The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1 A Whole New World

Bridget’s POV

“Shhh… my sweet loves.” My mother murmurs, and even in the dark I can hear how tight her fear sits in her throat.

Rain threads through the trees while we press close together. The woods smell freshly washed, that damp, clean scent that only comes after a hard shower. Leaves above us catch the drops and let them go in soft, steady taps.

It’s strange what your mind keeps. A bird shifting somewhere far off. A rabbit rustling a few yards away. Every tiny sound lands sharp.

Even though it’s nighttime, I can see—too clearly. My fingers in front of my face. The slick bark. The shadows between trunks.

Then it hits me.

Other heartbeats. Not ours. Moving closer.

Voices snap through the rain, angry and sharp.

“Over there!” a man shouts. “Get them—now!”

“Run.” My father’s voice isn’t loud; it’s like it appears inside my skull.

He scoops me up, his arms locking around me, and I catch a glimpse of my momma darting ahead. We burst out onto the riverbank.

The men are gaining. Their footsteps and breath and pulsing rage fill the night.

The sky breaks wider—more rain slams down like it’s trying to drown the world. We push into the river as the water churns higher, colder, faster.

My father slips for a second, then steadies.

My mother doesn’t.

Her foot skids. Her body tilts. And she’s gone—taken by the current.

“Momma!” I scream, reaching out as if my hand could snag her from the dark water.

My dad yells her name and sets me on a rock, quick and rough, then throws himself after her.

I don’t think. I jump.

The river is ice. It yanks me under and drags us downstream like we’re nothing. I fight for air, for sight, for anything. I can’t find them—only black water, only rushing noise.

Somewhere, muffled through the current, I hear my dad calling my name.

And then everything shuts off.

That’s the moment I always wake up—right when the dark wins.

I jerk out of sleep as the bus slows and sighs into a stop in some unfamiliar town. I was seven when I lost my parents. It never feels like twelve years have passed; it feels like yesterday wearing a different coat.

Back in Thornmere, the rain had been my favorite thing. After high school, I had been living there, working shifts in a diner, trying to keep life simple.

But simple never sticks.

Another altercation, another reason to disappear. I wasn’t the type to start it, but I had a problem stopping once it began. A broken jaw on somebody else meant I needed to get out—fast.

I may be small, but I hit hard.

I had a little cash saved. I ran until my lungs burned, until distance felt like safety. Somehow I ended up on a bus headed toward northern California.

“Stop here for Ravenshollow,” the driver calls as the doors hiss open.

I sling my backpack up and step down into air that smells like wet wood and food. In front of me sits a log-built hotel with a green roof, picture-perfect like it belongs on a postcard. A restaurant is attached, and the warm, savory scent makes my stomach answer immediately.

I trail a family heading inside.

Right at the entrance there’s a small gift shop, cluttered with souvenirs—and a HELP WANTED sign that might as well be a beacon.

“No, but I can make arrangements.” I keep my voice steady. I had noticed a park when we rolled in; I could disappear there, stay quiet, stay unseen. I doubted a town this small had much in the way of shelters.

“Well, here’s how I run things. The folks who clean rooms, I keep on the grounds.” She says it like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “I’ve got space. And it comes with three meals a day at the diner. What do you think?”

For a second my chest aches, like my body doesn’t know how to hold that kind of luck.

“Yes, ma’am—Ms. Miriam,” I correct, swallowing hard. “That sounds… amazing. I won’t make you regret it.”

“Alright, child.” Her tone softens just a touch. “Let’s get you fed, and then we’ll get you settled.”

I follow her, determination tightening into place. I was going to make this work. Whatever had dragged me here, I wasn’t leaving again unless I had to.

People stare as we pass. I catch the sideways looks, the curious pauses, the way conversations dip into whispers and then resume when I move on.

I’ve been the new girl before. Too many times. It still stings, but I don’t let it change my posture.

Ms. Miriam glances back. “You okay, girlie?”

“Yeah,” I say, exhaling. “Just… I’m really grateful you’re giving me a shot.”

“I think you’ll like this town.” She slides into a booth near the kitchen and motions for me to sit. “And I think you might fit here.”

Fit. The word lands strange.

I take the menu she hands me and force a small smile back at her. I wasn’t looking for miracles. I just wanted to keep my head down, work until I earned my own space in the world.

But sitting there, listening to the clatter from the kitchen and the low hum of the lodge around us, I realize two things.

I already like Ms. Miriam.

And maybe—just maybe—I’ve finally stepped into a place I can stay.