The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 42

BLAKE

I walk with Izzy to my room.

I put Allie in my bed, thinking she would be more comfortable, but she was attached to me like a spider monkey.

I had to have helped Lena to get her off me. She had one tight grip for a kid.

I guide Izzy to my room, which is on the bottom floor.

“I think we need to talk,” she blurts. I look at her as we walk a few more yards to the room, but she stops.

I turn around and looked at her. “What about?” I asked, feeling slightly confused by the question.

Her eyes scan over me, trying to get a read of me as if I am going to scream at her or something.

“I thought we should talk about this,” she says, pointing between us.

“What do you mean, Izzy? We are mates. I want to be with you,” I say, looking her straight in her eyes. “I want you and Allie to be with me.”

“I know that, but what about, you know, the physical side of this,” she says as her cheeks heat. “I don’t know if I will be ready for that. I still have nightmares about...” she says but pauses.

I look at her. She stares off into space suddenly. “She’s talking to Puna. Puna is on our side,” says Axel as he appears closely through my eyes.

Izzy looks frustrated. She huffs out. I step closer to her and hold her hands, which startles her; she looks up at me. “Izzy, I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. I can wait. I would never force you to do anything. I can wait; I’m in no rush,” I say, I rub my thumb over her hand. “Izzy, I want this to work between us.”

She looks up at me and says nothing. She looks towards the door behind us. “Do you want to see her?” I ask. She looks at me and nods.

I turn around and hold her hand, leading to the door. I push it open, and Izzy walks in before me. I follow behind her. I lean against the closet, watching my girls in awe as Izzy sits on the bed next to her. Allie looks like a little doll in my king-sized bed. All you can see is her little head sticking out of the covers.

Izzy looks at me and whispers, “I don’t want to move her,” she says.

I move slowly to the bed and lean to her; her scent calms Axel down. “Then both of you stay in here, and I will stay on the sofa over there,” I say, pointing towards the sofa; she looks up at me and shakes her head. “We can’t...” but I don’t let her finish the sentence; I place my finger to her lips to shush her; she glares back at me. “I want you both in here with me, please.”

“I have nothing to wear,” she says, with a hint of red on her cheeks.

I smile. “You can have one of my shirts to sleep in,” I say, walking over to the closet and pulling out a t-shirt. I throw it to her and nod my head toward the bathroom. “You can get ready in there,” I say. She looks at me for a moment but slowly gets off the bed and heads to the bathroom.

I quickly change into a pair of sweatpants and no top. As she walks out, her eyes dart to me. She licks her bottom lip. “Um... It’s free if you want it,” she says, trying not to look at me.

She walks out, and I walk in, closing the door behind me. I had to adjust myself. My cock was hard. She checked me out. I will not push it.

I sort myself out, but a mind link comes from my father letting me know the counselor will be at the pack house tomorrow.

Once sorted, I walk out to see Izzy sitting on the sofa. She’s looking at the window with her knees up to her chest. I can see her panties from here.

Axel howling in my head as he takes in Izzy. “Mate is gorgeous,” he says.

I couldn’t agree more. I walked over and sat beside her, but she didn’t move. “I haven’t been intimate with anyone romantically due to what happened. I’m afraid of someone touching me,” she says. “I’m broken, Blake. You should...”

I stop her as I place my hand on her leg. The tingles of the bond between us ignite, and I know she can feel them as much as I can. Her eyes go wide, and watch my hand.

I want to show her touch is a good thing. “Izzy, can you come with me for a minute? In the bathroom?” I say to her.

She looks at me, confused, but nods. We both get up and head to the bathroom. Once instead, I shut the door, and it is dark.

“Blake, what you doing?” She asks. I can feel the nervousness in her voice. I know she is standing and leaning against the sink. I walk over to her and stand there. “I want you to touch me, Izzy,” I say. “Before you think I’m being rude or anything, I mean, place your hands in mine and move them up my skin.

“Blake, why do you want me to do that?” She says, getting all flustered.

I lean closer to her. “Because intimacy is not about sex, Izzy,” I say. I can’t help but sniff her neck as her scent calms me but also turns me on.

“It’s... not,” she says as she shivers against me. “No, it’s not... do you trust me?” I ask her softly.

