The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 49

IZZY

We walk away; I look over my shoulder to see Blake being dragged by Allie back towards the sandpit. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Graham was walking by the side of me, but he hasn’t said a word. We walk towards the forest area. I don’t think we know where to start.

“Mate is good with our pup,” says Puna suddenly. “I think he will be a good father to her and our future pups.”

“Hold up a minute Puna, I thought you said I can take my time,” I said, trying not to sound wounded by the thought.

Puna can sense my feelings. “I wouldn’t let him do anything to you, Izzy, that I didn’t think you were ready for. Well, not till you are ready, but I can sense he will be good to Allie and if we have any more pups which we both know we will, he would be good to them.”

I sigh. “I know. He is good with her,” I say.

Suddenly, I am taken away from my conversation with Puna by Graham. “How old is Allie?” he asks, looking over at me, rubbing his hand across his neck.

“She’s four and a half,” I say, looking over at him.

Why is this so hard? He’s my father; we should be able to talk.

“That’s a good age. If her imagination is like yours, you are definitely going to have fun,” he says with a smile.

I laugh a little. “She definitely has an impressive one. She is like mum” I say but feel awkward mentioning her in front of him. He stops and stiffens a bit at the word mum but recovers.

I stop, which makes him stop. I look at him. He stares back at me. “Izzy, can I say something first?” he says. I nod at him as I need him to talk to know where I can start.

“I’m so sorry for everything that happened and what you went through. I never would have done that. I didn’t even realize I was being spelled. I was hurting every time when I came to the house to see you both. But when I went to Linda, I was a different person when she was around. Looking back, some people noticed but didn’t even put anything together,” he says. He walks and I walk alongside him.

“You’re my daughter. I should have fought for you. I’m trying to piece everything together, but my mind is all over the place. I’m missing days or even hours. It is hard to pinpoint what is real and what isn’t. I want to start fresh with you and try to form a relationship with you, also with Allie too, but it will be on your terms, I promise,” he says.

He stops again as we are in the clearing. I had never been this way before. In front of me were some waterfalls. I spot a boulder and point at it; he nods and we make our way over to it for both of us to sit.

“I think he loves Allie. I have never seen him like that,” he breathes. I look over at him and frown. “What do you mean?” I was feeling slightly confused.

He sighs. “Blake, I mean. He had no siblings, so Dale and Kacey were like that to him. He was over at our house all the time. Allie will be good for him too.”

“Can you tell me what you remember? I want to know what you know, but I can fill in the gaps if I can,” I say to him, giving him a small smile but also changing the subject.

“I want to talk to you, but I want you to be in Allie’s and also my life too, but we need to clear the air first,” I say.

He nods and I can sense the relief through him.

“Like I said, I have mixed everything up or everything has been blank for years about you and your mother. I can’t even remember if I even loved Linda or not, but things changed when Elder Johnson was around. I remember one night going to the pack house instead of going home, as I didn’t want to go to see Linda. I went to the garden on the north side of the territory. I stayed there for an hour; I hated what I was doing to you, to both of you,” he says. “I was going to go back and see you, even suggest running away with your mother. But then. I remembered having a mind link through telling me that dinner was ready. When I went back to the house, Linda had made my favorite meal. Linda made my favorite meal, which filled me up, but I still felt like a zombie. I couldn’t remember anything after that.”

Graham looks at me as he continued. “I woke up the next day on my own on the couch. No Linda, but my heart was breaking in two and I couldn’t figure out why.”

“So you can’t remember anything about the rejection?” I asked, looking at him. Puna is close by, listening in on the conversation.

He shakes his head. “No, I can’t,” he says, sounding defeated as he looks out at the water.

There was a moment of silence before he speaks again.

“I remember bringing you here once. You hated the water as it was so cold,” he says with a slight laugh and looks at me. “Your mother told me you were too little to go in, but I didn’t listen to her. I took you in and you held onto me like a spider monkey,” he says. “You had this death grip on my neck like you never wanted to let go.”

I can sense his emotions getting to him.

He clears his throat. “I came back the next day,” he blurts.

I look back at him, confused. “What do you mean, you came back the next day?” I asked.

He turns to me. “I went back to the house. I wanted to replace out what the pain I was feeling, but when I got there, your mother and you were gone,” he said. “I told no one that.”

I stare back at him, slightly stunned. He came back for us.

“Where was Linda the next day, then?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She wasn’t around the house when I came around. The kids were off doing their own thing with Blake, but I needed to check on you. I was beside myself that you were gone,” he said. “I remember telling Alpha Derek about it. He didn’t know where you were gone. Luna was beside herself. She missed her best friend.”

He sighs and turns back to look at me. “I have never stopped thinking about you or your mother, Izzy,” he says as a tear slips down his cheek. “I wanted to search for you and even asked Alpha Derek to send me on business trips to different places. Wherever I went, I would try to replace you.”

