The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32 – Photos, and Then Some

Bridget’s POV

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“So you’ve got your wolf now, and you’re basically glowing,” I said, hooking my arm through Evelyn’s as we stepped into the main hall. “How does it feel? And do you realize you’re my very first real-life example of a girl getting her wolf?”

The room was already alive-packs of relatives and guests moving between tables, parents corralling children with full plates, laughter bouncing off the walls. Tonight’s ball had everyone buzzing, and

breakfast felt like the calm before the storm.

Ryder would show up soon. Security had him tied up, especially with his father there and royals and

alphas filling the guest list.

And I hadn’t argued once about my own security. Iron Fang was still attached to my side, and another guard-Patrick-had been added like an accessory I didn’t ask for.

Evelyn had her own detail too, at least until she found her mate today. Which, apparently, made her the most sought-after birthday girl in the entire wolf world.

“Bridget, I’m honestly just… riding the wave,” she said.

Her gaze kept skating across the crowd, restless, searching.

I nudged her lightly. “Are you hunting for someone? Or is it that mate-scent thing and you’re trying to

lock onto it?”

This was all still a mystery to me. I couldn’t even scent Ryder the way others claimed they could.

“Uh… no,” she said, then hesitated. “I don’t smell anything. I just—”

She didn’t get to finish.

More of the family arrived, and the shift in the room was immediate.

Alpha Marcus entered with Luna Kendra, and Ryder was with them. The moment he saw me, he

stopped looking at anything else.

He reached me in two strides, wrapped me up, and I felt the deep inhale against my hair and neck like he was anchoring himself.

I laughed and pulled him closer. “It’s been, what, an hour? That’s criminal.”

He slid his hand into my hair, lifting a thick handful to breathe me in again. “An hour is unacceptable.”

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“Well, you were off doing serious Alpha things,” I said, letting my smile sharpen. “I’m sure I can

compensate later.”

I didn’t lower my voice. If people heard, they heard.

Evelyn let out an exaggerated sigh. “Can you two sit down so we can eat? It’s literally my birthday. Let

me be the one doing the PDA today.”

I tried to slide into the seat beside Ryder, but he tugged me backward and sat me on his lap like it was

the most natural place for me to be.

Luna Kendra settled her napkin neatly across her legs as servants began setting breakfast in front of us. “Ryder, sweetheart, let her sit properly. She needs to eat. Clearly she’ll need the strength.”

I met Ryder’s eyes.

His mother wasn’t wrong. Keeping pace with my mate’s… appetite required fuel.

“Yes,” I said, sweet and innocent. “Your mother is absolutely right. I need energy.”

He loosened his hold with obvious reluctance. I slipped off his lap, and his smug little smirk made me reach up and press a finger to his mouth.

I mouthed, I’ll make it up to you.

‘You’d better,’ his voice rumbled through the bond, low and pleased.

My body reacted instantly, like his words had a direct line to every nerve I owned.

I cleared my throat and aimed for normal conversation. “Are the royals eating with us?” I asked Alpha

Marcus.

“No,” he said, already carving into a steak like it had personally offended him. “They chose breakfast in their rooms. But they requested time with you, Ryder, and our family before the ball.”

I sent a private thought to Ryder, careful not to say it aloud.

‘And Alpha Zachary’s side? Any improvement?’

‘Improved, yes. Fixed, no,’ he replied. ‘It’s better but still messy. We’ll likely need a new agreement

between packs. It’s a disaster-no other way to put it. But I’m not giving up.’

Allies mattered. Pack politics could decide survival.

‘I’ll do whatever you need,’ I told him.

I covered his hand with mine, and he gave me a small smile that made my chest tighten.

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Evelyn leaned forward, scanning the room again. “Is anyone else joining us? I just want to know if we

can start breakfast service for real.”

Luna Kendra answered first. “The twins ate earlier. They wanted to knock out class work so they can enjoy the ball later.”

“And my guys are out running perimeter checks with the royal soldiers,” Ryder added.

Alpha Marcus wiped his mouth and grinned at Evelyn. “Then eat, birthday girl. Your schedule is packed, and your mother is going to steal you away any minute. We have to make the most of our time

before some wolf tries to claim you.”

He was already welcoming a second steak like it was nothing. These men were built like mountains, and apparently they ate like them too.

Evelyn’s eyes lit up. “Dad… could you take me out to the fields? Sparring would actually help me settle

down before tonight.”

I nearly choked. “Em-since when do you fight? That is so badass. We should train together. Like, real

training.”

Two voices cut in at the exact same second.

“Absolutely not!”

Ryder and Luna Kendra.

Luna Kendra’s expression turned into that polished, royal kind of stern. “I am not having you bruised- or bruising your future sister-on a day like this. And don’t even get me started on the royal photographs.”

Ryder’s jaw ticked. “Also, I’m not watching my mate and my sister try to kill each other because you’re both more competitive than I am. That’s not training. That’s a catastrophe waiting to happen.”

“Hey!” I snapped.

Evelyn lifted her chin. “And I’m offended!”

