The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 160

IZZY

THREE WEEKS LATER

(PART TWO)

I stretched out in bed as I opened my eyes. I fell asleep again.

My sleeping was all out, and I knew why.

Puna and I collapsed yesterday when I was walking through the forest. I woke up and was completely clueless about how I got there.

After a few moments of getting back onto my feet, I got checked out by the pack doctor. I had to tell him not to tell Blake, which made him uncomfortable. I didn’t want him to worry, and once I knew what I was dealing with, I would let him know.

Well, when the pack doctor told me, I was happy but also slightly feeling anxious.

“Your pregnant Luna,” said the pack doctor with a beaming smile. I was frozen in shock; I recognized the signs over the last few days. The vomiting and tiredness, well I should say the lack of it at the moment.

I had to tell the pack doctor not to mention anything to Blake, as I wanted to tell him myself.

I found out last week and still haven’t told him. I have tried, and so has Puna. But every time we tried, there has always been something that needed to be done within the pack or for the ceremony. I needed to tell him, and I knew that.

I was supposed to be opening the pack to a few new members today. They were other shifters that had mates within the pack. After the announcement, the pack let everyone know the vampires were staying here when some went into town or even away from the pack on holiday. We haven’t had any problems, no rogue attacks or anything.

“You ok?” asks Puna.

I looked back at her and sighed. “Yeah, I’m ok,” I said. “I know we need to tell Blake about the baby, but we need to get moving. Alpha Derek will wonder the hell we are.”

Puna nods and sighs. “We do, but we all have been so busy; even Axel has been busy too. I was trying to get hold of him, to tell him we needed to talk to Blake and him about something, but all I got was a moany ass wolf.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Puna grunts, “not funny,” she says with a slight whine.

“Blake has been the same too,” I said. “We wanted to get everything ready for us to leave for our weekend getaway.” Then it hit me, and I stared back at her. “Puna, why don’t we wait till we get to the cabin? No one will be around, and we can even tell Allie at the same time.”

Puna’s eyes light up, but she frowns. “I like the idea, but how are we going to get out of the whole drinking thing tonight with the girls?” she says. “Alice planned for us all to go out.”

I groaned. I hated drinking at the best of times, but this was no exception.

The pack doctor told me not to drink as I needed to ensure the baby was healthy. Some wolves can drink during pregnancy, and it’s mainly because of the high stamina they have or something. I switched off when he was talking, but the pack doctor wanted to ensure that we were healthy mainly because I didn’t have my power, but also, the books we have on our kind don’t really say much about the whole pregnancy thing for us.

There was a knock at the door, and in walks Alpha Derek with Kat.

They both stare at me with concern. “You ok, Izzy?” asks Alpha Derek. “Kacey told me you went for a nap, but you…” he says, but I cut him off. “I’m fine. I just needed some sleep. I have been burning the candle at both ends lately; helping the pack members replace their mates is one thing, but that’s not including the Luna duties on top.”

Alpha Derek closes his mouth and stares for a moment before nodding at me. “I will wait outside,” he says and walks out through my door. After he leaves, I move to the edge of the bed, but Kat watches me.

I looked over at her and smiled. “Honestly, Kat,” I said. “I’m fine. I’ve just been doing too much.”

Kat stared at me for a few moments, but walked over to me saying nothing and sat on the bed next to me. She placed her hand in mine, and I couldn’t help but look at her.

“Izzy, I know Alpha Derek is waiting outside, but can I ask you something?” she asks. I nodded, not saying anything back to her.

Puna stares at her as she is close. Her eyes search my face. “She knows,” she whispers.

“Are you pregnant?” she whispers. I stared at her, and I knew why she was whispering. I opened the mind link to her. “Yeah, I am. But I haven’t told Blake yet. I haven’t had a chance to,” I said. Kat’s eyes light up, but she places her finger to her mouth. I nodded.

“That’s wonderful news,” she says through the mind link. “I will keep it quiet, and I can help you get out of the whole drinking thing tonight.”

I looked at her with wide eyes, “how?” I asked.

