** Ryder’s POV **

The forest tilts, just a little. A strange shimmer catches my eye, like the moonlight is bending oddly around the trees. I blink hard, shake my head, and the world rights itself again.

The heat inside me spreads. It crawls up my spine, pressing into my skull, making my heartbeat pound too loud in my ears. My wolf snarls low, uneasy, but even that sound feels distant, muted, like he’s behind glass.

My chest tightens. I’ve never felt this kind of separation from him ...