The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 154

BLAKE

Leaving the Red Moon was real, but I was happy to leave there. I couldn’t wait to be with Izzy and to see Allie.

Dale was driving while Izzy was snuggled into my shoulder in the back seat.

The journey home was quiet but also not too long. We were back in our pack before we knew it.

As we pulled to the pack house, my parents were waiting for us on the steps. I couldn’t help but stare at my father. Izzy told me last night that my mother took over the pack, which didn’t make my father happy. I couldn’t help but smirk.

My father had his reign over the pack and fucked it up by listening and believing an elder. What alpha does that? I knew my father was no saint and even had his own demons. But that was no way for him to be railroaded into doing Elder Johnson’s work and bidding. He tore his best friend’s life up and even made us all believe some of the idiotic things that Elder Johnson believed.

I’m going to be in charge now, and with Izzy by my side, I know we will be the pack that will change the course of history. If anyone is going to oppose us, they will have to go through us. We, as shifters, need to stick together, and I believe we can do it.

“You okay there?” asks Izzy. I nodded to return to the present and stared at my mate. Her blue eyes were staring back as her eyes traced over my face, searching for answers.

I smiled. “I’m okay,” I say to her as I pull her into my lap. She sits and places her arm around my neck. I glanced at the driver’s side and noticed Dale was outside the car with Lena in his arms.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asked.

I looked at her. I could feel Axel stir inside, but he remained quiet. I could feel he was content with having Izzy in our arms.

I stared at her. “I was thinking about the rein my father had over this pack,” I said. “I mean, he was made to do Elder Johnson’s bidding because he fell and was at a loss. What if that happens to me? Could I be that weak to let a man overrule everything I have?”

These feelings were in the back of my head, but I never brought them forward. I never wanted to admit or even consider that I would be that weak to let an Elder dictate to me what I can or can’t do with my pack.

I know Axel would never let me get that far. But the thought has been in the back of my head since replaceing out Izzy’s our mate.

“I won’t let you,” says Axel. I stare back at him, “I would kill an elder before he even suggests anything about our pack or even our mate. I would rip them apart, but if you were that weak, I would come out and kick your ass.”

I smirked, knowing full well that Axel was right, but the thought of him kicking my ass was laughable. But Axel smirks. “If I don’t kick your ass, Puna and Izzy will. And I would love to see that happen.”

I couldn’t help but groan out. I looked back to Izzy, who had raised eyebrows.

“You overthink too much,” she says. I raise my eyebrows at her. Pot calling the kettle black on that one, honey, I thought.

Izzy shoves her hand into my chest, and I grunt out. “What was that for?” I asked her, placing my hand over hers. Izzy stares for a moment but glances to the side. I could feel eyes on us, but I didn’t bother looking back at them.

Izzy sighs. “Look, Blake, I know both of us overthink, but there is one difference in all this that your father and no other alpha have,” she says. I stared at her, and she curled her hand into mine but kept our joining hands on my chest.

“What’s that?” I asked.

Izzy leans into me and places her head on mine. “We have each other; we are connected as one,” she says as she pulls back slightly. “Blake, I used your aura to kill Amir and Nell, and we were more or less joined as one. I never thought I could hold another emotion, let alone someone else’s. But being connected to you was something. And as for this whole crap with an elder taking over this pack or even the Red Moon pack again, do you think Puna and I would let you? I would kick your ass to the next century if I wanted to. But one thing I will state, Blake. I would never let you fall into the hands of another with the idiotic belief of a madman.”

I couldn’t help but feel proud of her and wanted to kiss her so badly.

“I know we will be better than your parents because we have one thing they never had,” she says. “We have our own beliefs about what we want to do with this pack, and when everyone sees that, they will follow us,” she says.

“How did you become so perfect?” I say to her. A flush spread across her face, but she shook her head. “I’m not perfect. I just believe everyone deserves a chance and be with their true fated mates, and we, as Alpha and Luna, can do that.”

I nodded and smiled.

We stared at each other for a few moments, but I sighed. “I think we better sort out this announcement, but first, I want to talk to my parents with you by my side about what we are doing with the vampires.”

Izzy nods and climbs off my lap; she opens the door and climbs out. I look back at Axel, who nods at me.

“I got your back,” he says.

I climb out, and my parents smile at me. “We thought you both were arguing…” says my father, but my mother cuts him off and gives him a slight snarl. “What have I told Derek?” she says in a hiss. “Stop butting into everyone’s goddamn business.”

I stared at my mother with wide eyes. Fuck, he was still in the doghouse, but to have his ass handed to him in front of me is something that I never thought I would witness.

My mother turned her attention to me and smiled. “Never mind the old buffoon. He won’t be making any more assumptions when I’m around,” she says as she turns to him with a glare. My father stares back at her blankly, but you can tell he is defeated.

My mother turns her attention back to me and stares. “Everything okay with you two?” she asks. I was about to answer, but Izzy answered for us both. “We are fine, and we even talked things through,” she says as she places her hand in mine. She gently squeezes it.

I glanced down and smiled at her. But I turned my attention to my parents, who were now smiling at us. “I need to talk to you and Dale in the office now,” I said. “We have to announce something, but we want to rope you all in first with everything. But I also think Kacey, Alice, Paul, and Kat must be there too.”

“I just mind-linked, Kat,” said Izzy, making me stare at her.

Izzy was smirking. “I think Kat nearly fainted hearing my voice in her head,” she said with a slight laugh.

I laughed. “I bet,” I said. I glanced at my parents, who were looking confused.

“Can everyone meet us in the office in ten minutes?” I asked them.

They both nodded; my father sent a mind link to everyone we asked to come to the office for a meeting.

My parents smiled, but something on their faces was weird to me. “They think you and mate are going to announce that you’re having a pup,” blurts Axel with an amused look on their face.

I stared back at him with wide eyes, “Umm….” is all I could say. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have a baby with Izzy, but not now. I want to make sure the pack is all set, and not only that, I need to make Allie officially mine, and I know how I will do it.

“Meet us in the office,” I say as I return to everyone.

Izzy and I move toward the pack house as my parents stare at us. We need to announce Izzy being my Luna to the pack. The Alpha and Luna ceremony too, but the announcement of the vampires coming to live here will have everyone’s back up.

I couldn’t help but look at Izzy; her mind was elsewhere, but we both knew that few members would be forthcoming as many had died, including Kat, at the hands of the vampires.

I hope people don’t think we are trying too hard on our first attempt at being Alpha and Luna. We need to start somewhere, and this has to be it.