“Allie wants to spend some time with her mum,” she says with a smile.

I couldn’t help but smile.

I have been with Allie, but it was only for bedtime, which was nice to put her to bed. But I missed her little face and spending that quality time with her.

“That be great,” I said. “But don’t tell anyone about the pregnancy. I have seen the pack doctor, who knows to keep it quiet, too.”

Kat frowns. “How did you make him quiet?” she asked.

I smirked. “I didn’t,” I said. “Puna did.”

Kat smirked. “I guess he crapped his pants then,” she said.

I nodded as the memory came to me. The pack doctor wasn’t having any of it; he told me he couldn’t lie to his alpha. When Puna came forward, she had her hand around his throat and said to him she would use him as her next plaything. The doctor was slightly taken back, but Puna told him we would tell him after the ceremony, as we have so much to plan. He seemed ok with that part after he stopped shaking.

I sighed. “I best get going,” I said.

Kat nodded and got up. Once I’m on my feet, Kat pulls me in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Izzy,” she says through the mind link.

I pulled back and smiled. I made sure I looked decent and walked over to the door.

Alpha Derek was leaning on the wall on the opposite side and looked up at me with a smile as I opened the door. “You sure you’re ok?” he asks.

I nodded as Kat stepped out of the room behind me. “I think we should get to the gates,” she says.

Alpha Derek nods but stares at me for a few moments, but sighs. He walks ahead of us, and we follow him through the pack house—everyone who walks past bows, which I’m still trying to get used to since the announcement.

We followed Alpha Derek out of the pack house. Kat has been helping me with locating people, as well as Alpha Derek. Kat wanted to ensure everyone had somewhere to stay and was more than happy to give up her home for a family.

Kat and Archer are fully moved into the pack house with us. They live on the third floor, two floors up from us.

Members thought it was strange that we didn’t take the top floor of the pack house, as it was bigger. Blake believes we should be as close to the ground as possible, as he wants to be the first to help or rescue anyone. But I think it might be to do with the fact that he’s not too keen on heights.

I watched as Alpha Derek made his way toward the gate; the guy was cut up with what he did back with the elder, and he wanted to make it right again. I know he is doing all this because of his guilt, but this is all his doing and mine.

I asked people I knew around about the shifters. Many knew who I was talking about but will help and even wanted to join the pack. This is why we are at the gate now, a friend of mine, Dylan. He found a few shifters who were abused and tortured by Amir and Nell. Some were afraid and went into hiding. Others were stuck in situations that needed Tilly to help get them out.

As we approached the gate, I could see Dylan. He smiles at me. “Izzy,” he says.

Alpha Derek stared at him and opened his mouth to say something. But one glance at Kat, who shook her head. He closed it.

“Dylan,” I said as I pulled the gate open. I hugged him, and he hugged me back. We both pulled away. “It’s been a long time,” he said.

I nodded.

He stares at me and cocks his head to the side. He is centuries old, but he knows when someone was having a baby to when they were dying. I knew he could scent the pregnancy; I mean, he’s a dragon shifter.

Dylan stared at me for a moment but glanced at Alpha Derek, who watched our interaction closely.

Dylan smiled but said nothing.

“I have a few people who would love to be part of the pack,” he says as he moves out of the way. There behind him was a group of seven people and a young child.

I smiled at them.

“Welcome to our pack,” I said. Some smiled, but my eyes reached someone I never thought I would ever see again.

My eyes grew wide as I took in her features. I could feel movement beside me, and I knew it was Kat.

Kat gasped. I told Kat I found her one day, but she left the next.

The woman looks at me and then at Kat. She steps forward.

“Hello, niece,” she says to me. And she turned to Kat. Her eyes glisten over as they both look at each other.

Someone was by my side, and I couldn’t help but glance up to see Alpha Derek looking back at the woman that knew us.

“You know her?” he asks as he looks down at me.

Dylan’s eyes were on me, but I knew he was smiling. We had no way of knowing if she was alive. She and my mother were never close, but she left before everything happened.

Kat was rooted to the spot, but the woman walked over to us.

