Chapter 186

** Ryder’s POV ** The moment it hits me, I almost drop to my knees. It’s not a pulse or a flare. Not the usual warm tug of the bond when Paige is overwhelmed or scared. This… this is a detonation. A tidal wave of heat slams into my chest so violently my vision goes white. For a breathless second I can’t see, can’t move, can’t think. I can only feel her. I feel her power bursting open, her heart racing, something rising inside her. “Ryder?” Leo’s voice snaps through the mind-link. “What’s going on?” The next second, Jaxon screams. “Daddy!” He grabs my shirt, his little hands shaking. “What’s wrong with Mummy? Why’s she shouting in my head?” Fuck. I snatch him into my arms before he can fall, his whole body trembling. “It’s okay,” I lie through clenched teeth. “You’re okay.” I look wildly around the garden where we had been playing. Remy stands half-shifted already, eyes glowing, hackles raised, sensing the same storm I do. “What the hell was that?” he snarls. I don’t answer. I can’t. My