The Omni-Wolf’s Choice novel Chapter 52

Chapter 52 – Time to Talk.

Bridget’s POV

I remember the heat rising in my chest first.

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Then Mystique caught fire too-hotter, sharper, wilder. I tried to soothe her down, to talk her back from the edge. And for once in my life, I wasn’t the one bolting.

I’ve been running for as long as I can remember. The earliest flashes I’ve got are my parents dragging me through the dark, fleeing men who wanted us. After that it was sprinting through foster homes, from one “temporary” place to the next.

Now I’m trying to fit into this new world, and yeah, I’ve had my moments where I took off here too. But this time? This one is Mystique’s doing.

was ready to unleash a string of curses at everyone within earshot. My wolf had a different agenda. So there we were-cornered-and my unfairly gorgeous mate was standing in front of me completely

naked.

Fully, unapologetically, distractingly naked.

And then he ordered my wolf to shift.

Goddess. He was beautiful. Even more when that anger was riding under his skin.

I felt Mystique loosen her grip, like she was finally letting me have the wheel again. The next second I was bare on the forest floor, cold air biting across my skin and chasing a shiver straight up my spine.

Ryder was at me instantly.

“Bridget.” His voice sounded strained with worry as he pulled a big shirt over my head.

“Ryder,” I breathed, and wrapped my arms around him, anchoring myself to his warmth.

His jaw tightened. “We’re talking. Right now. Back to our room. Talon will get us there faster-get on.”

He shifted, and Talon was there in a blink: a massive black wolf, calm as a mountain and just as intimidating. He pressed his head to my cheek like he was checking me over, and I couldn’t help

laughing.

“Okay, Talon. I’m climbing on.”

He crouched and I swung up, hooking my arms around his thick neck-seriously, it was about the size of Ryder’s waist. Then he launched forward.

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I tightened my grip when he sailed over a fallen log, but the ride was smooth and fast. Ryder hadn’t been exaggerating; we were at the castle before my heart could settle.

We slipped in through a side entrance. Ryder shifted back, and I put a hand up fast.

“Uh, yeah. You need to put that thing away before we go any farther.”

“Oh?” He looked far too entertained as he reached toward an unmarked tree nearby and grabbed a pair

of shorts.

“Yes,” I said sweetly. “I’d hate for anyone to witness me fighting off several starving she-wolves. It would be tragically unfair.”

His laugh rumbled. “They wouldn’t survive my powerful mate. Come on-upstairs.”

He laced his fingers through mine and started guiding me in.

Alpha Marcus caught us in the hall.

“Ah… so the lockdown is over?” he said, eyes gleaming with the kind of teasing that translated to you again. He chuckled like he already knew the whole story.

Ryder nodded. “Everything’s handled. We’re heading to our room. We have something to discuss.”

Marcus lifted a brow, then smirked. “Good. I’m glad she keeps you sharp.” He winked at Ryder, offered me a warm smile, and kept walking.

The second we were inside our room and the door shut, Ryder crowded me back against it, bracing his hands beside my shoulders.

My body responded immediately. Like it had been waiting for him to look at me exactly like that.

“Wait.” I blurted, flustered. “Your dad thinks we’re going to have sex! That look-and the wink-oh my

God.”

Ryder’s mouth tilted into a lazy smile.

“Maybe,” he said.

I stared.

“Okay,” he admitted, “probably. But he’s thrilled we’re together. Sex isn’t some huge taboo here like it is

in the human world.”

He kissed along my neck, slow and deliberate, and my brain tried to hold onto the word talk while my body tried to forget language entirely.

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I slipped out from under his arm and crossed to the sitting area, putting distance between us before I

did something that derailed the entire point of coming upstairs.

“We did not come here to maul each other,” I said. “We came here to talk.”

He blew out a breath, then sat on the couch facing me. His arm stretched behind me, fingers idly

twisting a curl of my hair like he couldn’t stop touching me even when he was trying.

I didn’t ease into it. “Do you want me to have more than one mate? Could you actually live with that?”

He froze. Completely.

“I’m trying,” he said slowly, “to be the bigger Alpha. To say what you’re supposed to hear. To be the enlightened guy who’s all for women’s equality and whatever.” He swallowed. “But the truth? The idea of sharing you at all-makes me lose it. Talon gets furious, and I… I can’t handle it.”

“So, that’s a no.” I couldn’t help the small smile.

He let out a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah. No.”

Then he looked at me like I was the one holding the entire future in my hands. “But what do you want?

You’re the Omni-Wolf. Multiple mates-this is your right.”

“I never even knew that was on the table, Ryder,” I said. “It’s weird as hell. I’ve heard of plenty of relationship setups and I’m not judging anyone-consenting adults, do what you want. But me? I can’t imagine sharing you with anyone.” I shook my head, firm. “And I would never ask you to share me. I don’t want anyone else. Period.”

His smile broke wide, like he was trying not to look too happy and failing.

“Are you sure?” he asked, still cautious. “This is your future. Your power. Your destiny.”

“You next to me is enough destiny,” I said. “We do whatever’s coming-together. As long as we don’t stop choosing each other.”

He grabbed my hips and pulled me onto his lap.

“I’m going to hold you to that, Luna Bridget.”

“You should,” I said, resting my hands on his shoulders. “And no more secrets. If you know something.

I’m not being kept in the dark. I don’t care how ugly you think it is.”

He nodded once. “Promise.”

My chest tightened. “Do you think the others will come after me? Those… supposed mates?”

