The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4 All work and no play…

Bridget’s POV

I had been waking up before sunrise every day, almost springing out of bed just to get a run in through the trees. The cold, clean air hit my lungs and made me feel alive. Getting off that bus here had been the right call.

When I wasn’t working, I was usually with Ms. Miriam, and she kept telling me—over and over—that I needed people my own age. Ruthless, Ms. Miriam. Also hilarious.

I had started out scrubbing rooms, but now I was finally helping in the restaurant. Miriam was practically spoiling me—front-of-the-lodge room, three meals a day, plus a paycheck. My savings would be rebuilt in no time.

My room sat near the front: a bed, a tiny living space, a kitchenette with a small table, and my own bathroom. It wasn’t fancy, but it was mine.

“Pick up, table four,” Roland barked from the kitchen window, snapping me out of my head.

“On it, Roland. Thanks,” I called back.

He gave me a rare smile. Roland was older and usually sour as vinegar—just not with me. Miriam liked to say I calmed him down. Mom used to say I could brighten a room. Maybe she wasn’t totally wrong.

“Here you go, ladies.” I set the plates down with a practiced smile.

Three girls around my age looked up.

“Thank you!” one said.

I turned toward the next table to check refills and almost tripped over my own focus. Two men sat there—ridiculously good-looking. One was blond with curls. The other was bald with a close beard and smooth brown skin that looked unreal in the firelight from the windows. Honestly, every man I’d seen in this town looked like he’d been built to wrestle bears: tall, broad, all muscle.

Audrey slid their meals onto the table—double country-fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans. The plates looked like they belonged in a competition.

I topped off their drinks. One of them gave me a brief nod—thanks without a word—and I headed back for napkins.

“Bridget!” Miriam called.

I pivoted and found her struggling with a stack of pie boxes—five of them—teetering in her arms. I hurried over.

“I’ve got you, Ms. Miriam—”

“Let me.” A low voice cut in, and a tall figure stepped forward.

“Mason, bless you, dear,” Miriam said, relieved.

Before I could blink, I was holding two boxes, and the curly blond—Mason—had taken the other three like they weighed nothing.

“Bridget, this is Mason,” Miriam said.

Mason looked down at me and went faintly pink.

“Nice to meet you,” I said quickly, forcing my attention back to the job. “Where are these headed, Ms. Miriam?”

“Table four.” She fell in beside me as we walked back toward the girls I’d been serving. “Sweetheart, these are for your mother. Please tell her I’m thinking of her.”

“I will, Ms. Miriam. I’ll bring them right over,” the girl promised.

Miriam’s eyes twinkled as she turned back to me. “Bridget, have you met my sweet kids from town? Evelyn, Sienna, Archer—” Her hand swept toward the table. “And these gentlemen are Mason and Barrett.”

They all nodded, smiling like they’d known me longer than five seconds.

“Hi,” I said, a little stiff.

Mason leaned forward. “We heard you just moved here. What brought you to—”

“Oh my God, Mason,” Evelyn cut in, shooting him a look. “She just got here. Don’t grill her.”

His shoulders dipped. “Sorry.”

Sienna’s face lit up like she’d remembered something important. “Wait—bonfire tonight. You’re coming with us.” She bumped Evelyn with her elbow.

“Yes,” Evelyn said immediately, eyes bright. “Moonlight, music, dancing. Come on. What do you say?”

“I can’t,” I said, automatically. “I’m working tonight.”

From behind the counter, Miriam’s voice carried across the room. “Not anymore! I already cleared you. You’re going out, young lady. You need friends. I insist!”

I exhaled, helpless. “I guess… I’m going to a bonfire.” I pasted on a smile and tried to make it believable.

“Perfect.” Evelyn held her hand out. “Phone.”

I gave it to her, and she tapped like she owned the place. “Nine o’clock. We’ll come get you.”

A laugh slipped out of me at how confidently she operated.

When she handed my phone back, I saw she’d texted herself too—so she had my number.

I arched a brow.

She winked.

Okay. Maybe my first bonfire could actually be fun. And maybe it would force me to stop being a lonely ghost.

Later, we headed down toward the lake together. The night was thick and dark, but I could see well enough. I’d shoved my curls into a messy bun, thrown on jeans and a sweater—because how dressed up are you supposed to get for a fire in the woods?

