The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45 The Cells, the Rumble, and Spooning..

Connor’s POV

For now, we stick Oscar in the cell directly opposite Terrence.

Let them listen to each other while we make them regret every choice that brought them here.

Ryder drops into the chair in front of her like he has all the time in the world. She is chained down. The

room is pitch-dark, rank with piss and old blood. We have given her the closest thing this place has to

a “suite.”

“Oscar,” Ryder says evenly, “we want answers, and we want them now. Why did you do it? Was

someone behind you?”

Her gaze flicks toward Terrence’s cell across the hall. “I just want to know you won’t hurt Terrence,” she says, voice shaking.

“Why do you care what happens to him?” I ask. “You either teamed up with him, or you used him.

Which is it?”

“I’ll do anything you want,” she says quickly, skipping right over my question. “Just let him go.”

Ryder’s eyes narrow. “Then tell us what he is to you.”

“Please, Alpha,” she whispers, tears sliding down her cheeks like that should buy her something.

It doesn’t.

“Answer your Alpha,” I snap, pushing my aura out.

She recoils hard, trembling under it, like her bones have suddenly remembered who holds the power

here.

“I…” Her throat works. Panic flashes in her face. Then she breaks. “He’s my mate!” she screams.

Ryder and I trade a look.

If that is true, how in the hell did she think abandoning him would end?

Ryder leans forward. “You were going to run and leave him here to take the fall, and you expect us to

accept he’s your mate?”

“He didn’t do it,” she insists, frantic now. “He wasn’t part of it. I did it-me-alone.”

“Why?” I demand. “What did she do to you that made you poison her?”

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Her eyes widen as if she has just heard the first real piece of news all night. “Wait… she’s alive?” Her voice cracks into a shriek. “No. No, that can’t be. This can’t be happening!”

That’s enough.

‘Beatrix. Cells. Now.’ I fire through the mind-link.

‘On my way, Beta Connor.’

Seconds later the door opens behind us.

Beatrix steps in, filling the doorway-six feet of muscle and violence held on a leash. One of our best.

The kind of warrior people pray they never meet in a dark corridor.

I stand and drag Oscar’s chair deeper into the center of the room.

Ryder’s voice stays calm as I roll out the kit. “Since you’re determined to stay quiet, my warrior can help loosen your tongue. She likes to start with fingers. Nails, too.”

Beatrix’s mouth twitches like she is enjoying the introduction.

Ryder continues, almost conversational. “Teeth are another favorite. And the spreader-she uses it to separate bones so your wolf can’t put you back together.”

Oscar jerks against her restraints. “No! Please-!”

“Tell me who sent you,” Ryder says.

Oscar presses her lips tight.

Ryder gives a small nod.

Beatrix goes to work.

Fist after fist lands, dull thuds and sharp snaps. Across the hall, Terrence starts shouting, the sound

bouncing off the concrete like a warning bell.

Beatrix switches angles, grabs a hammer, and brings it down on Oscar’s arm. The wrist caves with a

sickening crack.

She is smiling.

Not because she is evil-because she is good at what she does, and because sometimes justice looks like a monster.

I don’t stay to watch the rest. The wet crunch of bone carries after me as I step out and head for

Terrence.

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I leave his door open.

Let him hear.

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Terrence is chained to his chair, rage pouring off him in waves. Patrick is inside, leaned against the wall like he is waiting on a late meal.

I step in. “Who sent you?” I ask. “She claims you’re her mate. If that’s true, why did she leave you here?”

Terrence strains against the chains. “I’ll kill you,” he roars. “I’ll kill all of you!”

“Then start with an answer,” I say. “Why come to this pack at all? You had your own. Why bring your

mess to our door?”

From the hall, Oscar’s screams keep coming.

Terrence fights harder, trying to launch himself out of the chair.

Patrick sighs. “He won’t talk. Might as well put him down.”

I turn to the tools, pick up an ice pick, and drive it clean through Terrence’s hand.

He howls.

I meet Patrick’s eyes. “Really? You think so?”

Then I grab a rusty blade and bury it in his other hand.

Patrick’s grin widens. “Well, cousin,” he says, “now it’s getting fun.”

*****

Half an hour later, we call a break.

We are covered in blood. The stink clings. Both of them have held out like they were built out of spite.

But they finally fold.

Oscar is barely recognizable: missing teeth at random, fingers broken, nails gone, face swollen shut on

one side. She is coughing wetly-one lung has collapsed-and every breath is a fight.

Terrence is worse in a different way. Too many punctures to count. He only stops thrashing when I drag him into Oscar’s cell and force them to look at each other.

That is what breaks her.

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<Chapter 45 The Cells, the Rumble, and Spooning.

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“It was a witch,” Oscar says, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor. She speaks like each word

costs her. “She said if I helped… she could give me power. I could be more than a servant to this family.”

“Keep going,” I say. “Name.”

“Ingrid,” Oscar whispers. “That’s what she called herself. She promised me gifts, and she promised my

mate could have them too. We could go to any pack, be respected. But we had to kill her.” Her eyes

shine with fresh tears. “She said her bloodline had to end.”

Her breath stutters. “We didn’t finish it. We were supposed to meet her at the border of the Bear River

pack-outside Salt Lake-with proof.”

Ryder’s expression doesn’t soften, but his voice does. “If you wanted training, you could have asked. Evelyn would have made sure you learned from the strongest witches here.”