“We don’t usually go hunting for mates,” he said. “Most of the time you run into them, or an Alpha

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chooses a mate. But if someone shows up here?” His gaze held mine. “We’ll deal with it. Together.

Your decision stands.”

I exhaled, relief loosening my shoulders. “I can handle that. Us together.”

I leaned closer, lips near his ear, letting my voice drop. “So, now that we handled the serious part….

what do you want to do next?”

I brushed my fingers into his thick hair and gripped, hard enough to make my intention obvious. His heartbeat kicked up under my palm.

I shifted on his lap, grinding against him, pressing myself so close it felt like there was no space left

between us. When I licked his earlobe, his breath hitched.

He groaned. “As much as I want exactly this…” He forced himself to speak. “I promised Mystique I’d give her and Talon time together after we talked. Can I get a raincheck? Later tonight?”

I blinked, then laughed, half shocked. “I don’t know what to do with that information. You’re turning me down for sex because our wolves need… wolf sex.” I shook my head. “That might be the strangest

romantic thing anyone’s ever done.”

I leaned in and traced my tongue along his bottom lip, slow.

“I’m going to make it worth your while later,” I murmured, tilting my brow.

Mystique’s giggle bubbled through my head.

‘Okay, girl. Let Talon and me have our moment. A wolf has needs-especially an Omni-Wolf!’

I glanced at Ryder.

He huffed a laugh. “Yeah. Talon’s ready.”

He helped me stand and took my hand as we left the room. Iron Fang and Elliot followed a respectful

distance behind us.

As we walked, Ryder’s expression shifted thoughtful. “I meant to ask-your first shift. Any shift since.

Did it hurt?”

“No,” I said. “It was too fast. I barely felt anything. I read it’s supposed to hurt the first time, but for me?

Nothing.”

His eyes warmed with pride. “Remarkable. That has to be part of your Omni-Wolf abilities.”

Outside, we moved a short way into the woods. Ryder told Iron Fang and Elliot to stay back while I undressed. Then Ryder and I shifted-and after that, the men shifted too. The rules didn’t need

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repeating; they kept their distance. Other warriors were posted farther out as lookout.

When the change hit me again, there was no pain at all. Just a shimmer of tingles, fur pushing through skin, my body rearranging like it had always belonged this way. And then I slid backward in my own

mind, Mystique stepping forward.

‘Okay, Mystique,’ I thought, excited. ‘Go have fun.”

She bounded around Talon, all bright energy and white fur, while he snapped playfully at her like he

was humoring a mischievous storm. Next to him she looked smaller, but she didn’t act like it.

Her white coat against his glossy black was almost unreal-like something staged for a painting.

Talon bumped her with his head, challenging.

Mystique took it instantly, nipping at his paw before she shot off through the trees.

And then she moved.

Fast didn’t even cover it. It was like someone hit fast-forward on the world. In the little time I’d known her I’d never seen her unleash that kind of speed. Talon pushed hard just to keep up.

He caught her on a sharp turn.

His huge body pounced, but he kept his weight lifted so he didn’t crush her. The play turned into a real grapple-rolling, snapping teeth that weren’t meant to draw blood, wrestling for dominance and

laughing about it in their own way.

‘Ryder…’ I pushed the thought out, flustered despite being tucked behind my own eyes.

His reply came back amused.

You’ll

‘Hey, babe. Just sink a little deeper and give them privacy. You’ll know when they’re finished.’

‘Thanks,’ I sent back, feeling his chuckle like a warm brush.

An hour or two later, we were back at the castle, drained to the bone.

Whatever those two had gotten up to, they’d enjoyed it.

Mystique was curled up in my head like a satisfied little ball of warmth, asleep and smiling.

I looked at Ryder. “Bath with me?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Talon is out cold.”

“So is Mystique,” I said, oddly tender about it. “I’m glad they finally got time. They deserve it too.”

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In our bedroom I started the bath and made it ridiculous on purpose-rose petals, rose scent, water

steaming.

I slid out of my clothes and slipped into a silk robe hanging behind the door, leaving it open as I leaned against the frame.

“Well?” I asked, hand on my hip. “Are you joining me, handsome, or what?”

His gaze traveled over me slowly, and my skin lit up under it.

He didn’t bother answering.

He just started stripping, like he couldn’t get his clothes off fast enough, and then he swept me up and

hustled us toward the bathroom.

I laughed loud as he squeezed me in a bear hug and lifted me clear off the floor.

“Ryder!” I yelped when he stepped right into the tub with half his clothes still on and dragged us under.

The tub was basically a four-person jacuzzi-big enough to fit his size without looking absurd.

“Your shirt!” I sputtered when we surfaced. “My robe!”

He kissed me mid-complaint and dunked us again, hands sliding around my body and pulling me tighter while his tongue found mine. When we came back up, his tank top clung to his chest like it had

been painted on.

Mouthwatering didn’t even begin to describe it.

“Goddess, you’re beautiful,” he whispered.

He peeled the robe away and dropped to his knees in the water, worshipful as he licked my nipples one

at a time.

My breathing turned ragged fast.

He was all I wanted. Truly. The idea of trying to divide myself between three other people felt impossible, absurd. And a siren? An underwater merman? How was that even supposed to work?

Those legends had been stretched until they were threadbare.

And I was going to be the woman who proved something else was true: Ryder-the strongest, most

powerful Alpha-was the only mate I needed.

We took our time, learning every inch of each other again and again, until the water cooled and we had

to refill it with warmth.

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