Mason and Barrett came too, and we all piled into the same jet-black SUV.

As we got closer, the bonfire appeared ahead—huge, blazing, throwing sparks into the sky. People surrounded it, music thumping, bodies moving in loose circles. The flames were so high they looked like they wanted to climb the stars.

Across the crowd, I noticed a girl with auburn hair and sun-browned skin in a tight dress and gladiator sandals. Something about her screamed trouble. I looked away before she could catch me staring.

“Beer run,” Sienna announced, pressing bottles into the hands of the girls.

A shadow fell over us.

“No.” Mason’s arm came in from behind, and he lifted the beers away like we were middle-schoolers. “Pretty sure none of you are twenty-one.”

Evelyn groaned. “Thanks, Dad. Make sure you update my brother.” She grabbed my wrist and tugged me away, deliberately leaving the guys behind.

While they weren’t looking, I pulled out two beers I’d managed to snag anyway.

“I knew I liked her,” Archer said, laughing as he wrapped me in a quick hug.

Then a sound drifted in—faint, distant. Something that didn’t belong.

I scanned the dark beyond the firelight, trying to figure out if anyone else had heard it. No one reacted. The music was too loud for them.

We poured the beers into plastic cups and started drinking. A beat shifted, and “Need To Know” by Doja Cat blasted out of the speakers. The girls and I started dancing, singing along, laughing like we’d been friends for years.

Five guys drifted over, drawn by the energy.

And like someone had signaled them, Mason and Archer appeared at our backs.

Up close, it was ridiculous—Mason and Archer looked like they could each pick up two of the approaching guys and still have a free hand. The five slowed, squared up, stared.

More men stepped in behind Mason and Archer.

The newcomers did the math and backed off, walking away without a word.

Evelyn made a face as a very attractive guy caught her attention and pulled her a few steps aside. He leaned in, speaking tight and low. She tried to keep dancing through it, but he wasn’t playing. His gaze flicked past her—straight to me.

I snapped my eyes away before we could lock.

“Don’t worry,” Sienna murmured near my ear. “That’s Connor. We know him.”

So Connor was part of their circle. Maybe Evelyn had a boyfriend. Or something complicated.

“Move, Bridget!” Sienna yelled.

Behind us, Connor’s voice turned sharp with command. “Mason, Archer—stay back with the others. Keep everyone safe until I’m back. Backup is coming. I’m getting the girls out.”

None of it made sense. I felt terrified and dizzy at the same time.

We ran down the open path, the sound of growling chasing us. Connor’s head kept turning, scanning every side like he expected something to lunge out of the dark.

The SUV came into view. Doors unlocked. People piled in—everyone except me.

“Bridget, get in!” Sienna shouted.

“I can’t,” I said, breath tearing. “I have to check on Ms. Miriam.”

“I already called her—she’s coming,” Connor snapped as he shoved Evelyn inside and swung toward me. He yanked the other door open. “Now.”

“How?” I protested, rooted to the ground. “When did you call her? While we were running? None of this—”

The chill hit again, harder, like the air had turned to ice.

I looked back at the woods.

Something shifted in the dark. Not just movement—awareness. Like it knew I was looking. Like the dark was looking back.

What the hell did I drink?

“I’m here, child. Let’s go.”

Miriam’s voice was suddenly right behind me.

I spun. She was there—too close, too fast, like she’d stepped out of thin air.

“How did you get here so quickly?” I demanded. “What is going on?”

“Get in,” she said, firm but gentle, guiding me toward the seat. “We’ll explain when we’re clear of this place.”

I let her push me into the SUV.

The vehicle launched forward immediately.

I twisted to look out the back window.

In the parking area, cars were being shoved aside like toys.

“What the fuck is happening?” I screamed.

A sharp spike of pain stabbed through my skull. I cried out and folded over, clutching my head as my vision swam.

One of my bad headaches had been coming on—the kind that always hit when stress got too high.

“Hey,” Archer said, his hand rubbing steady circles on my back. “Are you okay?”

The pain climbed.

Then rain hit—sudden and violent, a roaring downpour that swallowed sound.

“I…”

My head went light. The rain seemed to slam harder, filling my ears, drowning everything.

And then the world turned into blackness.

Total blackness.