He lets that sink in, then adds, colder, “Instead you chose a path that proves you never deserved power

-or the moon goddess’s blessing of a mate.”

My hands itch to end it. To snap necks and watch the light leave their eyes.

That is why Ryder is Alpha.

He turns to me. “Move them to the dungeon infirmary. Same room. Maximum security. They stay alive

until Evelyn decides what comes next.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I call in guards, clear out the room at the far end of the hall, and get them transferred under lockdown.

With injuries like theirs, they will be lucky to see dawn.

Per Ryder’s order, doctors will come. They will be kept alive. Kept somewhat comfortable.

Not forgiven.

Patrick claps Ryder’s shoulder on his way out. “Alpha Patrick, thank you,” Ryder says. “We owe you and your pack. Connor-when you’re finished here, meet us in my office. I need Montgomery involved if we’re closing this case with a witch.”

“Yes, Alpha,” I answer.

When the last lock clicks into place, all I can think about is the blood on my skin.

I need a shower.

< Chapter 45 The Cells, the Rumble, and Spooring

It’s still early morning-dark outside, the sun nowhere near the horizon.

Evelyn is asleep under medication, but she has been improving. As soon as I can, I’m going to her

I have to.

I need to see her. I need to touch her.

In Ryder’s office, the air feels too clean after the cells. My cousin Alpha Patrick is here, along with Gamma Lucas and Delta Pierce. A map is spread across the desk-markings around Salt Lake, notes

on a coven’s territory.

Tonight, our witch is Violet. Gifted. Steady. Her family has been tied to the Blackwoods for generations, woven into their history like thread through cloth.

We are waiting on Montgomery.

He had left earlier-before everything exploded-to recover girls taken out of Oregon. Now he’s back

A knock sounds, then he steps in.

“Well, damn, Alpha,” Montgomery says, scanning the room. “I’m gone a few hours and you’ve got the whole world on fire. Good job keeping the flames contained.”

He and Ryder clasp hands in a firm shake.

Ryder smiles, patting him on the back. “Exactly why I want a werebear living on the property. Might let the rest of us sleep.”

Montgomery nods. “The girls?”

“They’ll live,” Ryder says.

“They’re tough,” Montgomery replies. “Like their mother.” Then his attention shifts, and he looks at me like he already knows the answer. “Any change with Evelyn?”

“Her vitals have been improving,” I say. My grip tightens around the water bottle. “She’s still

unconscious.”

The room exhales together.

Ryder taps the map. “Now-the witch. We find her and we collect her as soon as possible. Whatever her problem is with Evelyn doesn’t matter anymore. She gets captured.”

He points as he assigns. “I want Montgomery and Connor with Violet and her team. You’re with me- we take the jet. We bring Ingrid back for judgment.”

< Chapter 45 The Cells, the Rumble, and Spooning…

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Then he looks to Lucas and Pierce. “You two run the pack while we’re gone. Support my father and Beta Curtis wherever needed.”

“Yes, Alpha,” we answer together.

Ryder’s gaze hardens. “Jet leaves in three hours. Pack what you need. I want her here before lunch.”

I have showered until the water runs clear.

My bag is packed.

Two hours until we depart.

I still go to Evelyn.

At the hospital room, I step inside and find Luna Kendra in the corner with a book. She looks up,

warmth in her smile.

“Sorry to interrupt, Luna,” I say quietly. “I just… I need to talk to Evelyn before I leave.”

“Of course,” she says, already rising. “I’ll grab coffee. Tell me when you’re finished.”

She stretches, gives my chest a gentle pat, and slips out, leaving the room to the machines and the

soft hush of Evelyn’s breathing.

Flowers cover every surface. Cards, too-messages from her crew. Sienna and Archer have been here recently; their scent still lingers. There are bouquets from other packs as well.

Evelyn is loved.

She lies there like she’s only sleeping. Hair braided over one shoulder-her mom’s work, I’d bet. White blankets pulled up, her golden-tan skin no longer as pale as it was. Color has been returning.

I sit beside her and take her hand.

The spark hits instantly.

I close my eyes, breathing slow, letting whatever the moon goddess intends in this moment happen. I

don’t know how I would survive if I lost her:

I kiss her knuckles.

Soft. Warm. Real.

“Evelyn,” I whisper, “we caught the ones who did this. When you wake up, I want you to give me

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permission to end them. They’ve earned it.”

Get TO

Mera

My throat tightens. “I don’t know what I would have done if you’d been taken from me. You’re… you’re

the most unbelievable gift.”

I swallow, staring at her face like I can will her back by looking hard enough. “You make me crazy, but I

wouldn’t change it. Please, baby. Wake up.”

The heart monitor answers with steady beeps.

Nothing else.

“I’m leaving on a mission to finish this,” I tell her. “I’m going after a witch. And yes-I will be careful.”

I shift closer, lowering my voice like a secret between us. “I’m going to lie here with you for a minute. If you don’t want me spooning you right now, you can tell me.”

I pause, waiting for the smart-ass comeback she would normally throw at me.

All I get is her breathing.

And I love even that.

I stand, ease myself onto the bed beside her, and slide in close. My arm wraps over her stomach, my head resting against hers.

I match my breathing to hers.

Skin to skin, the bond pulses-quiet heat, constant light.

I stay there holding her, praying the moon goddess lets it help.

Praying it pulls her back faster.

Praying she wakes up.

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