A Witch’s Promise

Chapter 6: Decisions

The forest didn’t feel the same on the way back. It should have. Trees were still trees, wind still moving through branches. But something in Naomi’s awareness had shifted so completely that even familiar paths felt like they belonged to someone else.

Angela stayed close behind her at first. For once, she didn’t bother saying anything. She was just there. Naomi began to wonder when her hologram thingy would dissipate and where she was sending the signal from. But then again, she couldn’t be bothered to care.

“You’re bleeding again,” Angela said softly.

Naomi glanced down at her arm as if she’d forgotten it belonged to her. The cut from earlier had reopened slightly, darkening the sleeve of her borrowed jacket.

“It’s nothing,” Naomi replied automatically.

Angela didn’t argue. Her silence made something tight in Naomi’s chest twist uncomfortably. They walked a few more steps in silence. Then Angela spoke again, quieter this time.

“Don’t make decisions while you’re still shaking inside.”

Naomi let out a short breath that almost turned into a laugh but didn’t quite make it there.

“I’m not shaking,” she said.

Angela didn’t respond immediately. When she did, it wasn’t to correct her.

“It’s not weakness,” Angela said. “It’s overload.”

Naomi’s grip tightened on the cloth and quickly changed the subject.

“So, you’re my aunt?”

“Yes.”

“And you were going to abandon me in the human world too?”

Naomi’s question wasn’t asked with malice but pure exhaustion. This had been a demanding evening and an even worse birthday. Her entire world was crumbling around her and she was holding on by a thread.

Ahead of them, the tree line thinned. The pack house was coming into view. Like most packs, the edge of the territory wasn’t marked by fences or signs, but you could always feel it when you reached it. Like the air itself knew where one world ended and another began.

Naomi slowed.

“You don’t have to go back there right now,” Angela said.

Naomi’s jaw tightened. “I do.”

Angela studied her carefully, like she was trying to find the version of Naomi that had walked into these woods before everything fractured.

“They’re going to think you’re running,” Angela said.

Naomi finally looked at her.

“I am,” she said simply.

That honesty landed harder than anything else. Angela stepped slightly closer and raised her hand as if she wanted to comfort Naomi but slowly put it back down in defeat.

“For what it’s worth,” Angela said, voice softer now, “I don’t think you’re dangerous. Your mother didn’t either. She knew exactly who you would become. “

Naomi almost flinched at that. Not because it was comforting, but because it didn’t matter. Her mother was dead. Whatever she thought, it wasn’t enough to save her life.

“If I stay,” Naomi said quietly, “someone else will get hurt because of me.”

Angela opened her mouth. Closed it again. There were arguments she could have made. Some about protection, about control, about the pack’s strength, about Zeke, about Chris, about things Naomi didn’t understand yet. But Angela didn’t say any of them. Instead, she exhaled slowly.

“You’re not thinking clearly,” she said.

“I am,” Naomi replied.

That was the problem. Angela looked away for a moment, toward the deeper forest where the light shifted between branches like water. When she spoke again, her voice had changed—less like a healer, more like someone trying to hold onto something slipping away.

“If you walk out of here,” she said, “don’t do it because you think you don’t matter. Find a coven. Find a way to control your powers and control your own destiny. My journey is hard right now. I want to be here in person and take you with me but I can’t. I have used more essence than I ever intended to keep you hidden. Even with our fractured coven, I fear we wouldn’t be strong enough for what’s coming. I can shield you on your journey out of the pack but after that, you are on your own. Remember, there are witches who would do anything to have the power you have. There are others who view you as an abomination. Don’t let either of them destroy you. Be careful who you trust.”

Naomi’s throat tightened. For a brief second, her expression faltered. Something in her wanted to respond. But she didn’t have a better word for what she was doing. So, she said nothing. That silence answered for her. Angela saw it. And something in her softened in a way that hurt to witness.

“Okay,” Angela said quietly.

“As it is prophesied, so shall it be.” she said, slowly fading into the darkness like a shadow.

A look of confusion clouded Naomi’s face as she made her way back toward the packhouse. By the time she reached the front steps, Naomi’s expression had gone blank in a way that felt necessary for survival. She stepped inside to see Luna Sarai waiting.