The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 57

BLAKE

Both my father and I ran straight to the hospital. Allie held onto me all the way there. I had a feeling that she was scared and wanted some family around her.

As soon as we rushed into the hospital, a nurse guided us to Alice's room; as soon as we walked in, Alice was up like a shot. “We need to move; they have her,” she says, but she grunts out in pain.

Paul tries to lay her back down. “Alice, you need to rest,” he says, but she growls at him. “I will rest when we get Izzy back.”

Allie looks at Alice. “Auntie,” she says in a small voice, which makes Alice look at her with sadness, “I’m sorry, Peanut, I want to make sure your mummy is ok.”

Allie holds me tighter around the neck. Alice looks at me. “How did you not notice that Izzy wasn’t in the room?” She asks with a frown on her face.

I looked at her. “I have no clue. One minute we were talking and kissing. The next all I wanted to do was sleep,” I said.

Alice looks at me, sniffs the air slightly, and lets a low growl come through. “Damn it, Izzy,” she mutters under her breath. I was about to ask her what she was on about when Kat, Todd, Kacey, Charley, Dale, and Lena walked into the room.

But as soon as Lena sees me with Allie, “Izzy used the lavender again,” she mutters.

What the hell?

I look at both women. “What the hell are both of you on about?” I ask quietly as Kat comes over to me and takes Allie from me, who was reluctant to leave.

Once Kat takes Allie from me, she looks at me. “When Izzy was being chased by werewolves before, an old lady, an elder witch, told her about using lavender as it causes problems to werewolves' senses,” she says, turning to look at Alice. “She must have used it because of something.”

Alice turns to me. “Izzy received a text from my phone, which was not from me. Drake snuck into the house. I only went there to pack Izzy and Allie’s clothes to bring back to the pack. But Drake must have told her something through the message because the next thing I know was Izzy walking in through the back door and was hit over the head with something by Drake,” she says with another growl.

I growl. “I’m going to kill him,” I say, but I can feel eyes on me. I turn to see Allie looking at me. I need to calm down.

Why wouldn’t Izzy trust me?

Why would she go on her own?

“I think she wanted to go on her to defeat the demon that has been haunting her mind for the last five years,” exclaims Lena. I couldn’t help but look at her. She stares back at me. “Everyone here knows what happened to Izzy, and I don’t blame her for wanting to kill someone so bad, especially if it was affecting me like it was affecting her.”

Axel stirs in my head as he listens in. “Puna took over to do what she did so we would get a reaction,” he said. “Puna agreed with you. She would wait for Izzy to be ready for us to mate. Izzy must have told her to do it or something.”

I can’t help but feel slightly hurt by all this. Izzy used me and then sent me into a quick sleep.

“I think mate wants to kill Michael more than we do,” he says as he looks back at me. “Think about it. Someone tortures you for hours and even takes one more sacred thing to a woman by force. She told us she had never been intimate with anyone because of it.”

Axel is right. Everything points to Izzy fighting her demons. I admire her for it, but I wish she would have told me as I would have fought by her in her corner to make sure she got what she wanted.

Someone clears their throat, which brings me out of my thoughts. Everyone is staring at me when I look around.

I look towards Alice. “What did Drake say?” I asked her.

Alice looks at me. “Drake said nothing, only that they tied a witch next to me,” she says. “She came onto the pack land to talk to someone; I heard Drake tell her that Michael would deal with her.”

She sighs and looks at Allie as she still talks to me. “I got punched in the face as I explained Izzy is not what she seemed, but I don’t think he knew about her powers. He seemed to think she was this weak and pathetic panther,” she says and turns to look back at me. “I heard a car drive off when he finished his beating on me. They had a car outside. They must have hidden it from Izzy when she came closer to the house.”

I nod.

“They must have been close by,” says Charley, looking at everyone. “I mean, with everything that everyone has been saying, they have had access into the pack grounds without being detected, but also, they are fast like they are in hiding.”

She’s right.

Wait, maybe they...

