The Secrets of the Panther

BLAKE

I watched as Izzy walked towards me. The child in her arms was sniffling like it was crying, but I couldn’t make heads or tails whether the blood on her was hers or someone else’s.

“I smell vampire,” blurts Axel as he cocks his head to the side as we watch Izzy walking towards us.

Izzy stops right in front and looks at me, but the smell coming off the child makes Axel growl loud in my head.

“Hybrid,” he says, standing on all fours.

Why the hell has Izzy got a hybrid child in her arms?

Izzy growls at me. “Before you get all high and mighty on me, Blake. I want to talk to you before I talk to everyone else, especially as you are my mate, but also I need to get cleaned up,” she says.

I say nothing, but the angel in my arms hasn’t taken her eyes off Izzy or the child, but she is looking between us, not saying a word. I look at the child in Izzy’s arms, but before I can say anything, “Mummy, is he ok?” Allie asks.

Izzy moves her eyes from mine to Allie; she gives her a small smile, “No darling, he needs to rest. He just watched his only family get killed,” she says and looks at me.

Izzy stares at me for a moment, but she moves around me. I can hear some growls from around us. I look up to see my father glaring at Izzy, but Izzy stares at him. “Before you talk, Alpha, I had to kill six vampires near the border close to the town. So I would send men there to burn the bodies,” she says, and with that, she walks away and heads straight into the pack house.

My father walks to the side of me and stops. Allie was trying to get down, but I didn’t want her anywhere near the child.

“Dad, can you look after Allie for a moment? I need to talk to my mate,” I say to him.

“Blake, that child, he smelt...” he says, but I turn to look at him, “I know, but there must be a reason why Izzy brought him here; she was talking to Drake before all this,” I say to him.

My father stays quiet. I know he is trying to piece everything together like I am.

“Daddy, that boy is no threat to us,” says Allie, placing her hand on my cheek to make me look at her. Everyone around us stops and listens to her; something about Allie makes us want to. But when I stare back at my daughter, she opens her mouth, “He smelt different, but there is something about that boy that makes me want to be his friend.”

I look at my father and then back at Allie, “Allie, hunny, you don’t know what you are talking about,” I say. Allie frowns at me, “Daddy, not thinking tidy,” she says in a weird voice; she climbs down and walks to Alice.

I stare at Allie. Alice picks Allie up and looks at her. Alice growls when she looks back at us. “You didn’t sense Puna, did you?” She asks me as she walks over to me as Allie looks away from me.

It hurts to see my daughter in someone else’s arms than mine, but I don’t know what I have done to her. I have no clue what the hell is going on.

“What are you talking about?” asked my father once Alice was close to us.

Alice looks at me. “Puna blocked Izzy. The child might be something to do with it; even my panther has blocked me. Still, something tells me that child might be something to do with what is going on; Izzy probably needs to work out what it is before the war, but Blake,” she says as she places her hand on my arm. “Izzy needs to tell you what happened. Still, only you, you can tell us after,” she says and looks towards my father. “Alpha, I think we should all train, don’t you?”

My father looks at her with an emotionless face but says nothing.

Alice sighs. “Blake and Izzy need to talk, Alpha; once they have, we will have a meeting, but we need to train. Once these vampires are here, there will be a bloodbath coming, and it will be hell for all,” she says. She looks at Allie and then back at me. “I know how to fight vampires. I will stay with Allie. I can train with my mum later, but I want to keep peanut here with me while you talk to Izzy.”

I sigh and nod, saying nothing.

I turn and walk away, heading to the pack house.

Once inside, I knew instantly where Izzy was. I followed the scent of blood, which was heading from my room.

As I get to my room, I walk into a sight. Izzy was placing the child in the bed. He was cleaned up but was in one of my T-shirts.

Once the boy was in bed, I closed the door and leaned on the door. Izzy was sitting next to the boy. I stared at him, since there was no blood. He looked only five, a little older than Allie, but he had red eyes like he had been crying.

Izzy hums a small tune while running her fingers over his cheek.

Axel is close by. “Panther was right outside,” he says. “Puna has blocked Izzy.”

That’s strange, but I watch my mate hum. The child’s eyes close, and he falls asleep.

Izzy moves, bending down to kiss the boy’s cheek. She pulls the covers over him, but she looks over her shoulder and stares at me for a moment, but moves. She walks past me and heads into the other room. I follow her, saying nothing. I close the door behind me and watch as Izzy walks to the couch in the room’s corner.

