The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 145

IZZY

I couldn’t help but stare at Blake.

How the hell did he replace out?

Puna was nagging me to go back to the party. I needed to be there. She was staring at Blake but was more pissed at the women in front of him.

I glanced at every single one of them; it was written all over their faces that they were talking about it. I knew I should have talked to them earlier, but I couldn’t replace the time with everything being set up for Allie’s birthday party and Luna duties.

“Well,” calls Blake, pulling me from my thoughts. I couldn’t speak to him; I wanted to do it away from everyone.

“Tell me you didn’t take her memories away,” he shouts. He walks toward me. I can’t move as I am rooted to the spot.

“Tell me, Izzy,” he says as he gets a few feet away. Everyone was staring at us, and I didn’t want to talk about this, not in front of everyone.

I glanced behind him and noticed Alice and Lena staring at me. I wanted to kill them.

I look back at Blake and sigh. “I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t get hold of you,” I tell him. He stared down at me, and I could tell he was angry. “Blake, she was scared, and I needed to do what was right for her.”

“No, Izzy, you should have waited,” he says. “You should have waited for me, whether you got hold of me or not. I should have known about it.”

I could feel the anger build up in my veins. “I tried, but your phone was off,” I raised my voice at him. “I tried ringing you again this morning but couldn’t get through.”

Blake glares at me. “Izzy, you could have called Alpha Dawson or Anita,” he says. “I didn’t take my charger with me, and my phone died by the time I got there.”

I stared at him.

“You should have called one of them,” he raises his voice. “I should have been involved in the decision about Allie. I’m her father.”

I stared back at him; I was trying my hardest to keep my mouth shut, or I knew I might say something I might regret.

“She should have told him,” shouts Alice.

Blake looks over at her but says nothing. I glare at my cousin. What the actual fuck is her problem?

My anger was building, and I could feel Puna trying to take over. She wants out, and she has been on edge since this morning.

I should have listened to her.

Alice glares back at me. “You shouldn’t have done it, Izzy,” she says. “She’s not you.”

That was the final blow; my anger took over me.

“HOW FUCKING DARE YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO ABOUT MY DAUGHTER?” I yell at her. “What happened to me has nothing to do with Allie, and as far as I remember, I gave birth to her.”

“WE WERE THE ONES LOOKING AFTER HER,” she yells.

My anger filled my veins more, and I saw red.

“I was on the fucking run!” I yelled. “I had hunters, rogues, and vampires on my ass. I couldn’t exactly take a newborn on the run with me. I was keeping her safe,” I say to her. “I hated being away from my child. I never wanted to, and I didn’t want to put any of my family, let alone my child, in danger.”

Alice stares at me but says nothing. My anger was boiling, and I had enough of how people were treating me.

“And you,” I yelled at Blake. Blake stares at me. “Never tell me what I should or can’t do without you; Allie is my daughter. I know what’s best for her, and you weren’t around to discuss it. I told you I tried to get hold of you, but it’s not my fault if you didn’t take a frigging charger.”

I knew I hit a nerve as Blake’s eyes turned sad as soon as I said it. He stares at me. “I might not be her actual father, but that kid has been placed in my heart,” he says, hurt flooding through each word. I stare at him as the anger leaves my system and guilt wash over me. I know I fucked up.

Without saying a word, Blake turns and leaves. I couldn’t help but run after him.

“Blake,” I yell. But he never looks back at me; he keeps walking away. He heads back to the car but stops. “I’m returning to the Red Moon pack,” he says.

“Blake, please, I’m sorry for what I said,” I walk toward him. I could hear Puna whimper in my head.

“I can’t do this, Izzy,” he says in a small voice. He climbs into the car and starts the engine. I watch as he drives away, and a tear slides down my face. I know there were loads of people watching.

What the hell have I done?

But the scents of the ones who were my family wafted over to me, and I couldn’t help but turn around.

If my power were within me, I would have taken them all out in one flick of my hand.

I glare at them. “Why would you openly talk about something that was not something any of you had to talk about?” I yell at them. I could see Dale looking at me from the side.

“I did right for Allie. Her fate might change, and I get that, but Allie was scared,” I said, but I stopped. Why the hell am I justifying myself to them? I’m her mother.

“I need to be alone,” I say to them.

I let Puna come through, and we shift into her form. I push myself back as she goes forward, and she glares at everyone, but the one person she was glaring at most was Alice.

Kat steps closer, but Puna grunts at her, making her stop.

Puna hasn’t spoken to me, but she knows what I feel.

Puna stares at everyone for a few moments, looking at the forest. “RUN,” I yell at her.

Puna, saying nothing, runs. She runs away from them and into the forest.

I watch as she glides in and out through the trees. I could feel her anger but her heartache for Blake as he drove away.

We run for what feels like hours, but Puna climbs a tree. We could hear a few people call out our names in the distance, but I was not ready to deal with them.

As Puna gets comfy on the tree branch, “I didn’t mean what I said to Blake,” I say to her. Puna hasn’t said a word to me since I pushed her forward.

Puna stares back at me and sighs. “I know, Izzy,” she says quietly. “I can feel your emotions. You are struggling with them.”

I say nothing.

“I know you hate feeling everything, but we signed up for this when we placed our power within the amulet. We knew we had to deal with it all,” she says.

I can’t help but sigh. “I know, but it’s hard to deal with,” I tell her. “All my emotions came at once, but our anger is strong. I never meant to hurt Blake. I know he is Allie’s father, but as you know, I was trying to get hold of him.”

Puna nods, “why didn’t you tell him you contacted Anita and Alpha Dawson?” she says. I said nothing for a moment.

I tried this morning, but I couldn’t get through. But after trying three times, I rang Anita’s phone, and someone answered the phone and told me they would give her the message. I guessed no one did, as Blake never knew I had been trying.

“I don’t know,” I say quietly.

Puna closes her eyes. “We should get back,” she says as she glances around the tree’s height. We could see some pack members walking pack to the pack house, shaking their heads. I didn’t want to see anyone, and I hate confrontation.

Puna opens her eyes again and hears someone approaching where we are hiding. She glanced down, and Dale was staring up at us.

“Puna,” he says. “Izzy.” We don’t move but stare back at him.

“I’m on my own,” he says.