The Secrets of the Panther

IZZY

My mother stood in front of me with a smile.

Puna stood between Hecate and the other woman, staring at me.

I move slowly toward my mother; she looks the same. She was sick the last time I saw her due to whatever that man gave her. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

My mother held out her arms to me, and I just walked into them. Silent tears slid down my face as she held me close, whispering to me how much she loves me and how proud she was.

After a few seconds, my mother moves away and places her hands on my face, lifting my face to hers as she looks straight into my eyes with a warm smile on her face. “Izzy, we have little time as the magic we are using to see you are going to go, and my dear girl, you are going to need all your strength for what comes next,” she says.

“What do you mean?” I ask her with a frown. “What’s going to happen next?”

Someone clears their throat, and we both look back to see Clara with a stern look on her face. “I think I should explain more,” she says; she points to some stones where the other two ladies are sitting. My mother and I walk over, holding my hand in my mother’s as we sit beside them.

Clara stands but looks at me. “The power we have has never been seen before amongst shifters. It was supposed to be for witches, but when a dark witch wanted to take over the shifter world, everyone came together to defeat her, but she had an alliance with the vampires,” she says. “Once we defeated them, one warrior stood out amongst the rest who deserved the power.”

I couldn’t help watching her face, but I knew instantly who she was talking about; it made sense. “It was you, wasn’t it?” I asked, staring back at her. “You stood out. How?” I asked.

Clara smiles. “You are a clever one,” she says. “Yes, it was me; I saved many other shifters, even a werewolf. But I held back emotions as you did. I was tortured too, but not as severely as you were. I wanted revenge on those who hurt me, but I took out anyone who came near me when the war started. The witch wanted my power. She wanted me to surrender it, but that would not happen as she killed my mate. He sacrificed himself for me,” she says as a tear slides down her cheek at the mention of her mate.

Puna comes to me, placing her head on my legs. I put my hand in her soft fur as she purrs loud as I smooth her.

“I lost it,” she says. “I killed not only the witch but all the vampires, as I lost the one person I loved with my whole heart.”

Clara walks over to me and kneels in front of me, which surprises me. “Izzy, evil is coming as the Elder and the young alpha. But the young alpha may change his mind once he knows who killed his mate, but he will also know the one who ordered the hit on her.”

I stared back at her; she was on about Drake.

“Your mate was more his brother; he needed guidance by an alpha, not by the evil man that was his father,” says the other woman I haven’t met.

I turn to look at her.

She smiles knowingly. “I’m Selene, the Moon Goddess,” she says. “I am the mother of all the werewolves.”

I give her a small smile. “Why are you telling me about Drake?” I ask her, “He came after me, my daughter, my... I say, but she shakes her head. “I mentioned him as I was hoping he could be saved as that elder has so much come to him once he comes to me,” she says with anger sweeping in. “No werewolf child of mine should have tortured and made such evil plots against my nature. I will send him to hell with his lovely daughter.”

I looked at her, but Clara touched my face to get my attention; she made me look back at her. “You left the mark of death on the elder, which will allow you to kill him, and that was one impressive move your witch friend did to him,” she says. “But he has lined up with someone else who knows more about what your power can do. He is an ancient vampire who will come here to take you, but he won’t just come after you. He will make sure you have no one and take your daughter, too, as she looks like us. He thinks she will have the power too.”

“NO,” I shouted, “He will never take her. What do I do?”

My mother’s hand in mine gets tighter slightly.

Clara looks at me. “You fight him; you kill him with everything you and Puna have,” she says in a firm voice. “Take him out and kill him, everyone who you love will need you to kill him, or he will destroy everything if he gets you,” she says in a firm voice.

Clara placed her hand on mine and my mother’s hands; I could feel the power flow through her. Puna touches our hands with her wet nose; she looks up at me. “We will protect everyone,” she says.

My mother moves her head to mine and leans in. “My daughter, the most amazing and special daughter,” she says. “You have the power to destroy him, but also, there is a power that you never thought you had,” she says as she moves away and looks at me. “The power of love. You love your family, the sweetest little angel, but also the love for your mate, too.”

I look at her. “But Blake and I haven’t...” I said, but she touched my face with her hand on my cheek. “You will, before all this, and I know he is your true mate, as I have been watching what he has been like with Allie.”

I smile back at her. “You have,” I ask her, and she nods. “I have Izzy. I will always watch over you and Allie.”

I look at Clara. “How do I kill the vampire?” I ask her. “Who is he?”

“His name is Amir, and he is the vampire that mates with the witch that made you remove the sire bond from...” she says,

Puna growls. “She knew who he was, what he wants?” she shouts.

Clara nods. “She played a game. She knew you could break the sire bond. That was their plan,” she says.

I am behind, pissed. “I’m going to kill her, but she mentioned she had a son with a werewolf. Is that true?”

Selene stands up and is behind Clara. “She does; he was sold to a rogue king as Amir didn’t accept him. He took him there with her; she played a game.”

I am going to kill her.

“She is dead first,” I said, but I looked up, and all three women stared back at Puna and me.

“Izzy, the magic she used was very dark magic, but the witch you are friends with can help you kill her. Her veins are going to kill her, but she needs to die before the darkness takes her, or she will be even harder to kill,” says Hecate. “She needs to be stopped; you and the witch can stop her. She will never know what is coming.”

I nod, but the smirk that comes across Hecate’s face suddenly sends shivers down my spine. “Tell that witch Helga Hecate can’t wait to meet her.”

I nod.

“We must go, my child,” says Selene. “You must mate with your young alpha; he will help you.”

I smile, but the thought of Blake makes me feel weird.

My mother looks at me. “What’s wrong, Izzy?” She asks us. All four women look at me.

“I don’t know if I can be intimate with him; Michael took everything from me that night...” I say. I clear my throat.

But my mother pulls me up with her; she places her hand on my cheek again. “Blake understands and will wait for you to be ready, but Izzy, you are ready,” she says. “Just believe in the mate bond, but also trust in your heart that he is the one for you.”

She smiles and moves closer to me; she places a kiss on my cheek and moves away. “I will always be with you; I love you, sweetheart,” she says as she moves away from me and stands with the other women.

“We will be close by, Izzy,” says Clara. “We all believe in you.”

I smile and nod at her.

Puna comes closer to me as we stand to watch the women turn to walk away, but Clara turns to me. “Izzy, you need to wake up,” she says.

In seconds, both Puna and I descended back into darkness.

I need to wake up.

I need to be ready.

No more nice panther anymore. I will kill everyone, and I am starting with the witch.