The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 31

IZZY

Blake stares back at me; he doesn’t move but just stares back.

Alice comes over to take Allie away from me, but I can’t help the growl that slips through. She stops and looks at me with a small smile. “I wasn’t going to take peanut, I was going to hold her while you put something on as you are completely naked,” she says.

I can’t help feeling the intense eyes next to me look me over; I can feel him checking me out.

I hand Allie over and quickly put on a silk robe she hands me. Once it was tied, Allie was back in my arms. I move to the couch.

I want answers, and I want them now.

Everyone follows my lead; they all take seats where they can. I can see the bond working for Kacey and Charley. I cannot help but smile at my sister and close friend. They will make one happy couple. Dale is so taken with Lena that I don’t think he will want to spend time with his older sister as much.

The seat next to me has been taken by Blake; he looks at the photos I brought back with me.

The one he looks at most is the one with the woman and Luna Lauren in.

“This is my mother and her sister, Anita, my auntie,” he says. “My aunt was kidnapped by rogues and we haven’t seen her since.”

I can feel the sadness going through the three wolves.

I took a photo of him and looked at it. Luna and her sister looked exactly alike. It could be said about my mother, Allie and I. I want to tell him but I need him to tell me about the one in particular.

I place the photo down and grab the one with the three men. “Tell me about these three.” I say.

Blake stares at the picture; his face turns angry. “That would be Alpha Thomas, and his sons Alpha Drake and Michael,” he says, a few growls come through. I have to keep my cool. I have Allie next to me.

“Where are all the werewolves?” I ask him. He looks at me, confused, as I stare back at me. He is trying to figure it out. “Actually, Alpha Thomas lost Luna in a rogue attack when Drake was ten; Luna was human and had a son from a previous relationship, Michael. Uncle Thomas found out she was his mate. Her son was human; he stayed with them until her death. Uncle Thomas placed him in the care of a nanny and sent him to live in a human town as the pack was getting too dangerous for him to stay,” he said. He looked at me.

“So, I take it he knew about shifters,” I said, looking at the monster.

“Yeah, he did. He knew what to look out for if he ever spotted a shifter,” Dale said. “We were all friends when we were younger, but something happened to Michael. He was gone without a trace. Drake blamed everyone and searched for him, but with no joy.”

I look over at Kat and Todd; they have blank expressions on their faces.

The son of a bitch, he knew about shifters. He wouldn’t have known about me. Puna was dormant for a while in a sleeping slumber; no one can have their panther early. Well, except me.

“Why do you ask about the photo?” Blake asks. I look around, but Lena stands up and crouches down to Allie. “Hey little lady, let’s get you ready for bed and mama will read to you when you are ready,” she says, taking Allie’s hand and leading her to the stairs. Dale stands, he grabs her hand, but she looks back at him and with a small smile on her face “You need to listen to this. I know about it.”

Lena looks over to me and nods, leading away with Allie in front of her. I listened to make sure they were out of earshot.

I turn to look at everyone; I can feel all eyes on me. I look towards Blake. “Michael is the one I told you about earlier,” I say. Blake looks at me and then at the picture. He growls.

“You mean to tell me this asshole is the one who raped you?” he grits out.

“Hang on, Izzy, he raped you. When?” asks Alice. Kat takes her hand and looks at her. “Izzy was raped by Michael. He is Allie’s father.”

“You are sure?” Blake looks at me and takes my hand in his; I can feel the tingles but I need to concentrate.

I look ahead and tell my story again, for everyone to hear. Charley, Kat, and Todd knew, but the others didn’t.

Once I told them, they were full of rage, anger flowing through them.

“What a bastard?” says Kacey. “I never liked him.”

Blake looks at me and sighs. “What happened to him after you found her?” he asks Kat and he glances over at her.

Kat sighs “Both Todd, and I received a text saying that Izzy didn’t want to leave us anymore, which I knew wasn’t true as we were talking about moving soon altogether to another location. Well, we looked around and figured it must have been Michael, as some people in the street where we were living noticed his car picking Izzy up and they left. It took us five hours to replace Izzy, everything he did to her and the blood,” she says as a tear slips down and she stares at me. “I thought she was dead. Todd went in and we turned the lights out in the warehouse he was holding her in. Todd went in wolf form and I went in human form. I was the one who untied her and tried to stop her bleeding, but Puna put her into a slumber. Puna came forward to help her, which is unheard of for a panther shifter.”

Someone clears their voice. “I led Michael away from Izzy and attacked him. I killed him and made sure no one could replace his body,” Todd says, his face reading thousands of words. “I had no choice. He nearly killed her.”

Blake looks at him and sighs. “I am glad you did. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have a mate sitting next to me,” he says and looks at me.

I don’t know what to say.

I am so confused, especially with what he did earlier to me, running away after I told him everything that happened to me.

“Izzy, Allie wants you to tuck her in,” says Lena from the bottom of the stairs. I get up and go straight to my room, leaving everyone to deal with what they have heard. When I reached my room, Allie was sitting on my bed with her favourite book, Goldie Locks and the three bears in her hand. I smile and climb in. She rests her head on my arm.

I read, and she just listens, but I know I’m not the only one up here. Blake is leaning on the doorframe, watching us.

“Mate wants both of you, he wants you and Allie,” says Puna softly in my head, purring.

I say nothing. I can feel Allie getting heavy on me as she falls straight to sleep. I place her down on the bed and pull the covers over her. I place a kiss on her forehead and turn the lamp off.

I grab a pair of shorts and t-shirt. I need clothes. I can’t stay in this robe all night.

I get to the door and Blake is leaning on the wall opposite the door, looking at me. I close the door behind me, turning to look at Blake.

Blake looks at me with a smile. “She looks just like you,” he says in a whisper.

I look at him. “Why are you here? You ran off and left me in the pack house all on my own,” I say with a hiss. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with….” I was cut off by Blake; he moved so quickly in one step, pinning me against the wall next to the door with his lips on mine. I couldn’t help but move mine with his. I wanted him.

I move away. “What the hell?” I said to him, “Why would you do that?”

Blake looks at me; he looks hurt at first but recovers quickly. “Izzy, I had to leave the pack house. I thought the whole house was going to cave in around me. I had to process everything. I still want you.” He says, and he looks towards the closed door next me “I also want Allie too; I want her to be my pup.”

I am left stunned.

I don’t know what to say but Blake leans in towards my neck, his breath fans my neck, he sniffs in my scent “Izzy, I want you both. I don’t want anyone else.”

He places a kiss on my neck, which sends a shiver down my back. I want him, but I need to replace out more.

He looks at me and smiles. “I think we best get back downstairs before some people think we’re getting up to no good,” he says with a smirk.

Without hesitation, he leaves first, heading down the stairs, just looking over his shoulder at me with a smile on his face.

I watch him leave. I am blushing hard, but what’s more, I am completely wet in-between my legs.

Fuck, I wanted him.

I changed quickly on the landing and headed back downstairs.