A Witch’s Promise

Chapter 7: Dangerous

Naomi nearly made it past the western hall before she heard the voice behind her.

“You’re bleeding on the floor.”

Naomi froze.

Luna Sarai stood near the tall archway leading into the main dining room, elegant even in stillness. Her dark gown brushed the polished wood floors, silver threading catching the low firelight. Everything about her was composed. She was controlled in a way Naomi suddenly realized she would never be. Startled, Naomi quickly wiped at the cut along her arm from the woods.

“It’s fine.”

Sarai’s eyes lingered on her for a moment too long.

“No,” she said softly. “It rarely is with you.”

The words weren’t openly cruel. That almost made them worse. Naomi lowered her gaze, exhausted enough not to fight. “If you’re here to tell me I should leave too, you can save your breath. Chris already made that clear.” Something unreadable flickered across Sarai’s face at Chris’s name. Approval.

“The future Alpha made the correct decision,” Sarai said calmly.

The rejection hit differently hearing it from her.

Naomi swallowed hard. “You think I would’ve ruined him.”

“I think,” Sarai replied carefully, “that the role of Luna requires stability. Loyalty to the pack above personal emotion. Wolves follow strength, Miss Naomi. They do not survive chaos.”

Naomi let out a bitter laugh. “And I’m chaos?”

Sarai didn’t answer immediately. That silence was the answer. The Luna walked closer then, graceful and unhurried, but Naomi noticed something strange. Sarai kept her distance. Not much. Barely noticeable. But enough. Even she wasn’t entirely comfortable standing too close to Naomi now.

“You’ve been at the center of every disruption since your arrival,” Sarai continued quietly. “Your presence brings unrest among the young wolves, territorial instability, rogue movement, and now….” Her eyes flicked meaningfully toward Naomi’s trembling hands. “This.”

Naomi instinctively curled her fingers into fists.

“I shifted tonight.” Naomi’s voice whispered.

“I’m not surprised.”

Naomi looked back at Sarai sharply. “You know something. You knew about him. Didn’t you?”

Sarai’s expression remained perfectly neutral, but Naomi saw it then—the awareness underneath it. The caution. The fear. Not fear of Naomi exactly. Fear of what Naomi could become.

“I know,” Sarai said slowly, “that wolves and witches were never meant to bind themselves together.”

The words landed like stones. Naomi’s chest tightened. Because Sarai wasn’t really talking about Chris anymore. She was talking about Alpha Zeke. And for the first time, Naomi understood why the Luna looked at her less like an outsider and more like an old wound that never fully healed. Sarai stepped aside then, opening the hallway behind her.

“You should leave this pack before matters become worse,” she said quietly. “For your sake as much as ours.”

Naomi’s voice cracked slightly. “You really think I’m dangerous.”

At that, Sarai finally looked directly at her. Not with hatred. Not even disgust. With certainty.

“I think,” the Luna said, “that power like yours always becomes dangerous eventually.”

Naomi began to turn away when she heard Sarai speak again. “Congratulations on your shift. A wolf is a precious blessing from the moon goddess. Even in your darkest hour, there will always be someone with you to provide you comfort.”

Then she walked away, leaving Naomi standing alone in the silence with the horrible realization that the Luna may have known what she was long before Naomi ever did.