Chapter 4 Unraveling Truth

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It was a misty night as Naomi traveled deeper into Crystal Blue territory. But with each step, she made a promise that she could barely keep. Facing Damian had brought to the surface feelings she wasn't ready to deal with. But her mission had to take precedence.

She had to find the truth, out the traitors and make them pay.

Damian... The name flung through her brain, but she discarded it. The betrayal stung now, the words he spoke losing her. But she was no longer that fragile, trusting Luna. At that moment, she was reborn stronger, fiercer, with a new purpose.

Up ahead, the pack's main house hovered in the distance, its walls of stone not a single sound made in the moonlight. Naomi stopped at the shelter edge, eyes scanning the building. She did know who she needed to find.

Violent.

The traitor who had poisoned her, the woman who had once been her closest friend. Naomi felt a twinge of rage just at the thought of her. It was time to deal with the schemer who had used her as a pawn.

Lydia made a beeline for the house, her footfalls swift and quiet as she moved through the shadows. It wasn't long before she saw Violent's silhouette at the rear of the house, standing alone under the porch light. Naomi's mouth tightened into a thin smile as she walked up.

"Violent," Naomi said, her voice taut, venom in her words.

The violence turned, and her eyes narrowed when she saw Naomi. For a moment, there was just stunned silence. At the time, the smile on the violent's face took its time materializing, as if to taunt.

"Well, well. Well, here comes the "look whose back from the dead." Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, yet there was an element that slipped in her voice, that was fear. Naomi sensed.

Naomi stepped forward, eyes glued to Violent. "You thought you could get away with it. "Poisoning me, taking my place.

Violent's mouth curled in a smirk. "You were weak, Naomi. Always too trusting. Always too innocent. Someone needed to vacate your spot. Damian wasn't going to be able to lead without me."

Naomi's fists clenched. Her wolf pressed against the surface, eager to rip Violent in half for what she'd done. But Naomi stopped her, stronger in her control now.

"I did not die, Violent," Naomi said, her voice now cooler, stronger. You didn't win. You've been living a lie.

Violent cocked her head, her eyes calculating. "You think you can just strut back in and take everything from me? You're just an apparition now. A shadow of what you were."

Naomi moved closer, her voice laced with spite. "You're right about one thing." I'm a shadow. But it's one you won't soon forget. I'm here to ensure you pay for what you did.'

A violent smirk slipped for the slightest second before it reappeared, but this time, it felt forced. "Damian is never going to believe you. He's mine, Naomi. He always has been."

The moment they mentioned Damian's name, a dark wave of emotion shifted within Naomi. Her heart squeezed at that, but she pushed it down. This was not the moment to revive old emotions.

"Damian will trust me when I present him the truth," Naomi said, her eyes as cool as ice. I'll show him everything. How you made a poison of me, how you poisoned him. How you killed me.

The violent demeanor changed, the smug mask cracking just a little. "You're not going to do anything, Naomi. You're just a ghost. No one cares about the dead."

Naomi's eyes flared with rage. Then you haven't been paying attention.

She all but yanked the small leather pouch from a pocket of her coat, tossing it on the ground at Violet's feet. The vials within rattled against the stone, and their thin, deadly scent hung in the air.

I T Violent recoiled, eyes widening as her brain registered the contents. The same wolfsbane she'd used on Naomi.

"W-where did you get that?" Violent stammered, the mask of confidence slipping.

Naomi took a step closer, her voice low and menacing. "I found it. Hidden. In the Golden Ash Pack. You were careless. I know what you did, Violent. You're not going to get away with this."

Violent stood frozen for a long moment, her face warring between fear and fury. She scoffed last, allowing her posture to return to base arrogance. "You don't know anything. Damian is never going to believe you. You think you're going to return and just"

"I have," Naomi cut in, her voice slicing through the air like a knife. And I will make him understand the truth. All of it.

Violent eyes cracked open, her breathing shallow. The conflict between them was physical. Each woman engaged in a silent exercise of strength. Naomi could taste the shift in the air when Violent understood that the truth had finally caught up with her.

"You're not going to win," Violent said, her voice shaking with barely controlled anger. "Damian will never pick you over me." I have been alongside him for years. You're just an apparition, Naomi. A faded memory."

Naomi smiled, but it was not a nice smile. "Maybe I'm just a ghost. But ghosts tend to haunt the living. And this time, I'm going to ensure you can never hide again."

Without saying a word, Naomi spun on her heel, leaving Violent standing there, dumbfounded and devastated.

Naomi strode fast through the trees, the brisk air stinging her flesh in an effort to escape the violent blowup. In the quiet of the woods it seemed deafening now, each footfall ringing in her head. The wolf inside her was agitated, anxious. Naomi's heart was pounding - not from fear but from the anger that still bubbled within her.

Violence had always been crafty, Naomi said, but she hadn't quite realized how far the woman would go. Poisoning her had been one abuse, but attempting to steal everything she cared about... that was simply unacceptable.

She would pay for this. Naomi wrestled.

However, even in the glory of overcoming violence, a slight doubt remained. How would the pack react? Would they believe her? Damian... would he ever suspect that it had all been violent? Or would he still be loyal to her?

The very idea of Damian eased a well-known ache into her chest. She shook it off, making her thoughts stick. This wasn't about him. Not anymore.

Naomi was suddenly interrupted on her way, a rustling from the bushes nearby. She became tense, floating, almost ready to shift in a second.

"Naomi."

She froze as a familiar voice sent her heart racing.

Damian stood before her, his tall form looming in the moonlit shadows. His gaze held hers, a jumble of confusion, anger, and something softer, a glimmer of hope. She hadn't seen him in days, and the sight of him made her stomach twist. She had tried so hard to forget him, but now, facing him, the weight of their shared past folded over her.

"What are you doing here?" Naomi's voice was chilly, defensive.

"I could ask you the same," Damian said, his voice low and steady. "I've been looking for you."

Naomi narrowed her eyes. "Why? To finish what you started?"

Damian recoiled, a pained look crossing his face. "I never meant you any harm, Naomi. You have to believe me. I thought... I thought you were dead."

She laughed bitterly. "Gone? You let me die, Damian. You didn't even bother to try to save me."

Clenching his jaw, he stepped closer to her. "I failed you. But that didn't change the fact that I loved you, Naomi. I particularly thought you were gone forever. I thought you were dead."

Naomi swallowed hard, her pulse racing in her chest. Did he really mean it?

"I'm not the person I was before," Naomi said, her voice hardly a whisper. And I'm not going back to what it was. You can't fix this.

Damian's eyes softened. "I know I can't. But I'll do whatever it takes to correct this issue. I owe you that much."

And for a moment the world seemed to come to a stop. Naomi took a moment to process her feelings, a swirling mix of anger, hurt and something else - something she hadn't let herself feel in years.

Love. Hope. Could she allow herself to hope again?

But then that fragile silence was broken by footsteps behind her. Naomi spun around, squinting into the dark.

Violence emerged from the shadows, a cunning smile settled on her lips.

"I knew this was coming," she snorted, her gaze darting between Naomi and Damian. "Did you really think you could stop me, Naomi? It's too late for you."

Naomi's blood ran cold. Violent was taking her shot - she hadn't finished yet.