The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 73

IZZY

I know I have been sleeping for a while. But I don’t know how long exactly. My mind is full of dreams, dark dreams. Everything came like a flash of memories, but they were not mine. Some were memories, but I could feel every emotion she had; I could feel them all.

They were Helga’s.

I saw the potions she made, the ones that were making people jump into bodies. There were loads of different people, including Blake and Kacey. I could feel her pain every time she had to take a life, the sacrifices she had to make.

I felt it all.

But one memory stood out more-my mother’s death.

It’s not the conversation, but her fears of the Elder and Linda surprised me more than anything. But she looked at my mother as she was chanting the words that sealed my mother’s fate. She didn’t want to do it. Everything made no sense.

I just tossed and turned slightly in bed; I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. Tears fill my eyes because of the memories.

I feel Puna stir inside my head. Her green eyes glisten as she looks at me. “You felt everything too,” she breathes.

I nodded without saying a word, as I knew my voice would give me away to her.

I move slightly and sit up in bed to look around. I noticed I was back in the same hospital bed as before but saw two sleeping people on the chair near the bed as I looked around the room.

Blake was sleeping in the chair with his head leaning back on it, but it was the little sleeping beauty, my daughter, who was snuggled into him again.

I couldn’t help but smile at the sight before me.

Puna looks at them with a smile. “They look so cute together,” she says, but she sighs. “Izzy, we need to figure out how to feel everything Helga did.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “Do you have any ideas about how we can feel them?”

Puna stares at me for a moment while I slowly get into a sitting position.

“I think when we held onto Helga, our power made a connection for the dark magic to sweep in. But I think we got her feelings about what she was doing,” Puna says. “Our power is based on our emotions. It might have reacted to them, somehow.”

Thinking about it, it’s the only way it could have happened.

“I think you’re right,” I said, looking at my hands in front of me. “Do you think it will affect us?”

Puna shakes her head. “I don’t, Izzy,” she says and purrs in my head.

I look back over at Allie and Blake. I don’t want them to be around me if my power flares up, but I also know I have to kill whoever is after Puna and me.

“We will kill them, Izzy,” blurts Puna. I sometimes forget that she can feel everything I feel.

Puna laughs. “You know, there is one thing we will have to discuss,” she says. “Are you ready to mate, our mate?”

I sigh. “I think I might be,” I say; I turn to look at Blake. His eyes were still closed. He is the most handsome man I have ever met. Why would he ever want to be with me? Is it because I’m powerful?

Puna growls loudly in my head. “Stop thinking like that, Izzy,” she says. “Mate is not like that. He wants us and has even taken to looking after Allie as his own.”

I stare at him for a little while.

I know Puna is right. I know he wants me, and he has shown me he will protect Allie time and time again. Allie is so fond of him; she never went near a man. She would only go to Todd and also Alpha Dawson.

“I’m always right,” says Puna with a grin. “You are overthinking everything because it scares you. He might not like who you are, but I am telling you now, Izzy, our mate, will love us and be there for us when we need him, whether we want him there or not.”

I have to admit, I’m scared. But for sure, I know I have nothing to worry about when it comes to Michael. I will never have to worry or look over my shoulder again for him. I killed the monster that haunted my dreams every night, and I did it to protect Blake and Allie.

The whole thing with the Elder has me on edge, though.

I stare back at Puna. “What are your thoughts about the Elder?” I ask her, but all I have is another growl from her.

“Don’t worry about that old fart,” she says with a low growl. “He will get what’s coming to him; we will kill him like we did, Michael.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that thought; he would be dead at my hands after what he did to my mother.

PUNA

I could feel everything that Izzy felt. She is overthinking everything, but I don’t blame her. I am too, but I am not letting her feel what I feel.

I know she is ready to mate with our mate. She needs a push in the right direction, and I know how.

“Izzy, why don’t you ask our mate on another date?” I ask her softly.

