Ryder POV
I didn't sleep, couldn't manage even a few minutes of rest despite my exhaustion. Not with Jolie curled against me, her breathing too shallow and her skin burning with unnatural heat. Every few minutes I found myself checking her pulse, counting the too-fast beats against my fingertips and trying not to let panic take hold.
Doc had left strict orders to wake him immediately if she got worse, and Cass had stationed himself outside our door like a devoted guard dog, refusing to leave his post. The rest of the pack knew something was deeply wrong—I'd felt their concern rippling through the pack bonds all night long, waves of worry and fierce protectiveness washing over me in the darkness.
When dawn finally broke through the window in pale golden light, I was already mentally plan