She says nothing, “Izzy, I won’t hurt you,” I say close to her ear. “Trust me,” I whisper to her.

I lean back so I am standing in front of her. I place my hand in hers. I gently glide over her skin with my other hand, starting at her forearm and using my fingertips. I can feel goosebumps forming on her skin at my touch. I reassure her, “I won’t hurt you, Izzy; I never will.” I continue to move my fingertips over her without removing her t-shirt, wanting her to feel safe around me.

My fingertips reach her collarbone. “Blake...” she says in a whisper. I move my fingertips slowly down her back and leave them resting on her lower back.

Her breathing is heavy. “I want you to do the same to me,” I say in a whisper against her ear. “I won’t move, I promise,” I say.

Izzy sucks in her breath, places her hand on my arm, and slowly does what I did to her. Axel is watching through my eyes. “Mate is brave,” he whispers; her fingers are so soft, gliding over my skin, she traces them up my arm and up to my shoulders; her fingers go to my jaw and even slightly touch my lips.

Her other hand does the same, working its way up my arm softly, but as soon as it gets to my shoulder, she gulps and goes down my chest. My body shivers at the slight touch she gives me. She drifts her hands down my chest and over my abs. Her breath hitches slightly. I place my hand on hers.

I stop her. I am so turned on right now. I’m afraid to move.

“That was...” she whispers. “Something.”

“Why did you do that?” She asks, not moving away from me.

I can see her. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever met. I would do anything for her.

“I wanted you to know what touch was like, a soft touch, something that I will do gently every time you need me to. I would make sure you never feel whatever it is you feel,” I say, I lean into her.

“I want to kiss...” I say, but Izzy moves her face into me and kisses my lips. I stay still for a moment till she moves her mouth open. I slip my tongue in and move around gently. I place my hands on either side of her waist as her hands stay on my torso. We kiss for a few more seconds, but I pull away.

I am way too hard for this.

“Um, I think we should go to sleep,” I say in a husky voice.

Fuck, I’m turned on.

“You ok, Blake? I thought,” she says, but I plant another kiss on her mouth but stop after a few seconds and lean my forehead on hers. “Izzy, don’t think I never enjoyed that because I did; I mean, I did a lot, but if we keep doing this, I will have to sleep with the cold water running on me and think about my high school gym teacher who was a guy,” I say.

She looks at me, confused, but her eyes glaze over. Puna must have told her because once she was back with me, her cheeks were glowing red, and she couldn’t look at me. “Izzy, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” I say and lean into her. I know she can feel my cock on her stomach as her eyes go wide, but I lean into her neck and sniff. “This is a good thing. I won’t do anything you don’t want, I will promise you that,” I say and plant a soft kiss on her neck and take a big step back from her.

Izzy looks at me. I walk to the side and open the door to let her out. She looks at me, keeping her eyes on mine.

As she walks past, I hold her hand and kiss her cheek. She blushes, “You know you can look at me anytime you want,” I say to her, and her blush goes redder.

I know I have a tent pitched in my trousers. This is going to be hell. I grab a blanket from the closet and a pillow. Walking back to the sofa, I can feel Izzy's eye’s on me the whole time. I set up the sofa, and I lie down on it. The sofa is big enough for me.

Izzy sits next to Allie. “Blake, thank you,” she whispers.

I smile at her. “No problem, babe, we best get some sleep as the counselor will be here in the morning,” I say to her, and I look at her before she lowers herself down on the bed. “How do you feel about Allie going to nursery? We have one here on the pack ground,” I say, but the looks she gives me are a look of horror and worry. “Can...” she says, but I shake my head. “The children who are in the nursery are looked after by my mother and her followers, they can be trusted, and no one will pick her up, only you; I will come with you to make sure everything is set up, and you can arrange with the lady there, Doris her name is, she is lovely,” I say.

Her face softens. “We will see. Allie has never been with many kids her own age,” she says with a hint of guilt sweeping in.

“It wasn’t your fault with what you went through, Izzy,” I say and smile at her. “Now sleep.”

We both said our goodnights and it doesn’t take long to fall asleep. I had never slept so quickly, so fast ever.