The Secrets of the Panther

IZZY

I can feel movement by my side; I can’t help but open one eye and notice Allie getting back into bed.

She smiles at me. “Mummy, we going to watch frozen again,” she says.

I close my eye and try to fall back asleep, but I can’t get back off.

Both kids started singing. Do you want to build a snowman?

I groan; I look over at the clock on the side of the bed.

Six am.

What the hell?

I sit up on the couch. I watched Archer, and his eyes were glued to the talking snowman. He was in awe of what he was watching.

I couldn’t help but smile to myself, knowing this was possibly his first-ever movie. It was nice to see his face smiling like that.

I moved off the couch and headed into the bathroom, and when I shut the door, I couldn’t help but sigh.

I couldn’t settle last night, and I wanted Blake with me. I missed him.

I wash and get myself sorted. I look in the mirror and stare at myself.

I could feel Puna move around in my head, but she was still asleep. She must have been dreaming. “I wasn’t,” she says in a yawn, “I couldn’t sleep. I had that song stuck in my head.” She groans and stares back at me.

“Why are you up so early?” She asks, but a smirk forms on her face. “Are you trying to catch Blake?”

I stare back at her, never saying a word to her.She stares. But I know she will know my answer, primarily through my emotions.

I sigh and walk back into the room only to be met with Allie standing on the bed belting out Let it go.

I don’t know whether to smile or throw something at her. But my eyes wander to Archer, who has a smile on his face as he stares at her.

I lean on the doorframe and watch in awe of my daughter and her new friend.

After the song finishes, I clear my throat, “Hey you two, shall we have some food? I will take you both to nursery then.”

Allie beams, but Archer looks concerned and confused. “What is the nursery?”

Allie turns around and jumps down, landing on her butt in front of him with a smile on her face, “It is the best place to go. We can play with toys and in the sand,” she says. She looks over at me, “Mummy, Archer needs to be with me in the nursery; he will love it.”

I smile.

Archer looks at me with a worried look, which makes me smile even wider. “Don’t worry, Archer. Allie will be with you all day, and I will come to collect you. No one else will.” He smiled, but I could see the uncertainty there. This child has never been loved or anything.

Both kids move out of the bed, both Allie and I change out of our clothes.

I need to get some boy clothes for Archer.

I knock off the film and head towards the door, with both children following right behind me.

We leave and walk straight into the kitchen. I make pancakes for both of them.

Allie demolishes hers in fifteen minutes, and Archer takes a while to eat them, but he told me he really likes them but is also a fan of chocolate chips, just like Allie.

I sip my coffee and take a piece of paper from a notebook from the side of the counter; I write about the foods that Archer likes, which he tells me in between each bite of pancake.

After we are all done, we head to the nursery.

As we walked over, I could feel someone watching me, but there was no one behind me when I looked over my shoulder.

I hoped it would have been Blake, but there was no sign of him.

I walked through the nursery. I explained everything to the lady about Archer. She was a little nervous at first, but Allie made it better by telling the woman that he was her friend and that she should be nice to him.

I walked back after I handed her the piece of paper with Archer’s list of food.

I get to the entrance only to be met by Kat and Todd.

Last night I kept thinking about everything they went through. They’re my family, and I love them.

“Hey, Izzy,” says Todd.

I smile at him.

“The kids are at nursery, I take it,” he says as he looks over my shoulder, but he smirks. “How was frozen last night?”

I grunt. “I have, do you wanna build a snowman stuck in my head,” I say.

He laughs. “I knew it would, but did Allie do her performance of Let it go?” He asks.

I nod but smile at him. “You should have recorded that for me to have,” I say.

I looked over at Kat, standing next to me, staring at the nursery. I guessed she was watching Allie and Archer play together. “They are happy together like they never been apart,” she says as she looks at me.

I smile. “Yeah, they do,” I say as I turn to look at them.

“We will take him in,” says Todd from behind me.

I look up at him. “You sure, I don’t...” I say, but Kat cuts me off. “We will take him in and also have Allie tonight; we will keep them safe,” she says.

I look back at her, confused, but Kat has this stupid smirk on her face. “I know you and Blake had some sort of fight or argument, so I think you both want to make up with each other before this war comes and bites us in the ass.”

I stare back at her. “I think you broke her,” says Todd as he places an arm around Kat’s waist; he smiles.

I groan. “I’m going to train,” I say as I turn to walk away, saying nothing else to them.

Kat and Todd laugh aloud as I leave them.

I walk toward the training grounds, but someone calls to me, “Hey, Izzy.”

I see Alice running towards me, and I smile at her.

“I’m going to train some more; you coming?” she asks but has a weird look on her face, “But I want to know what the hell happened between you and Blake; he was up early training with Dale and Paul this morning.”

I stare at her. The thought of Blake makes my insides turn, and I want to find him.

“I think we should lie off the mate talk,” blurts Alice.

I stare back at her, confused, not realizing that I never answered her question. She smirks, “Izzy, you need to find him soon; I can smell your arousal here.”

I blush hard.

I need to get a grip. Just thinking can’t turn me on so much about him.

“You can,” says Puna in my head with a smirk.

I stop in my tracks.

Alice stops walking and looks at me. “I think I will...” I say, but Alice shakes her head. “Nope, you need to train with us.” Alice pulls me along without saying another word to me. She drags me to the training grounds, where Kacey, Lena and Charley are waiting for us.

We train and help Lena master some new moves. Vampires are easy to kill when you know how; I had to show Alice and Kacey a few extra techniques. Charley also helped me as she has fought against some over the years, especially on the run. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

After an hour of training, we all head back to the pack house and head to the kitchen.

I worked up an appetite, and I was starving.