case scenarios until Elias felt marginally more prepared for the challenges ahead.

But as he left the archives and headed back toward town, one thought dominated his mind: tonight, he would ask the woman he loved to trust him with not just her heart, but her soul.

And he had no idea if she was ready for that level of commitment.

The inn was quiet when he arrived, most of the residents already settled in for the evening.

He found Kaia in the common room, curled up in her favorite chair with a book she wasn't really reading.

The circles under her eyes had deepened since morning, and she had the distracted air of someone fighting battles no one else could see.

"Hey," he said softly, settling into the chair across from her. "How are you holding up?"

"Tired. Scared. Like I'm losing pieces of myself every time I close my eyes." She set aside the book with a rueful smile. "Other than that, peachy."

"The nightmares are getting worse?"

"Every night. And the sleepwalking..." She shivered despite the room's warmth. "It's like something's pulling me toward the lake, and I can't resist it."

Elias felt his bear grow agitated as he watched her struggle with exhaustion and fear. Every instinct demanded he do something, fix this, protect her from the threat that stalked her dreams. But he knew from his research that rushing into the claiming conversation could do more harm than good.

"We're going to figure this out," he said quietly. "I promise."

"You think so? Because it feels like I'm running out of time, and everyone's running out of patience with my problems."

"Nobody's running out of patience. We're all worried about you, but that's not the same thing."

She nodded, but he could see the doubt lingering in her violet eyes. The self-blame that made her think she was more burden than blessing, more danger than gift.

"I should probably try to get some sleep," she said, standing with movements that seemed to require more effort than they should. "Maybe tonight will be different."

"I'll be close by," he promised. "If you need anything, just call out."

"Thank you. For everything, Elias. I know this isn't what you signed up for when you pulled me out of that lake."

"Yes, it is," he said firmly. "All of it. The good, the bad, the supernatural threats—all of it. That's what love means."

The soft smile she gave him did little to help ease him, he could see the walls she was rebuilding, the way she was preparing to face whatever came alone rather than drag him down with her.

As she headed toward the stairs, Elias realized with crystal clarity that he couldn't wait any longer. Tomorrow might be too late. The claiming bond conversation needed to happen tonight, before she convinced herself that running away was her only option.

Before Tobias's influence grew strong enough to make her doubt everything real and good in her life.

He waited until he heard her door close, then settled back in his chair to plan exactly how to explain that her salvation might lie in the most intimate connection two souls could share before waking her and having a conversation he wasn’t sure would either save her or have her lost to him completely.