The Secrets of the Panther

IZZY

The burning flesh stains the air as Graham glares at Linda as she hisses in pain.

Linda doesn’t look at him; her eyes are on Blake and me. She growls. “You are not her mate; Kacey is,” she growls.

“Oh, shut up, mother,” Kacey says. “You have more chance of me getting with the councilwoman than Blake. I don’t like men. I prefer women.”

Linda looks back in shock. “No, you don’t. You going through a faze; you should be with Blake,” she says, but there was a loud growl. “OH, SHUT YOUR MOUTH,” shouts Graham. “You are an evil bitch. You caused my mate’s death,” he says.

I tense, but Blake rubs circles on my lower back to calm me down.

Linda looks at him, confused. “I did not. I had nothing to do with it,” she says, acting all innocent, not knowing everyone had heard what she was telling me moments ago.

Graham grabs her by the throat and pushes her back against the wall, where she hits her head with a thud. He bends down in front of her. “Izzy told us everything,” he says.

Linda looks between Graham and me. “Whatever she told you, she lied. I did nothing. She is so cut up about her mother that she would blame anyone. I told you before I would accept her as part of our family,” she says, pleading with him.

“Funny thing that Izzy only told certain people about what happened to her mother, and I wasn’t one of them, but I heard it all from your mouth just now,” he says with a snarl. “You used magic on me to have me as your mate.”

Linda looks taken aback. “How?” she says and looks between both her children. “You were never in here.”

Dale snorts, “You have never been down here when we changed the cells five years ago. No wolf can mind link down here as there is wolf’s bane in the bars around the cell, which can interfere with senses. Also, mother, this place is not soundproof as we made it out to be,” he says, looking at her. “Your pathetic son outdid you on that one, didn’t he? We all heard everything you told Izzy,” he says through gritted teeth.

Linda says nothing but looks at us blankly. She must have been trying to mind-link someone to confirm what Dale was saying or she was confirming with her wolf.

Her face goes into a hard line but says nothing else.

“What? Your wolf confirmed everything?” Dale shouts. “You know grandfather won’t be coming to save you, right?”

She looks at him, confused, but he smirks. “Oh, I think our sister Izzy forgot to mention to you she stopped whatever you were planning on the alpha, Blake and Kacey,” he says as her eyes widen.

“I think she is in the dark about a lot of things,” says Alpha Derek, who walks around to watch her.

Linda looks between each one of us but stays on mine with a smirk on her face. “You think you have stopped him,” she says. “You don’t know who you are dealing with. They want you, and I know who they are,” she says, carrying on grinning. “I know two of them definitely want you back.”

I can’t help the growl slip through my mouth. There were a few growls in the cell.

I move away from Blake, walk past Dale, and stand beside Graham. He gets up and moves aside. I kneel in front of her, but I close my eyes, and Puna pushes closer to the surface.

I open my eyes, which means my eyes are bright green. Puna has full control over me. “WELL, STUPID HUMAN,” Puna growls. “I think it’s about time we have a chat panther to a stupid wolf.”

Linda snarls. “You don’t…” she says, but Puna growls at her, cutting her off. “I won’t piss Puna off if I were you,” says a voice from behind.

Puna and I smirk. “MATE.” We say together, which makes Linda stare back at us, stunned.

“You can’t be…” she says, but Puna has had enough now and growls really loud. “Mate is ours, not anyone else’s,” she says. She leans in and sniffs her scent. Our eyes go brighter as we let a small amount of power slip through, which she feels and looks back, shocked. “How are you doing that?” she says with fear in her voice.

A slow smile spreads across our lips. “Your father didn’t tell you much about us, did he?” Puna says. “Here is a history lesson for you in panthers; we have one mate and one alone. Our mate is the only one devoted and loved by us,” we say. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Linda smirks. “Well, I put a stop….” She says, but I stop her with a loud growl, making her eyes widen. “I know what you did. You and your father didn’t check the house when you did that to my mother. I watched it all, and Linda,” I say and lean into her ear, “I heard and saw everything.”

Puna says and moves back. We move up from the bent position and stand, looking down at her.

Linda never moves her eyes off me as I turn and walk towards Blake. I’m stopped in my tracks when she talks. “I wonder what Michael would think if he found out he has a daughter from that magical night,” she says. My body goes cold, and I turn around slowly to face her. “Michael is dead,” I say with a hiss, but her face gives it away, and she laughs. “You know nothing. Michael is still alive. Well, not human anyway, but he wants you and you for himself.”

Blake growls loud. “Enough,” he snarls. Everyone is on high alert after what I told them except Tilly, who has been listening to the conversation.

“What do you mean Michael is alive?” says Dale with a growl. “Someone killed him.”

She laughs again. “He was left for dead but was found and, let’s say, brought back to life. Michael only wanted revenge on the ones that tried to kill him. He is a sight since you last seen him, Izzy,” she says with a smirk.

I could see Alpha Derek and Alpha Dawson talking quietly to Tilly, who was beyond pissed.

“I know where you can find them, but saying that they might be already coming for you and that brat,” she says.

I growl loud and was about to launch at her but was pulled back by Blake.

Graham grabs Linda by the throat and throws her against the wall, snarling at her. His canines coming through. “Go to hell, bitch,” he growls as his claws come through his fingers, as he grips tight around her neck. “You were never a mother to my children. I will protect them from you, and darling; this is for my mate,” he says, his claws spring out and rip Linda’s neck open.

Blake holding onto me as I try to get out. I wanted to kill her, no one else. I stare at the lifeless body in front of me in Graham’s hands.

I looked up as Graham lets go of Linda’s lifeless body and turns to face me. “I needed to kill her. She took my mate from me, and she hurt all three of my children,” he says as he looks at all three of us.

Dale walks over to him and wraps him in a hug. “Dad, you did the right thing,” he says in a whisper as Kacey nods at him. She doesn’t say a word as a tear escapes her eye.

But I can feel Graham look at me; I can’t say anything.

My body is tense; I need to get out of here.

I move out of Blake’s grip and straight out of the cells. I need to see my daughter.

I can hear people calling me, but I ignore them.

I need Allie.

I need to see her.

My emotions are everywhere. Finding out about Michael being still alive hit me hard, and being unable to kill Linda was not even bothering me now.

I’m glad that she is dead. Graham had the right to what she did to my mother and how she treated Kacey and Dal. But also for himself too. But all I can think about right now is having Allie in my arms.

I turn back and run.

I run out of the cells and straight to the nursery.