The Secrets of the Panther
Chapter 96

IZZY

I bolt upright from the couch in a daze, wondering where the hell I am.

I woke up because of a loud noise, but I couldn’t place it. I look around the room and notice Archer screaming out while tossing and turning in the bedsheet. His screams are getting more high-pitched.

“NO, PLEASE NO,” he screams out.

I move quickly from the couch and head straight over to the bed, gently shaking him. His eyes fly open, and they are blood red as he stares back at me. He hisses out.

But suddenly, he closes his eyes, shaking his head violently.

“NO, NO, NO PLEASE,” he says.

I wrap my arms quickly around him, not caring about anything. This kid needs someone to hold him, and he needs it now.

I can feel Puna close by, just in case he attacks me, but I shake my head at her. “He won’t hurt us,” I say to her, trying to sound confident.

Her eyes stare back as if I have three heads, but she keeps quiet.

I rock him in my arms, humming a tone that has been stuck in my head for a while.

His head slowly stops shaking, but I know he is sobbing now.

After a few moments of gently rocking and humming to him, Archer lifts his head and stares at me. I look at his eyes, that are now brown.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly as he pulls back out of my arms. I drop my arms to the side as he sniffles a little.

I can’t help but stare at him.

“It’s okay,” I say to him. “You were having a nightmare.”

Archer looked at me. “I have them a lot,” he said and looked at his hands that he placed in front of him. He avoided my eyes. “I dream about what they did to me, what they did to my father,” he says.

I watch as a tear slides down his face. “They tortured him,” he says quietly.

“I was in a cage. An older man was angry with him, as he wasn’t supposed to be mated to a vampire. He should have mated to his kind,” he said.

I know instantly who would make a stupid comment like that; that pathetic Elder. He has ruined so many people’s lives. I will kill him with my bare hands, and I make sure his death is as painful as it can be.

“My mum was forced to watch all the torture too, but when they got me out of the cage, they chained me up,” he said and looked up at me, his eyes full of tears. “I was chained like an animal. They called me names.”

I stare at him, not saying a word.

“Do you know what they kept calling me?” He says in a small voice. I shake my head, “Abomination.”

I can’t help the growl that slips through my lips.

“No one is an abomination. It is how you are raised that defines you, not what you are,” I said.

Archer stares at me for a few seconds, and he places his hand in mine, and I gently squeeze it. I was happy to take it.

“The witch wanted to torture me all the time. She thought my blood would help her gain more access to the dark magic, but it never did. She would take it out of me, and there was another werewolf with me, another child. He looked about my age, maybe a little older. They had him in a cage too, but after a few days, they sent him away.”

I look at him, another child, but something clicks in my head.

An image of Helga with a young boy must have been her child. She came to the pack to ask Kat to rescue and replace her son. They must have hidden him from her, using him as leverage to use her magic when they needed her to use her magic. They hid him so she would do their dirty work.

“Amir never fed me. He wanted me to feed off human blood, but I have some werewolf senses. I have fangs, but I hate blood,” he says.

“What do you eat then?” I ask as I know he will have to have some food soon.

“I can eat meats, everything you all do, but I only have to have blood to heal, which I hate as it tastes sickly,” he says with a grim look which makes me laugh slightly.

Archer looks at me funny, but I smile at him.

Before either of us could talk, there was a knock at the door. I smile as I can smell her scent, but I say nothing as Allie opens the door, comes running in and jumps on the bed.

Allie looks at Archer, cocking her head to the side, but she smiles. “Hi, I’m Allie. I want to be friends with you,” she says to Archer.

Archer looks at her like some crazy kid.

I move closer to him. “Allie is my daughter,” I say to him.

Archer looks at her, then at me, but back to Allie. “You look like each other,” he says.

Allie laughs. “She is my mummy, silly,” she says. Allie moves up to the bed and sits next to him.

I look over to the door and notice Kat standing there, staring at the children, with Todd looking on behind her.

“This is my aunt Kat and her mate Todd,” I say to Archer, who is now looking at them. His hand tightens on mine. I looked at him with a smile. “They are my family,” I said. “They won’t hurt you, I promise.”

I look over my shoulder. “Come in and sit,” I say to them.

They both don’t utter a word but walk into the room. Todd shuts the door behind him, and they both walk over to the couch to sit.

“Where is your mummy?” Asks Allie suddenly. I turn to look at Archer, who closes his eyes. I gently squeeze his hand in mine for reassurance.

“Allie, Archer here,” I say as I place my hand in front of her, which she takes. Allie’s eyes stare at Archer, never looking at me, but I sigh. “Archer lost his mum and all his family. He misses them,” I say to her.

Allie watches him for a moment, but suddenly, she moves her hand from mine and moves closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Archer closes his eyes as he hugs her back.

My heart bursts more. Allie might be four and a half, but she has been through so much too. She has watched people we have met fall or be killed over the years. She knows what death is as much as I do. I had to decide to leave her with Todd as I caused all the pain and suffering people were going through around me. Every hunter and werewolf was after me, and they were killing people who were helping me along the way.

I looked over at Kat; she was watching the whole thing with such emotion, but something inside, I knew I had to ask her.

I clear my throat. “How about you two sit back, and we put a film on for you both?” I asked them.

Allie moves back and stares at Archer with a small smile. “I’m sorry about your family,” she says quietly.

Archer says nothing but gives her a small smile back.

Allie turns to me. “Can we watch Frozen?” She asks, and I hear a groan coming from the couch. I look over my shoulder to see Todd with his head in his hands. I guess he has been watching the film constantly with her.

I can’t help but smirk. “Whatever you want, Archer. Is that okay?” I ask him.

Archer looks at me with a confused look, “What is frozen?” He asks quietly.

Allie looks back at him, stunned. “You haven’t seen Frozen. We have to watch it,” she says and looks up at me.

“Can we mummy?” She asks.

I nod.

“Uncle Todd can put it on for you,” I say with a slight smirk, pulling my face.

Todd gets up with a grunt, and I watch him from the corner of my eye. He muttered under his breath, “Great, only got the stupid song out of my head a few days ago. Now it is going to be back with a vengeance,” he says.

Puna laughs loud in my head. “I think Allie has been watching it a lot with him.”

“I think so too,” I say, grinning.

Todd sorts out the television and puts on the film for the kids. I move off the bed and make the kids sit back with their backs against some pillows.

As soon as the first song comes on, I move to the joining room door and nod to Kat and Todd to follow me.

They both nod. Todd looks relieved he gets to leave.

“Allie, Archer,” I say. “I need to talk to Kat and Todd for a bit, but I will be back in.”

They both nod, their little eyes not leaving the television. I think I have lost them to Frozen.

All three of us walk into the next bedroom, and I close the door behind Todd.

Kat walks over to the window and stares out. Todd stares at her for a moment, but I need to ask them. “I think you should take Archer in,” I blurt out.

Both of them swing around and stare at me with their mouths open, hanging open wide.