I stare.

Izzy looks at me and cocks her head to the side. “I will tell you everything about what happened. I’m trying to figure some of it out, but there is plenty to discuss,” she says.

I walk over to the edge of the bed and sit down. Axel stays close by. As I know, he wants to know what the actual hell is going on here.

Izzy looks at us and leans back on the couch, and she tells us everything. She tells us the whole movie that Clara showed her when Hecate took over her body and tells the entire conversation with Drake, then the vampires on the grounds, to the child that the vampires wanted back.

Once she was finished, my head spun and I was irate.

“You should have called for backup,” I growled at her. “You didn’t have to save the child.”

Izzy looks at me, but she is pissed at me. “Blake, the vampires want him back, but I don’t want to give them something when they can come here to collect. Also, something about this child made me drawn to him. I wanted to save him but also protect him,” she says.

I snarl. “Well, Puna doesn’t think so since she has blocked you,” I say and stand up and pace the floor.

“Izzy, this child is a hybrid,” I say and glare. “You never thought about our pack or Allie, or our family.”

“I know you thought you were doing right, but something makes little sense about any of this; why would you ask Drake for his help? We can’t trust him. And also, why would you want to take the vampire and the witch on all by yourself? I thought we were in this together, as mates should,” I say and turn to look at her.

She glares back at me, but she is quick. She moves fast and pins me to the wall.

Her power radiated off her. She is using her power to hold me.

She holds me by my chest. I find it hard to move or even get out of her grip. Even with Axel helping me, I can’t do it.

Izzy glares at us. “I told you before, I will do this together, but I also know I have to do this on my own. Puna and I are the only ones that can kill both of them,” she says and hisses at me.

“I will do what is right for me, what is right for my daughter and me,” she says.

“What about me?” I say through gritted teeth. “What about your mate? Huh? What about me?”

She looks at me, but something dawns on me. I don’t fight against her as the realization sets in.

Izzy is only thinking about herself and Allie. She is not thinking about the pack, hell, not even her own family, but the hurts sweeps in when I realize she is not even thinking about me.

“You are only thinking about Allie and yourself. What about me? Do I get a say in any of this?” I say, which comes out more of a yell.

Izzy moves away from me; she stares at me, but she turns around and heads to the window without glancing back at me. I can finally move, and her power is slowly calming down.

“I never asked for any of this. I never wanted a mate. I never wanted to join a pack, and hell, I never wanted to be the fucking savior,” she says as she turns around to look at me.

Her eyes rimmed with tears, but a tear slid down her cheek.

I sigh. “You don’t have to do this on your own,” I say, but she shakes her head.

“I have to. I have to do this on my own,” she says; her anger takes over, and I can’t help but stay still.

All I can feel is hurt by everything she has just said, and I can’t watch her do any of this; she can’t do this on her own.

“Izzy,” I say, but I am cut off with a loud growl. I stare at her.

“Puna,” says Axel. He has been watching everything, and I can feel his hurt in all this too.

Izzy looks at me, but her eyes are glowing green. “Mate, needs to listen to Izzy,” Puna says as she takes over.

“Puna, please tell her to let us help her,” I asked, which sounded more like a beg.

Puna growls. “I can’t,” she says and looks at me. “I blocked her as her emotions are taking over, but also the hybrid is a plot in the plan for the vampires; we need to keep him safe.”

I stared at her, but suddenly I realized. I can’t feel Izzy.

“Puna, bring Izzy back,” I say, but she shakes her head. “She doesn’t want to speak to you.”

I look back at her, hurt. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Please, Puna,” I plead with her.

“I am sorry, mate, but Izzy wants to do this on our own, and I am with her on this one,” she says. She turns away and looks out of the window again; her eyes stay green.

I can’t move. Izzy is being selfish. Why the hell would she do this to us? To me?

“Mate, you best leave, and I would suggest that you tell your family everything that had happened, including the boy,” Puna says without turning around.

I look at her. I try to move towards Puna, but a loud growl stops me. “MATE,” she says in a low growl. “I will hurt you if you come near me.”

I look back at her.

I say nothing but turn away.

I need to get out of here, leave her to have some space, but something tells me I need to find my answers somewhere else.

I walk out the door and close it, not even looking back towards Izzy and Puna.