~ Ryder’s POV ~
I stood by the tall glass window in my private study, my hands folded behind my back.
The black Rolls-Royce slowly drove down the driveway. Doris sat quietly in the back seat, her braid resting over one shoulder. She didn’t look back at the house.
The gates closed behind the car.
And just like that, she was gone.
I kept standing there for a few more seconds, staring at the empty driveway.
Why did it feel like something important had just left with her?
I exhaled slowly.
The image of last night replayed in my mind—how she had looked at me, how she had held me… soft, vulnerable, unaware of the effect she had on me.
When I returned that night, I didn’t go back inside the room.
I couldn’t.
My wolf had been restless. Possessive and hungry.
Being that close to her, he