I look at Dale. “Do you remember the compound a few miles away from here? It used to house some werewolves back in the day, but they suddenly went missing,” I told him.

Dale takes a few moments but nods his head. “I remember when your dad sent us there to see if they were alright, as Elder Johnson wanted them gone. We went to see if they wanted to join the pack, but when we got there, no one was around,” he says. Suddenly something triggers him. “Blake, if they have been here all this time, they had a great access point, as that plot has a tunnel that leads straight into the town.”

A few growls were erupting in the room; I looked at Allie. I walked over to her and held out my arms to her. She moved straight into my arms, and her arms went straight around my neck and nuzzles into my neck and sniffs me. I look back at everyone smiling at me but also full of concern. “What are we going to do?” Asked my father as I walked back to where I was standing.

I have an idea, but I know everyone will not be happy.

“I have a plan,” I say, looking back at everyone. “They are going to attack soon here as they will want to keep us busy when Michael does whatever he wants to, Izzy,” I say through gritted teeth. “I think we should send a small group of people to the compound to make sure it is there that they are holding Izzy.”

Everyone looks at me. Only a few I could tell agree with me, but my father’s face says a lot. “I think that will be ok, but what about the pending war?” he says. “When some of you go off to replace out if that’s where they are holding Izzy, what if they attack us?”

“I think we know that will happen. They will either move her or they will kill her. We need to act now,” I said. “I’m going to go, and I will take Dale, Kacey, Charley, Paul, and Lena with me.”

I turn to Alice. “You will stay here to rest, but I want you to move to the bunker and stay with my mother, Anita, and Allie. You can protect them.”

Alice says nothing but nods.

I turn to Todd, Kat, and my father. “You three will have to keep the fight here. Make sure everyone stays here,” I say. “Dad, let uncle Dawson know what is happening and get Graham here too. He will want to come with us but must stay here and protect the pack. If he questions you, tell him he has to protect the pack for Allie’s sake,” I said.

My father smiles. “You thought of everything,” he says.

“I have been thinking,” I said. “Everything that has been happening is all due to what happened ten years ago with Izzy, and it needs to end for all our sakes; if not, it needs to end for hers,” I say as I look at Allie.

Allie moves her head away and looks at me. “You are leaving me,” she says in a shaky voice.

I look at her; she looks so much like Izzy. It’s so unreal. “I have to angel, but I will get mummy back,” I say.

Allie looks at me and smiles but says nothing back.

“Allie, you are going to stay with my mum, auntie Anita, and auntie Alice. They are going to watch you,” I say to her. She looks at Alice and then back at me once more. “Ok, but I want you and mummy back safe,” she says.

I smile and move my head towards hers, placing a little kiss on her nose. I return just as the door opens to my mum, who comes straight to me. “Hey Allie, shall we go to a cool place?” she says to her.

Allie looks at me. “When are you going?” She asks quietly.

I look at her, but I can feel everyone’s eyes are on me. “As soon as you go with my mum, Alice, and Auntie Anita. We all will leave,” I said, hurt and guilty for leaving her.

Allie nods and moves into my mother’s arms, but before she does, she places her hand on my cheek to make me look at her. “Bring mummy home, daddy,” she says, making everyone look on in shock, even me.

I couldn’t help but smile at her. “I will, darling,” I said and kissed her cheek.

My mother and Allie leave with Alice, who Kat is helping up to the bunker.

I look at everyone else.

“We need to leave now,” I said as Graham entered the room.

“Dad, prepare everyone for battle,” I say to him. He nods and leaves, ushering Graham out the door.

I look back at everyone else. “We need to leave now. Grab what you need and meet by the pack entrance in fifteen minutes,” I said.

They all nod, but Kacey looks at me. “Which way should we go?” She asks.

“We go the way they came, by the dead warriors,” I said. “We can shift into our wolves and head that way to the compound.”

They all nodded, and we all walked out of the room with every emotion running through us.

I hope we are not too late.

We need to get to Izzy and I will let her kill Michael, but I want Drake more after what he has done.