I can’t help but feel slightly emotional. I never thought my father would be like this. To be honest, I never thought he would, especially the way he looked at me that night he drove off, but now I know the truth.

I stare back at him. “I…” I said, but he shakes his head. “Let me finish starting today. We are a family, all of us,” he says. “You, me and Allie with Dale and Kacey.” He moves and turns to face me. “We take it slow as you like, but I would like to know something.”

His facial expression changes to a stern look. “What happened with Michael?” he says. “Dale gave me the brief version, but I want to hear it from you.”

I sigh and explain the whole torture and rape to him. Afterwards I was crying. I never thought telling my father what that horrible bastard did to me would affect me so much. He pulled me into him, wrapped his arms around me, and held me there for a while. “I am so sorry, Izzy,” he says in a whisper. I let the tears flow as they soak his top.

After a few moments, I move back and look at him. “I’m worried,” I said. “You heard what Linda said. Michael knows about Allie. He might come for her or take her from me.”

I can feel Puna coming close by. “I won’t let him,” she growls, but it’s the growl by the side of me that gets louder, which startles both Puna and I.

I look at my father, who looks pissed. Once he realizes that I’m looking at him, his face softens slightly, even though the anger was still there. “Sorry,” he says, “I won’t let anything happen to Allie. I will promise you that.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Why don’t we go back and I can introduce her to you,” I ask him.

His face changes into a smile. “I would love that Izzy,” he says and we both head back the way we came.

As we get closer to the nursery, we can see Blake and Allie still playing in the sandpit together.

“He will be an amazing father to her,” says my dad. I look up at him. He smiles, but I stop suddenly as worry sweeps in. “I know he will, but I haven’t been intimate with anyone since…” I say, but I couldn’t bring myself to say his name again.

My dad looks at me and his face softens as he turns to face me. “Izzy, it will take time. You both need to get to know each other and trust me, Blake will wait till you are ready.”

He looks over his shoulder back towards Blake and Allie. “Why don’t you both go on a date?” he says.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

He turns back to look at me. “Ask him on a date. It be your first move and I will watch Allie for you,” he says, but he suddenly regrets suggesting anything.

I stare at him and I can hear Puna purr at the mention of spending time with Blake.

“I will and it would be nice for you to look after Allie, maybe ask Dale and Lena to help you,” I say.

He looks at me and smiles. “That will be great,” he says and we walk, but soon my dad chuckles. “I wonder what Elder Johnson would think if he ever replaces out that his grandson is mated to a witch and his granddaughter’s mated to another she-wolf.”

I smirk. “Probably won’t be too happy about it,” I say as we reach the gate and walk straight through, heading straight to Blake and Allie.

Allie looks up and smiles widely at me. “Mummy,” she says as she gets up and runs over to me, “Handsome has been building sandcastles with me,” she says.

I look over to see Blake get up and wipe the sand off his trousers, but when he looks up at me and smiles. “She is fantastic at making them,” he says.

Allie looks up at my dad. I pick her up and rest her on my hip. “Allie, I want to introduce you to someone,” I say and look at my dad who has a smile on his face. “This is your grandad.”

Allie stares at him as her mouth drops open wide. “Really,” she says and she looks him over. “You are old,” she says, which I couldn’t help but snort.

My dad looks at me with a smile. “I’m not old Allie, but I would like to get to know you,” he says.

Allie looks at me for conformation. “Can I see grandad?” she says with a smile.

I nod. “Of course, why don’t you take grandad over to the sandpit and show him the sandcastles you and Blake made,” I said.

She nods, climbing out of my arms and back onto the ground. She runs up to my dad and grabs his hand, dragging him towards the sandpits. I watch as Allie chats away to him like they have never been apart.

Blake stands by the side of me. “How did it go?” he asks.

I don’t take my eyes off them. “It was ok. It will take time, but we will replace our way back soon.”

“That’s good,” he says.

I couldn’t help but look at him. “Um Blake…” I say and he turns around and smiles at me. “Yeah, Izzy,” he says with a lazy smile.

I blush. “I was wondering, I mean if you want to,” I stumble over my own words. “I was thinking maybe we could. I don’t know. Go on a date, try to get to know each other more.”

Blake looks at me with a big smile. “I would love that,” he says. “We will keep to the town or we could do something in the pack house. When do you want to go?” he asks, sounding really excited.

“Maybe tomorrow, or tomorrow night,” I say, going even redder.

He nods. “That be great. Don’t worry about it. I will organize something,” he says.

I smile at him. “I never have been on a date before,” I say, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Well, I will make sure this is the best first date ever,” he says as we both turn to look at my dad and Allie building sandcastles.