The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42 – Who Do You Trust…

Ryder’s POV

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I’m mid-conversation with a few Alphas from up in Canada when I catch sight of her.

Bridget is coming back from the ladies’ room, surrounded by the four men I put on her. She should look normal. She doesn’t. There’s a wrongness in her posture, in her face-something that wasn’t there

when she left my side.

Our eyes lock.

Talon surges forward inside me, restless and sharp, demanding I make sure she’s safe.

‘Are you okay?’ I push through the mind-link.

She gives me a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. ‘Yes, I’m fine. It’s nothing that can’t wait.’

I glance past her, trying to catch whoever might be leaving the bathroom behind her-anyone. No one.

When she reaches me, I slide an arm around her.

“Gentlemen, excuse me. I need a moment with my mate.”

A few of the Alphas grin like they know exactly what I’m doing. I don’t bother explaining. I hook Bridget at the waist and steer us out of the ballroom.

Right now, her comfort matters more than politics.

“Ryder,” she murmurs as we walk, “I’m okay. We can talk later, in our room.”

“I believe you,” I tell her, not slowing. “I still want you away from the crowd. Just a minute. Indulge me.”

Her

eyes flick over my tux, and her mouth tilts. “It helps that you look unfairly good in that. Makes it hard to say no.”

I let myself smile, but it doesn’t last. “All right. What happened with the Queen?”

She huffs and folds her arms under her chest. The gesture is meant to be defiant. It mostly makes it

very difficult to focus.

“That damn Iron Fang,” she snaps. “He never says a word to me, but the second anything happens he turns into a messenger for you.”

“Funny,” I say. “He didn’t tell me anything. You just did.”

Her glare sharpens.

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< Chapter 42 – Who Do You Trust..

“I’m sure he would have, though,” I add. “He’s the definition of silent but deadly.”

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Bridget’s expression breaks, half annoyed, half amused. “Don’t compare him to-what people mean

when they say that.”

“Fine. We won’t say that part where he can hear it,” I say, guiding her into an open study just off the

main floor.

Two guards hold position outside. I lead her to the couch. She sits. I choose the armrest, close enough to wrap her up, and I do-both arms around her, pulling her against my chest.

Her breath leaves her in a slow release, and the tension in her shoulders eases a fraction.

“It really was nothing,” she says quietly. “Not… not yet. But I need to look into something. Secret

islands.”

I still.

“She said something earlier,” Bridget continues, voice careful, “and it made me pay attention. She can hear thoughts like I can. I don’t know how far it goes.” She pauses, then adds with a hint of pride, “But I taught myself how to bubble our conversations-make them private. So… that’s something. I saw a problem. I found a workaround.”

“That’s exactly how you survive people like her,” I tell her, brushing my thumb along her cheek. Her skin is ridiculously soft, and having her tucked into me like this makes the rest of the world feel distant. “Whatever she throws, you’ll turn it into an advantage.”

Bridget nods, then leans back enough to look at me. “So here’s the part I can’t ignore. She told me there’s an island-powerful women. And she said I should go there if I want to learn the full extent of

what I can do.”

A bitter laugh scrapes out of me. “I’m getting real tired of those two trying to separate us.”

“Or,” Bridget says, thinking fast, “they know something we don’t. Something that only works if we’re together for it to happen.”

I hold her gaze. “Bridget, I’ve never seen anyone work this hard to keep fated mates apart. That alone

tells me we have to figure out what game they’re playing.”

“I know.” Her eyes narrow. “They’re hiding-”

She cuts off, suddenly gripping her head.

My body goes rigid. “Bridget. What is it?”

“It’s not me,” she breathes, swaying. “It’s…”

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< Chapter 42 – Who Do You Trust…

An emergency mind-link detonates in my skull.

‘Alpha, we need you to the terrace. Now!’

Cold panic floods my veins.

Bridget looks at me like she already understands exactly what that message means.

I snatch her hand and we bolt out of the office.

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“I want a full lockdown!” I bark at two of my top warriors as we move. “No one leaves the grounds. Call in every warrior-on duty, off duty. Lock the borders down.”

“Yes, Alpha!” they shout together.

I turn my head toward the silent shadow keeping pace. “Iron Fang-on me. You guard your Luna with

your life. Understood?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Bridget’s eyes widen at the sound of his voice. She doesn’t comment. She just tightens her grip on my

hand as we hit the terrace doors.

The moment we step outside, Alpha Patrick is already roaring orders.

“Detain every staff member!” he shouts. “No one leaves this property!”

Then I see it.

My sister is sprawled across a patio lounger.

The world narrows to red.

“What the fuck happened!”

Patrick spins toward me, jaw clenched. “She had a drink. Then she grabbed her head-said it hurt. I

didn’t smell wolfs bane. She drank water after, and it got worse. Then she dropped. I called for staff to be held immediately.”

“HOSPITAL. Now.”

I’m already bending to lift her when Bridget appears at my side, taking Evelyn’s hand as if she can

anchor her back to us.

“I’ll mind-link your parents,” Bridget says, and I feel her messages fire off instantly.

The hospital is less than a mile. It feels like an ocean.