Alpha Marcus just looked amused, like he’d seen this exact dynamic coming from a mile away.

Poor Ryder. Truly.

I decided to rescue him.

“We have plans right now, don’t we, love?” I asked, sweet as sugar.

He practically launched out of his chair. “We do. Let’s go.”

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He took my hand and dragged me away from the table.

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“Excuse me!” Evelyn called after us. “I thought you were helping me with my plans today!”

“I’ll find you soon,” I shouted back, twisting to wink at her.

Ryder didn’t slow down. He hauled me down the corridor, up the stairs, and straight to his office.

The second we were inside, he shut the door hard and crowded me against the wall, his body heat turning the air too thick to breathe.

“You’re trouble,” he muttered, nose sliding along my neck.

I tipped my head back, giving him room. “I just saved you from getting verbally mauled by two women you adore. You should be thanking me.”

His voice dropped. “What if I thank you by bending you over my desk and pounding you until you

scream my name?”

I kept my tone teasing, even as my pulse tripped. “Pretty sure we’ve already checked that off the list.”

My fingers sank into his thick hair. He scooped me up like I weighed nothing and carried me to the

desk.

As he set me down, I forced myself to remember the rest of the day existed. “What do you think the King and Queen will be like? You’ve met them, right?”

“I have,” he said. He leaned in, scanning papers as if he could multitask his way through temptation, then pressed lazy kisses along my neck in between sentences. “Back when I trained with the royal guards. They’re decent people. Respected. They’ll like you.”

He slid onto the chair and pulled me into his lap.

“I just want it to go smoothly,” I admitted. “Meet them. Survive the social part. Then have a good night

with everyone, and end up back in our room.”

Ryder’s hands moved with purpose. “We’ll do that,” he said. “But first… I need a taste.”

He shifted me back onto the desk, spread my legs, pushed my skirt up, and drew my panties aside.

Then his mouth was on me.

My fingers clenched in his hair as the world narrowed to his tongue and my own fractured breathing.

I rode the edge until it snapped, and my body answered him with an orgasm I couldn’t hide.

Evelyn’s POV

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Hair, Makeup. A whole crew fluttering around me like I was a royal statue being polished for display.

Mom had recruited backup too-Bridget, Sienna, Archer, and Adrian were all crowded in, weighing in

like this was a strategic mission.

They’d gotten me into a nude-toned gown made of floral lace, the only color coming from the stitched flowers. My hair had been curled into soft waves, and tiny blossoms were pinned through it like I’d

been braided into spring.

My makeup was flawless.

Aurora stirred again inside me, awake and irritated, like she wanted out of my skin.

I told myself it was because we were close to the training grounds.

But if I was being honest, I hoped it was because Connor was nearby.

It felt like he was dodging me, and that didn’t make sense unless he already knew I wasn’t his mate.

‘Relax, girl,’ Aurora insisted. ‘I’m picking up something-some kind of pull. Something is going to happen tonight. I can feel it.’

I dragged in a slow breath and tried to hold onto that.

Bridget came over with a cup of water and a straw, like she was tending to a patient.

She looked radiant in a very specific way-happy, loose-limbed, and unmistakably satisfied.

Normally, I’d demand every detail.

Today, the idea of discussing sex and my brother in the same sentence made my brain go wonderfully

blank, like a foot that falls asleep after you sit wrong too long.

“You look like you need this,” Bridget said, offering the water.

I took it. It wasn’t cold, but Mom had someone standing nearby with an absurdly huge fan aimed at

me, so I felt like I was starring in a dramatic music video.

She really did the most for her kids. One day I hoped I’d be half as intense.

First I had to locate my mate, though.

“I’m ready for tonight to be here already,” I said. “Have you met the King and Queen yet?”

“Not yet,” Bridget replied. “Ryder thinks it’ll be quick and pleasant, but I don’t know. I keep getting this feeling like there’s something coming. I can’t explain it. But forget it-today is yours. I’m not making it about me.”

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I lifted my chin. “We’re family. If talking about you helps me not spiral, then I’m happy to hear it. Do you think they want something from you?”

Bridget hesitated, then said it anyway. “Or… they might want me.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“I hate even saying it,” she rushed on. “Ryder marked me, but he hasn’t let me mark him. And we’ve had sex. A lot of sex. Like-an unreasonable amount. And still nothing. No mark back.”

“Okay, yeah,” I said slowly. “That is weird.”

But I didn’t believe for a second Ryder would give her up. “He’s obsessed with you, Bridge. The King

and Queen aren’t taking you. Neither is the Moon Goddess herself. There has to be a reason.”

I nodded toward the two guards stationed practically within arm’s reach. “Also, he has you watched

twenty-four/seven.”

Bridget glanced at them and let out a breath. “Yeah. He’s been intense about my safety since that last run. I know you’re right. There has to be something real behind it. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.”

“Exactly,” I said. “Now let’s finish this shoot so I can find my mate and finally have some adult fun.”

I tried to sound playful, but my thoughts snapped right back to Connor.

Wherever he was, he better understand how much he was stressing me out.

And if he turned out to be my mate?

He was going to pay for it.

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