The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Fallout

Ryder’s POV

I’m in the maze behind my house again-my feet moving like they’ve memorized every turn. I don’t

hesitate. I just head for the bench that sits about halfway in, the one spot that feels like a marker.

Mery

And I’m trying to make sense of it. One second I’m locked in with St. Vincent, trading blows, and then

the world erupts-heat, force, light-and now I’m here. In my own damn labyrinth.

“Oh, hell,” I mutter. Then, louder, to the air, “Is this heaven or what?”

A woman laughs, soft and amused.

I spin. “Show yourself.”

“Easy, my child. I have very little time to reach you.” Her voice carries from somewhere beyond the

hedges. “I am Seraphina. The Moon Goddess.”

She steps out from behind the shrubbery like she’s been there the whole time, waiting. A gown the

color of molten gold floats around her. Her skin glows with the same warm shimmer. Ocean-clear

eyes. Hair like a storm of white.

“So I’m dead,” I say, because what else fits?

“No.” She shakes her head. “You lost consciousness because of the blast. I required a moment with

you.”

The maze feels too bright all at once.

“You are not in danger,” she continues, “but what is coming will test you and your mate. Remember this: you are bound for purpose. You must be calm when her world breaks. Be her still point.”

I swallow.

“She has much to understand,” Seraphina says, “and she also carries a wolf with knowledge beyond

what she realizes. That wolf will aid you. She will aid you, too.”

“What do you want from me?”

“When the moment arrives, you will already know.” She tilts her chin. “Trust this: you and Talon will

choose correctly when it matters.”

“That’s… insanely unhelpful,” I mutter. Her eyebrow lifts.

I clear my throat. “Apologies. Your… excellence. Is that it? Is St. Vincent the only problem on my

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horizon?”

that e Menu

“I can’t hand you the map,” she says, calm as stone. “What will come, will come. But you are strongest together.” Her gaze sharpens. “And forgiveness will save you both more than you understand.”

I blow out a breath. Speaking to a goddess is like trying to grab smoke.

I start to form a question-about her parents, about Bridget, about anything solid-and the world shifts

under my feet. A tug, like gravity has decided to reclaim me.

“It’s time,” Seraphina says. “You and your warriors must return. Travel safely, Alpha Ryder.”

“Wait-no. I need-”

My words fracture. I blink, and she’s gone.

The hedges blur. The air thickens. The maze turns to fog.

I jerk awake with my body already moving, snapping into a fight stance.

Connor is right in front of me.

“What the hell happened?” My hand goes to the back of my head. There’s a knot there-sore, tender- but I can feel it already knitting itself back together.

Connor exhales. “We cleared the place. Everyone’s down except St. Vincent-he slipped out. No

survivors on their side. Our people are solid. A few injuries, nothing that isn’t already healing.”

“Good.” My voice comes out hard. “Get everyone airborne. Load up the jets. Disposal team can handle

the bodies.”

“Yes, sir.” Connor nods. “They’re already moving them. Cleanup is in progress.”

We do one last sweep for documents, devices-anything worth pulling from the wreckage-then we

head for the aircraft.

St. Vincent got away this time.

He won’t get that chance again.

On my jet, Connor, Montgomery, Lucian-our vampire ally-and Rowena with the witches settle in. The second plane carries the rest, along with food and medics.

Montgomery catches my eye. “Alpha. I need to speak with you.”

He leads Connor and me into the small back office.

V

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“It looks like we weren’t alone at the end,” Montgomery says.

Connor’s brow furrows. “Meaning what?”

5 Motni

“While you were fighting St. Vincent, I felt her presence,” Montgomery answers. “Luna Bridget. The signature of it… it’s similar to mine. I know what I sensed.”

My blood flashes hot. “She was there?”

“The second blast hit,” Montgomery says, steady, “and then she ran into the cave with Gamma Lucas.”

“My Luna was there!” The roar tears out of me, loud enough that the plane seems to vibrate. Rage slams through my chest. She walked into a war zone like it was nothing.

Montgomery doesn’t flinch. “Yes, Alpha. She mind-linked me. She told me to keep you alive.”

“And then?” I bite out.

“Then she was gone.”

Connor leans forward. “How? Did she get her wolf? Is she teleporting now?”

Montgomery shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

I study him, and something in my gut says there’s more he isn’t giving me.

“Anything else,” I press.

“She and Lucas vanished,” Montgomery repeats. “After that, you started speaking while you were out.”

I consider telling them about the maze. About Seraphina. About the warning wrapped in riddles.

Not yet.

“Thank you,” I say instead. “I’m glad you told me. I’ll deal with this at the pack house.” My jaw

clenches. “I need a minute alone.”

They leave, and the office feels too small for what I’m holding back.

Maybe that’s why the Moon Goddess found me-because Bridget’s stunt is exactly the kind of chaos

that gets people buried.

She didn’t just take a risk.

She walked into the lion’s den and handed St. Vincent leverage on a silver platter. If he’d still been there-if he’d seen her, recognized her, learned what she is to me-I would have lost her.

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And I wouldn’t have survived it

She is going to understand this: never again. Not once.

Once we level out at cruising altitude, I text her.

Ryder: Meet me in my office when I return. You’ll know when.

Then I power my phone off.

