The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 The Blackwood River Pack Part 1

Alpha Ryder’s POV

“Alpha Ryder, your father has been trying to reach you. He needs to speak with you, sir.” One of my warriors finally caught up to me. I’d cut every line of communication and bolted out for a run.

I keep my men sharp. Always. Tracking drills, stealth work, the kind of tests that make them sweat. Most days they don’t find me at all.

Being born into this kind of strength—the strongest Alpha anyone alive has seen—gets old in a way no one understands. Fights end fast. Opponents break. I don’t.

Ruthless is the word they use. Killing machine is the one they whisper. Maybe that’s why our territory is packed and protected—over two thousand wolves under my name, and not a single idiot with a functioning brain comes looking for trouble.

Dad’s obsession has been the same for months: another damn ball. Invite the nearby packs. Smile. Shake hands. Let fate finally shove my mate into my path.

I’d already searched. Across continents and back again. Still nothing.

At this point, it feels like the Moon Goddess has left my thread empty. Maybe my mate is dead. Maybe she never existed. Second-chance mates are rare enough to be fairy tales.

So I take what I want when I want it—any she-wolf who catches my eye. It takes the edge off, keeps the pressure from boiling over.

Or, more accurately, it keeps Talon from tearing the world apart.

Talon is my wolf: enormous, midnight black, with eyes like moonlight on steel. And somehow he manages to be an even bigger asshole than I am. His reputation is worse than mine, which should tell you everything.

“Thanks, Mason,” I said, cutting between the trees. “Your tracking’s improving. Keep pushing. I’m going to need someone like you at the top.”

“Yes, Alpha!” Mason answered immediately.

He’s still finishing high school, but the kid has instincts. Not the most brutal fighter, but I can shape him into the kind of tracker who doesn’t miss.

The fact he found me this quickly told me the real story, though.

My father had picked the right messenger.

I took off again at full speed, and Talon pressed against my mind, impatient, shoving like he wanted to burst out of my skin.

“Not now,” I warned him. “Father’s calling. Tonight you get your run. A real one.”

‘Yeah. You’ve been saying that for days, asshole,’ he snapped.

“Someone’s in a mood.” I laughed.

He cut me off, slamming a wall between us.

Fine.

The forest does what nothing else can. The moment the canopy closes in, my pulse settles. This is where we belong—wolves threaded into the land like we were made from it.

Blackwood River Pack sits in northern California, spread across the biggest stretch of territory around. Our borders are guarded by the best fighters in the region, and we don’t stand alone.

To the north, inside our land line, a vampire pack holds territory. To the east, a witch colony anchors itself like roots in stone.

Humans don’t get it. They think the world is what they see on screens.

The truth is bigger.

We keep alliances with rules that matter—no killing across species. Break that, and the royal court gets involved. Those trials don’t end with mercy. They end with bodies.

At the heart of our land is the village: cottages for families, shared spaces, and a school built for our kids. It’s not just reading and numbers. It’s history—every supernatural group, every ugly chapter and hard lesson.

Respect doesn’t happen by accident. You learn it, or you repeat the same wars.

A few humans attend too. Most of them know exactly what we are, and they keep their mouths shut. In return, we keep their town safe.

“Let me guess,” Connor said as he fell into step beside me the moment I walked into the pack house, “you were hiding again and calling it ‘training.’”

Connor—my best friend, my future Beta.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I needed it. Talon’s wound tight. That event is creeping up, and my father won’t stop pushing. I’m thinking I might head down to Crescent Valley.”

Connor’s eyes slid sideways, suspicious and amused.

“Oh, is that right?” he said. “Or is it just Aurelia you can’t stay away from?”

I let out a slow breath.

Aurelia was set to be an Alpha herself. We’d met as kids in Alpha training, and we’d clicked fast—friends first, always. The sex came later, on-and-off, no promises attached.

We both still hoped for mates.

We were just strong enough to keep living without them.

Crescent Valley sat just south of us, beaches stretching along their land. Talon always loved running near the water.

“Well,” I said, letting a smirk pull at my mouth, “if memory serves, you manage to ‘find’ a new she-wolf every single time we take that trip.”

Connor grinned. “I’m not going to pretend I haven’t enjoyed your vacations.”

But something about him felt off—too tense behind the jokes.

“You okay?” I stopped in the hallway, forcing him to face me. “You’ve been somewhere else lately. Talk to me.”

We were close in height. He met my stare, then nodded like the question hit home.

“Yeah,” he said, dragging a hand through his hair. “It’s… my wolf. Something’s going on, and he won’t tell me a damn thing. It’s driving me insane.”

He looked like he might rip his own hair out.

“Maybe our wolves will eventually learn how to communicate like adults,” I said, loud enough for Talon to hear.

Indifference brushed my mind—Talon turning away—then the wall went up again.

He turned to Connor. “Future Beta Connor, I expect you to keep your future Alpha steady. Like you always have.”

Connor dipped his head again. “Yes, Alpha Marcus. Consider it done. You can count on me.”

We left the office.

Connor has been beside me since we were pups. If there’s one person I trust with my back, my throat, and my life, it’s him. Loyal to the pack. Loyal to me. And somehow he’s the only one who can talk me down when rage blinds me.

“We’ve got time before lunch,” I said as we walked. “Let’s shift and run.”

Talon perked up instantly, excitement pressing at the edges of my mind.

Connor’s grin returned. “Sounds good. Drake’s been needing it too.”

We headed out toward the treeline behind the pack house.

On the way we ran into Lucas and Pierce—two more of our circle. When I finally take full control officially, they’re the ones I want at my sides as Gamma and Delta.

Lucas had already found his mate, and it showed. She was from a neighboring pack, and they’d only just met recently, but they were glued together like the bond had welded them.

I wanted that.

Not the sex.

The certainty.

The rest of us—Connor, Pierce, and me—had traveled together plenty. Nights usually ended with a warm bed and whatever she-wolf we chose.

At the edge of the woods, we stripped quickly, careful to keep out of sight. Unmated she-wolves in our pack linger like shadows, always hunting for attention.

I avoid it when I can.

I’ve heard enough stories about what a Luna endures inside her own pack—the jealousy, the scheming, the constant pressure. When my mate arrives, I want her to feel safe here. Like this place belongs to her.

Yes, I’d slept with a few women from Blackwood.

But recently I’d made it a rule: no more.

Only outsiders.

It’s cleaner. Easier.

And with Talon acting… different, it feels necessary.

Something is coming.

I can feel it sitting just ahead of my life, waiting to hit hard enough to change everything.