Izzy stares back at me with a smile. I can see the clogs working in her head at the idea. “Puna, that’s a great idea,” she says. “I will mention it when he wakes up. I think we should go back to…” she says, but something comes over us. Helga's feelings during her time of using the dark magic come crashing in and ignite inside us like a flame to a candle.

Izzy shuts her eyes as we feel everything. The pain in the chest, something that she cares about, hurts her badly. I heard about the pain before by wolves we used to live with back in the day when their mate was with someone else. I can’t help but growl out.

After what seemed like hours, Izzy opened her eyes. I can feel tears slide down her face as I approach her.

“What the hell was that?” she asks quietly.

“By the feel of that,” I say; I can’t help the growl that slips through. “It was her mate. He was with another. He must have had someone else. I remember some she-wolves telling us a while back about it as one of the girls was taken from her mate. She could feel everything.”

Izzy looks back at our mate, but I shake my head at her. I know where her head is going. “Our mate would never go with another; I would kill him if he tried,” I told her. She says nothing.

“I wasn’t going to say that,” she says. “I thought she was on about her mate before. He was working for Michael, but I wonder if it was the other way around.”

I look at her. She has a point. Everything the witch told us was almost right, but why would he have another if he was her mate?

“Her mate might not have been after us until Michael wanted revenge. But I think he might have heard a lot going on, especially as they all have been working together. Drake and the Elder have had their foot in every door over the years with different packs, so what if they had their foot in the door with the vampires, too?” she says.

“That could be true,” I say, looking back at her. “I think there have been many players after us, but I wonder how they all know about our power and why they would want us. We are not the type to submit,” I say.

Izzy turns to look at our mate and Allie.

“I think they will use them,” she whispers, with a hint of sadness and anger sweeping in.

“I think they will try to get one of them or both to make us do whatever they want, especially if they threaten to kill Allie or even Blake,” she says.

A growl slips through my lips. Izzy looks back at me. A look in her eyes makes me think she might want to do something stupid, and when it comes to Allie and our mate, I will take stupid any day.

“I think we need to plan something; I mean, I don’t want anyone else to die or get hurt by these pricks,” she says. “I think we can come up with something together, but if the pack has a plan, we can figure something out, but Puna,” she says as we lock onto each other.

“It will just be between you and me,” she says. “I want to protect Blake and Allie more than anything, and we both know Blake would risk his life for us or even die trying to save us.”

I looked around the room through her eyes as she made sure everyone was still asleep.

“We do this together as one,” she says. “We always made sure everyone we saved was protected. We need to do it for this pack, too.”

I can’t help but smirk, “You sound like a Luna,” I say to her.

She grunts slightly and moves down the bed. “Well, when Blake and I mate, that’s what I will be when he takes over, won’t I?” she says.

I stretch out my paws for another nap; the memories we have been having that keep flooding into our own emotions from the witch are taking everything out of us.

I can feel Izzy get sleepy, but I need to tell her something “Izzy,” I whisper. She looks back at me with a small smile. “I will agree with you. We will do this together. We can protect everyone from all these idiots, but I have to say,” I say, looking at her, “I’m proud and so happy that you are my human. You are strong.”

Izzy smiles widely at me, “Puna, I feel the same,” she says, but before she can carry on saying anything else, she yawns, which makes me yawn too.

I laugh slightly.

“We best get more rest, Izzy,” I tell her. “We will sort everything out and be with our mate; we will be one happy family with them both.”

She nods. “I think Allie has adopted Blake into our family, either way, so I will try anything to make sure she is happy,” she says.

I let out another yawn.

“Puna,” Izzy says. I look up at her as her eyes are slowly beginning to close.

“I love you,” she says as she falls into a deep sleep.

I can’t help but feel the warmth and love for my human. “I love you too, Izzy,” I mumble as I place my head on my front paws.

I can feel sleep take over as soon as my eyes close.

We need to rest.