Bridget’s POV

Menti

He’s furious. Not mildly upset-full, volcanic Ryder furious. I expected it. I just didn’t expect the silence in the car to feel like a punishment all by itself.

Lucas drives. Pierce rides shotgun. Neither of them says a word, but I keep catching them looking at me through the mirror like they’re waiting for me to explode again.

At least I woke up fast. That’s new. Normally I’m out cold for hours.

So… progress. New powers, new settings, apparently.

Evelyn and Adrian are with us, and the guys split the caravan-Sienna and Archer took the other

warriors in the second black Escalade with extra bags.

The quiet is eating my brain alive when my phone buzzes.

Ryder: Meet me in my office when I return. I’m sure you will sense when that is.

Yep. Big mad.

And no, I’m not sorry. I’m not going to apologize for refusing to sit and feel him suffer from hundreds

of miles away.

I turn in my seat. “Okay. I dragged you into this, and I own that. I’ll talk to Ryder. I’ll take all of it. I’ll tell

him I forced you, and it won’t happen again.”

I’m trying to sound firm, but the truth is the cold shoulder is wrecking me. I barely know Lucas and

Pierce, and still-I hate disappointing them.

Evelyn cuts in. “If he’s going to be mad at her, he needs to be mad at us too. We helped.”

Adrian nods from the third row. “And we’re family. Family backs each other.”

I glance back and grin. “Thanks, Tony Soprano.”

Adrian blinks. “Who? I was going for Dom from Fast and Furious.”

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I roll my eyes. “Never mind.”

For a second, Lucas and Pierce crack the tiniest smile.

Then the castle appears ahead, and their faces go blank again.

(5.Cel5)

St Monu

We pull into the drive, and I feel Ryder before I see him-like a weather system pressing down on my skin. Anger. Frustration. More anger.

And… a sharp edge of sexual frustration that I absolutely latch onto like it’s a life raft.

Staffers pour outside to unload luggage and haul it upstairs to my room. I jump in to help, mostly because I want to stall.

Lucas stops me with a gentle but immovable look. “Luna. They want you in the parlor. Alpha Ryder is speaking with Pierce and me first.”

My stomach drops.

I really didn’t think this through. In my head, it was heroic. In reality, dragging my security detail into an active fight-to-the-death situation is… not my best decision.

It would have looked cooler on screen.

I head to the third-floor parlor, three doors down from Ryder’s office. Lucas and Pierce give me a quick smile before they disappear inside.

A new security guy stands outside the parlor. He doesn’t smile. He doesn’t even soften.

He looks like the type who has never held anyone’s hand, let alone time-traveled.

I sit.

A few seconds stretch, and then I hear it-Ryder going off. A full-volume tear-down. The room’s

supposed to be soundproof, so why is it leaking? Maybe someone forgot to flip the switch.

His words cut through anyway: careless with my life, reckless with the pack’s future, talking about

dungeons.

I shoot up, ready to barge in.

The new guy blocks my path without touching me. Smart.

He raises his phone instead and hits play.

Ryder’s voice fills the air, recorded and unmistakable: “Bridget. If you walk into this room while I’m talking to my team, their punishment will be worse. Sit down until I’m ready for you.”

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My mouth opens. Nothing comes out.

(s)Get $)

Mersi

I fold my arms and drop back onto the settee, fuming and humiliated all at once

A few minutes later, Lucas and Pierce step out.

Neither of them meets my eyes.

That hurts more than I want it to.

The new guy straightens. “Alpha Ryder will see you now.”

He bellows it like he’s announcing an execution.

I mutter it back under my breath in the same tone and walk in.

Ryder sits behind his desk, coiled tight. His eyes are dangerous.

“Hi,” I say.

“What were you thinking?” His voice snaps like a whip. “You could’ve been killed. My men could’ve

been killed. And if I’d seen you get hurt-if anything happened to you-I would have lost it. Do you

understand that?”

“I had to do something.” My throat burns. “I could feel you. Your pain-hundreds of miles away-and it

still hit me like I was being split in half. Maybe you’re used to that feeling, but I’m not!”

His hands flex on the desk. “Did you stop and think?”

“Yes.” I don’t blink. “And what I thought was: no matter what, I help you.”

“I didn’t need your help,” he fires back. “I had it handled. We took everyone out. It was just me and him,

and then the explosion-”

I suck in a breath.

“Briar…” Ryder says, suddenly too certain.

“I made the explosion,” I admit.

His stare turns lethal. “You mean the blast that knocked me out?” He leans back, voice dripping. “Well

done, babe. Amazing work.”

“Don’t you talk down to me like I’m doing this on purpose!” I explode. “I have no freaking idea what I’m doing. I’m trying. I’m doing the best I can!”

“I know that,” he shouts back, matching me, “but what you do has consequences in the real world!”

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< Chapter 22 Fallout

Mamu

“I know!” I’m on my feet, pacing-too fast, too sharp. My thoughts ricochet. I’m a hazard. I keep pulling people into my mess. I push and things happen, and half the time I don’t even know what button I

pressed.

My chest tightens. “I need air.”

“Bridget-wait.” Ryder exhales like he’s searching for words and coming up empty.

“I’m going for a walk with Evelyn,” I say, already at the door.

I step out before he can stop me.

And the worst part is-he doesn’t.

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(2015 >

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