A Witch’s Promise

Chapter 16: Tracking

Chris leaned against the fence bordering the training grounds long after midnight, staring blankly into the dark woods stretching beyond the property. The bruises along his ribs still ached from the rogue hunt earlier that evening, but the pain barely registered anymore.

The rogue attacks had been increasing ever since the first day they laid eyes on Naomi. Initially they were testing the boarders, but now, rogue wolves were actively pursuing any pack member they could get their hands on for information about Naomi.

Nothing had felt right since she disappeared. At first, Chris told himself it was relief. The “human problem” was gone. Whatever witchy problems she had were her own. This was not the Blood Howler’s packs’ responsibility. They had fulfilled their promise and kept her until she was 18. All the tension hanging over the pack whenever Naomi walked into a room was gone.

Chris had convinced himself rejecting her was the right thing to do. It was necessary for the safety of his pack. He was the future leader and needed to put all their needs first. Naomi was emotional, untrained, new to both her powers as a witch and as a wolf. She was dangerous even if she didn’t mean to be. And Chris, he had spent his entire life being taught that protecting the pack came before everything. Even mates, especially mates.

So, when Naomi left after the rejection, Chris expected anger. He had even expected distance. I mean, it’s not like they were friends before anyway. He had fully expected her to disappear for a few days before eventually coming home once emotions cooled. After a few days, he even convinced himself Naomi had just decided to follow though with her plans of attending NYU.

What he had not expected was silence. Even with Zeke’s instruction to look for Naomi, she had all but disappeared. Weeks passed. Then months. Slowly, something inside him began to rot. His wolf Tyson grew restless and more violent. Chris started waking in the middle of the night with panic clawing beneath his ribs for reasons he could not explain. During patrols, he caught himself scenting the wind constantly without meaning to.

The worst part was, the farther Naomi got, the worse it became. Food lost flavor. Sleep became impossible. The territory itself felt wrong now. Chris hated it.

He hated the instinctual pull dragging at him constantly. He hated that the mate bond refused to break cleanly. He hated that his wolf still constantly searched for a girl he had rejected. He hated that he wanted to search for her too. Because logically, he still believed he had done the right thing. Didn’t he?

“You’re bleeding again.”

Chris looked up sharply as Alpha Zeke stepped onto the deck overlooking the training grounds. Only then did Chris notice the reopened claw marks along his knuckles where his nails had partially shifted. Again. He flexed his hand once before wiping the blood against his jeans.

“I’m fine, “ Chris stated flatly.

Zeke looked unconvinced. Neither of them mentioned Naomi. That alone said enough.

Finally, Zeke spoke quietly. “There was another attack.”

Chris stiffened instantly. “Where?”

“North Carolina.”

Chris went still. “It’s probably nothing. All the other leads were dead ends.”

Zeke tossed a thin file onto the table beside him anyway. “It’s a college-aged female attacked at her school in Flatrock. Locals are saying she was attacked by wolves in broad daylight.”

Chris opened the file silently. He stared at the photos, witness statements, and rogue movement patterns. Then, one line caught his attention immediately. “Dark-haired female matching prior victim profiles.” His stomach twisted. She wasn’t Naomi, but close enough.

Chris exhaled sharply through his nose. “They’re hunting someone.”

Zeke nodded once. “They’re hunting her.”

Silence settled heavily between them. Chris stared at the report longer than necessary. Deep down, he had known for weeks that the rogue activity wasn’t random anymore. Everything kept circling back toward Naomi.

He rubbed his face in exhaustion. “This is exactly why I rejected her. We cannot have this on our pack.”

Zeke looked toward him carefully. “She’s my daughter. I can’t make the same mistake twice. I cannot leave her out there to die alone and afraid like Ophelia. I won’t.”

Chris laughed once without humor. “Naomi struggled even before we knew she was a witch. If she had just been a late bloomer wolf, we could have accepted that. She brings danger. Her being here was a ticking time bomb. She is a danger to this pack and everyone in it.”

His jaw tightened. The words sounded wrong the second they left his mouth.

Because, despite everything, Chris remembered Naomi helping pack children with homework after training. He remembered her sneaking injured wolves food when they were confined to the infirmary. He remembered how hard she had tried to make herself smaller and fit into pack life even when the pack showed her nothing but contempt. Even as he looked down on her for being powerless.

Chris looked away. “We should at least check it out to be sure. We need to be certain the rogue attacks in North Carolina were not about her.”

Alpha Zeke responded in a heavy, frustrated voice. “You keep acting like you’re searching for her because I asked you to.”

Chris frowned slightly. Zeke’s eyes remained fixed on the dark tree line ahead.

“I stopped asking 2 months ago.”

The words landed like a physical hit. Chris said nothing. Zeke finally looked toward him. “You’re still looking anyway. I can search for my daughter on my own.”

Chris’s throat tightened painfully. Not because he wanted romance or because he suddenly changed his mind. But, because Naomi was gone, and he was the cause. His wolf hadn’t stopped reaching for her ever since.

Zeke exhaled heavily before pulling out his phone.

“We need to call Elijah.”