The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 77

IZZY

Alpha Derek looks at all of us, but his gaze lands on me. He smiles. “Izzy, it is so nice to see you alive and well; you had many of us worried,” he says.

I smile.

Blake stares at me, but my attention is entirely on the alpha. “Thank you,” I say.

Blake places his hand on mine, which is beside me. I turn to look at him. He smiles but turns his attention to his dad. “I think we need to talk about how we can keep everyone safe, but I think we need to know what Izzy knows, as something happened when she killed that witch.”

Great, straight to the point.

“What is he on about, Izzy?” Asks Kat.

I turn to her and sigh. “I somehow received Helga’s emotions that she was feeling. I don’t know how to explain it all. But I can feel everything she felt while using the dark magic to the day I ended her life. Everything I feel is not in order,” I say.

“Why would you do that?” She says as she stares at me with a blank expression.

“It’s not like I meant to,” I said in a frustrated voice. I can feel Puna come closer, as she can sense what I’m feeling; her low growl lets me know she will take over if anyone starts again.

“I know, but you don’t even know about your power; how are you going to manage controlling yourself if you have her emotions as well to deal with,” she says.

“You know nothing about your power,” asks Luna Lauren, slightly confused. She turns to Blake. “I thought you told your father that Izzy would explain everything, including....” she says before anyone can say anything. I cut her off with a growl.

“Please don’t question me like I am not here,” I say; Puna is trying to come through, but I control her with difficulty.

Luna Lauren looks at me, startled. “Izzy, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, but Blake told my mate you would explain everything to us,” she says.

I glare back. “I can only tell you what I know; none of you have asked me anything yet. I only explained what happened when I killed the witch,” I said. “As for my powers, I know they are based on my emotions. I can kill people with my anger and rage, and heal people with love, but also when I’m connected with Lena’s magic. My power magnifies more, and it gets the job done.”

Luna Lauren looked at me. She was about to say something, but Alpha Derek looked at me. “Izzy, please refrain from talking to my mate like that,” he says with gritted teeth.

“He is trying to control his wolf,” says Puna as she looks through my eyes with a smirk.

I look at him.

Someone clears their throat. “I know Izzy. She can deal with whatever is thrown at her, but I want to know what we plan on doing about the rest of the bullshit,” says Alice.

“I think we should talk about what we plan to do,” says Alpha Dawson; he looks at me. “Izzy doesn’t need to answer anything about her powers to any of us. She is to be Luna.”

“That’s up to my son,” says Alpha Derek.

Puna growls. “He can’t stop us from being with mate,” she says in my head.

I close my eyes.

Puna’s energy is intense. She needs to rein it all back in, or we will attack people we care about with our power.

“Puna,” I say. “Please calm down; we will be with mate. Alpha Derek is just angry and trying to calm down his wolf.”

Puna looks at me. She nods without saying a word, but her emotions still run high.

I open my eyes, and everyone is staring at me.

I sigh. “I’m trying to calm Puna down,” I say, turning to the alpha and Luna. “She is on edge because of the way you both are. She will come out, and I’m afraid I don’t know what she will do.”

“I will put them in their place,” Puna says angrily.

“PUNA,” I shout back to her. She looks at me.

Alpha Derek clears his throat. “I think the plan is a good idea; we should place all the venerable people in the bunkers in the pack house. We get all abled people to train and prepare for war,” he says.

Everyone nods to the plan, but something I need to tell them.

“I want to tell you something,” I tell them all. I look around to see everyone, but I look at Blake.

I can see his tension; he must be wondering what we will say.

“I want the Elder for myself. I want to kill him,” I say to them. “I think we need to be more prepared for more vampires as well. I know Todd has had some training on how to kill them without hurting people, but as for Helga’s vampire mate, leave him to me as well.”

“Why would you want to kill him?” Asked my dad, who was staring at me.

I look at him. “Because he wants me for some strange reason, and as Clara mentioned in my dream, I am the only one who can kill him,” I say, but I smirk. “The Elder can try to be killed by anyone else, but they won’t be able to, as I marked him for death by my hands.”

Graham gives me a smirk. “Like your mum,” he says, “She always wanted to have the last word, but in your case, he deserves to be killed by you after everything he has done to you and also for your mum.”

I smile.

I look at Kat and Todd. “Can you both help train the others to kill vampires without getting hurt? Maybe start with Dale and Paul; they can help with the rest of them,” I said.

I turn to my mate. “I think you can learn some things too,” I say.

He smirks, but I don’t know why. I look at Anita and Luna Lauren. “Can I ask you both to do me a favor?” I ask them, “Can you protect Allie for me?”

Anita was nodding towards Alpha Derek and Luna Lauren. Luna Lauren smiles widely. “Of course, Izzy, she is my granddaughter after all,” she says, and Anita smirks. “I think it’s fair to say she will have these two wrapped around her finger soon enough.”

I smile at her.

Alpha Derek groans. “I promised her a dollhouse, nothing else,” he says and turns to me with a smile. “She is one beauty, like her mother.”

“I will second that,” says the voice beside me, which sends shivers down my spine.

I look at Blake and smile.

I was about to say something when something jolted through me like bile of sickness; I pushed my chair back and fell onto my knees. I close my eyes.

I can hear everyone scream my name, but something takes over me; intense emotion takes over me. I scream out as the emotion of pain overcomes me and makes me bend over.

I can see Blake trying to reach me, but something stops him from coming closer to me.

My eyes fly open and are bright green as Puna is with me. “PAIN,” she growls.

“NEED AIR,” we growl out.

But the pain never goes. Everything is on fire. It’s like someone has ignited us on fire, but suddenly, both Puna and I pushed back, deep within us, as something overtook us. We can feel something enter us. Something that does not belong to us at all, but the power we have is substantial but something makes me submit to it.

It wants to help us.

But how does it know what we need?

Suddenly, Puna and I are plunged into darkness, but there is a light nearby; where are we?