Ryder POV

I can't sleep.

It's three in the morning, and I'm standing guard outside the guest room where she's sleeping. This is insane. I haven't played protector for anyone since Aria died five years ago.

But every time I try to walk away, my wolf snarls and plants himself firmly in place.

"Mine," he keeps saying in the back of my mind. "Protect what's ours."

The problem is, I don't understand why he's so convinced. Jolie Rys is nothing like Aria. Where Aria was fierce and strong, Jolie is ...