< Chapter 42 – Who Do You Trust…

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We rush down the steps to an SUV waiting at the drive. Evelyn is deadweight in my arms-pale, limp, too still. Her skin is warm, and that somehow makes it worse.

Iron Fang and another warrior jump into the front seats. The engine growls and we launch forward.

I hit the mind-link with a roar. ‘Connor, you run lockdown protocol. Lucas, pull every camera angle- every second. Pierce, sweep the terrace: residue, fibers, anything. I want someone held NOW.’

Confirmations slam back one after another.

In the backseat, Bridget presses both hands to Evelyn and starts chanting under her breath. Light blooms under her palms-soft, eerie, steady.

If it were anyone else, I’d be stunned. It’s my sister, so all I feel is fear.

Bridget opens her eyes and looks straight at me. “She has poison in her system. We have to pull it out before it hits her organs.”

We skid into the hospital drive.

My parents are already there, waiting like they ran on instinct alone. My father yanks the door open and takes Evelyn from me without a word. My mother’s face crumples as she reaches, fingers trembling, tears already sliding down her cheeks.

We surge inside. Doctors and nurses are ready-too ready.

Evelyn disappears on a gurney as they start stabilizing her. She doesn’t wake. Her breathing is

shallow, uneven.

My mom scrubs at her tears with the heel of her hand. “What happened?”

“We think she was poisoned,” I say, forcing the words through my teeth. “She was outside. Alpha

Patrick was with her-he raised the alarm.”

My father’s eyes go hard. “We’ll speak with Patrick. Beta Curtis will take a full statement. See who he

saw.” He’s already mind-linking as he talks.

Bridget moves to my mother, gentle but steady. “Luna Kendra… do you want to sit?”

My mom paces instead, shaking her head. “Not until I know she’s fine. Where are the twins?”

“I had their guards stay with them,” Bridget answers. “Do you want them brought here, or kept at the

castle?”

I blink. I don’t even remember her stepping away to handle it.

“Bring them,” Mom says immediately, grabbing Bridget’s hand and squeezing. “I need all my babies

< Chapter 42 – Who Do You Trust…

with me.”

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The ER doors swing open and Connor sprints in, his mom right behind him. His face is drawn tight with worry-same as ours. We didn’t just grow up together. We’re pack. We’re family.

“I locked the perimeter,” Connor says fast, breath still high. “They told me it was Evelyn. What the hell happened? Can we see her?” He’s spiraling, barely holding it together.

“The doctors are with her,” I tell him. “Bridget thinks it’s poisoning.” I swallow. “She’s strong. If anyone

can fight this, she can.”

Connor’s mom lowers herself beside mine, outraged. “Who poisons a girl? And on her birthday?”

Connor’s eyes burn with the same rage chewing through me. Someone took a shot at our family.

They’re going to regret it.

A doctor finally comes out and walks straight to us. Every breath in the room seems to stop.

“She had a significant amount of wolfs bane in her system,” he says. “Fortunately, there was some extraction performed en route. That may have saved her. Right now she’s critical but stable. We’re flushing her system and checking thoroughly to ensure there’s no remaining contamination. It will be a

few hours before we know more.”

My father steps forward. “Can we see her?”

“Yes, Alpha,” the doctor answers. “Briefly. She needs rest. She’s still unconscious, and we’ll keep her for several days to confirm she’s clear.”

“That’s fine,” my father says, voice like stone. “We’ll post additional guards. Come, dear.”

He takes my mother’s hand and leads her down the corridor.

Right then the twins come barreling into the ER. I catch them both, one in each arm, holding on like

they’re the only solid things left.

“How is she?” Aiden asks, voice cracking.

Adrian doesn’t even wait. “Can we see her?”

“The doctor believes she’ll be okay,” I say, keeping my tone level for them. “She was poisoned, but

she’s recovering. They’re giving her fluids and working on it right now.”

Both of them exhale like they’ve been holding their breath since birth.

“Your parents just went back,” Bridget tells them.

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< Chapter 42 – Who Do You Trust…

“Then go,” I say, nudging them gently. “Head down the hall.”

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Mind-links keep snapping in-updates, movement, questions. My attention splits, then locks onto

Connor, who’s still standing there, vibrating with the need to do something.

“I need you in the field,” I tell him. “Once I see her, I’ll join you.”

Connor looks torn between obeying and sprinting down the hall to Evelyn.

“Yes, Alpha.” His jaw tightens. “I will find who did this.”

“Good,” I say, voice low and deadly. “And leave some for me. I want them in the cells-tonight.”

He nods once, sharp. “Yes, Alpha.”

Then he turns and disappears out the hospital doors at a run.

Bridget steps in close behind me and wraps her arms around my middle. I’m coiled so tight I feel like I might snap, and I need her-her scent, her warmth, the reminder that she’s here.

Someone decided poisoning my sister was smart.

Bridget tilts her head up and pulls me down into a kiss, firm and grounding.

“Go,” she whispers against my mouth when we break. “I’ll stay here until we know more. You go find

that arse-hole. And be careful.”

“I promise.” I kiss her again.

And then Connor’s voice hits my mind-link, urgent and edged.

‘I think we have something.’

< The Omni-Wolf’s Choice