I glanced at Kat, who had tears streaming down her face. She stops in front of Kat and places her hand on hers. Kat closes her eyes, as she can’t believe what’s happening.

Puna was watching on, but she was feeling all the emotions of everything. These damn pregnancy hormones were slowly tearing both Puna and me up more. I thought dealing with my feelings would be easy, but add the hormones on top, and I am like a ticking time bomb that no one knows when I will explode.

“Kat,” the woman says. “It’s me.”

Kat opens her eyes and looks at her. “Eve,” she whispers. “Is that you?”

Eve smiles and nods.

“Who is she?” asks Alpha Derek. “This is my aunt Eve,” I said to him. Kat and Eve turn to look at him. His eyes open wide, “Lucy had another sister; she never told us.”

“Well, the story is I’m their half-sister,” says Eve. “We have the same father but different mothers.”

Alpha Derek looks at her and nods.

“You see Alpha,” I say to him. “Kat and my mum’s mother passed away after a few years, and my grandfather was a different cat shifter. He was completely heartbroken about his mate, that he left my mother and Kat with friends. Around about three years later, he came back with another child.”

Alpha Derek nodded but stared at Eve. “You are most welcome to stay here; you can move into the pack with Kat and Archer,” he says.

Eve looked at him, confused. “Archer?” she asked, looking between Kat and me.

“I will explain everything,” says Kat. “There is so much you will need to know.”

Eve nodded, but stayed quiet.

Kat looked at me, “how about we get Alice, and we can all have a chat up,” she said with a smile.

I nodded. I mind-linked Alice and told her to meet us in my room.

“I will take the rest of the shifters to the pack and get them settled,” says Alpha Derek. I looked at him, but he smiled. “Luna Lauren will help me; she will meet me by the bedsit.”

I nodded.

We all walked back through the pack and headed to the pack house.

We said our farewells to everyone, and I even hugged Dylan once again.

Alice was waiting for us at the pack house, but as soon as her eyes landed on Eve, they widened.

Alice and I only met Eve three times, and she still looked like the same person as she did back then. She was younger than Kat and my mother by nine years.

When all this started happening, my mother and Eve argued and never spoke again. But I met her when I lived with Kat. Eve wanted to live on her own; she never wanted a mate. And judging by the mark on her neck, she had one.

Eve caught me staring at it when she was hugging Alice. Her eyes glistened as she recalled what had happened to him. He was a hybrid and was killed for protecting her. She told us she never had children, as she couldn’t bear any.

All of us have some story to tell, and all our pasts collide with each other.

Eve knew nothing about Allie or what I went through. But she couldn’t get over how much she looked like my mother and me. But through us more, when we introduced Allie to Eve, Allie screamed. She made a scene. Allie had done nothing like that before, but she never left my side and would never go to Eve.

Eve never questioned. She said it might be because she was new.

Allie was getting restless and moody, as she wanted to go to bed. Allie always wanted a bath but was adamant that she wasn’t going in the water. I couldn’t get her in the tub.

Once Allie was settled, I offered to have Archer with me. Archer never took his eyes off Allie. He told me she fell and hurt herself when she went to bed. When I checked her knee, there was a cut and a scrape. I cleaned it up as Allie bite her lip, but I placed a small bandaid on her knee. She hugged me while Archer fell asleep next to her.

Alice was with me in the bedroom while Kat was settling Eve in a room on her floor.

“Paul, Dale and Kacey are going out,” says Alice. “We should have something here. I mean, we can get to know Eve more.”

I nodded.

I know me and Blake had a night apart, but I wished he was here. I wanted him to meet Eve.

During the whole, Allie screams and meets Eve. Puna was asleep, and this pregnancy was taking over both of us. It seems our child wanted to make my cat more sleepy and make me stay awake more. I need to have a handle on this, especially by tomorrow, or people will figure out what’s going on with me. I can’t afford anyone to replace out before Blake. He would be so mad.

I tried to mind linking him, but he was not opening up to me.

I best go to the other room for a few moments with my friends and family.