Page 2 of Panther Heart’s Secret Passion (Esoterra Shifters World #2)
Chapter Two
Allen
I crouched low in the underbrush, my panther senses razor-sharp, picking up the acrid stench of sweat and malice left by the rogue shifter who attacked Adrienne.
The forest was dark, the fog thick, but I could feel the trail like a pulse under my skin.
My claws flexed against the damp earth, itching to shift, but I stayed human for now.
That rogue was trouble, and I needed to know why he went after her.
My chest tightened at the thought of Adrienne, her hazel eyes flashing with defiance, her determined stride as she stood her ground in the woods.
When I saw her, something sparked, a tingling warmth I had never felt before.
It was the soulmate bond, no question, and it scared the hell out of me.
I was not supposed to feel this, not for a human, not when I was already on thin ice with Esoterra.
Three years ago, the council exiled me for pushing back against their no-human-contact laws.
They said I was reckless, questioning their rules after Morris, a panther shifter, tried to rally us for a war against humans.
I called him out, said we could coexist without bloodshed, but the council did not see it that way.
They stripped me of my status and sent me out to prove my loyalty as a tracker.
Now, I hunted rogues like Morris to earn my way back into Esoterra, the hidden realm tucked deep in the Pacific Northwest’s ancient forests.
But Adrienne complicated everything. That bond was not just a feeling, it was a pull, like gravity, and I did not know how to fight it.
I shook off the thought and followed the rogue’s scent to a clearing.
The trail went cold, his tracks vanishing into the fog.
I cursed under my breath and headed for the council grove, a place where the oaks glowed faintly with the magic of Esoterra’s veil.
The elders were already there when I arrived, their weathered faces lit by the soft light of the trees.
Five of them stood in a circle, their eyes hard as they watched me approach.
“Allen Orr,” said Elder Lupe, her voice like gravel. “You were seen with a human last night. Explain yourself.”
I kept my stance relaxed, though my pulse ticked up. “She was in danger. A rogue attacked her. I stepped in.”
Elder Torin, his beard streaked with gray, leaned forward. “This rogue is Morris. He has been stealing veil fragments, weakening the barrier that hides Esoterra. If it falls, humans will find us, and our kind will face chaos. You know what he is capable of.”
My jaw tightened. Morris. The name brought back memories of his fiery speeches, his promises to burn human cities to the ground. I had stood against him, and it cost me everything. “What is he after?” I asked.
“He seeks to expose us,” Lupe said. “The sabotaged logging equipment is his work, drawing human attention to the forest. You must stop him before the veil collapses. This is your chance to prove your loyalty.”
I nodded, my mind already racing. “I will track him. But the human, Adrienne, she is a journalist. She is digging into the sabotage. If Morris is targeting humans, she is in his crosshairs.”
The elders exchanged glances. “Keep her away from the forest,” Torin said. “No human can know about Esoterra. If she learns the truth, you know the consequences.”
I did. Exile would be the least of my worries. “Understood,” I said, and they dismissed me with a wave. I left the grove, the weight of the mission settling on my shoulders. Stop Morris. Protect Adrienne. Keep my secret. It was a tightrope, and I was already slipping.
Back in the forest, I picked up a new scent, faint but familiar.
Lavender. I followed it to a thorn bush where a scrap of fabric hung, a gray scarf with Adrienne’s scent all over it.
My heart kicked up, that damn bond stirring again.
I tucked the scarf into my pocket, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickened.
She was out here again, probably chasing another lead. I had to find her before Morris did.
Her trail led me to Mistvale, to the library, a squat brick building with fogged-up windows.
I stayed across the street for a moment, watching her through the glass.
She was at the counter, talking to a librarian with gray hair and a skeptical frown.
That pull in my chest tugged harder, and before I could talk myself out of it, I crossed the street and pushed through the library door.
The bell jingled, and Adrienne looked up, her hazel eyes meeting mine.
A spark lit between us, sharp and undeniable, and I felt my lips curve into a smile I could not stop.
“Hey, stranger,” I said, leaning against a nearby bookshelf, keeping my tone light. “You following me or something?”
She raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a smirk. “You wish, wilderness guide. I am just here for some light reading. What about you? Stalking the stacks?”
I chuckled, stepping closer. “Maybe I just wanted to make sure you stayed out of trouble. You have a knack for finding it.” Her scent hit me again, lavender and something warm, and that bond flared, making my chest tight.
I tried to play it cool. “You know, you are too beautiful to get lost in a forest. Would be a shame if I had to rescue you again.”
Her cheeks flushed, just a little, but she held my gaze, her wit sharp as ever. “Oh, please. I can handle myself. And last I checked, you were the one tackling drifters, not me. Care to explain that yet?”
“Not much to explain,” I said, dodging like always. “Just a guy helping out a pretty journalist. You digging up anything good in here?”
She tilted her head, studying me like she could see through my act. “Old maps, local history. Nothing you would find interesting, I bet. Unless you know something about those logging sites you are not telling me.”
I grinned, leaning in just enough to feel that spark again. “You are relentless, Adrienne. I like that. But maybe stick to books instead of dark trails, yeah? Safer that way.”
She laughed, soft but sharp, and it sent a jolt through me. “Safer is boring, Allen. And I am not here for boring.”
I wanted to keep talking, to keep that spark alive, but I caught the librarian glancing our way, holding a stack of maps. I stepped back, giving Adrienne a nod. “Just be careful, okay? I will see you around.”
“Count on it,” she said, her eyes lingering on mine a second too long before she turned back to the counter.
I slipped outside, my heart still racing from the banter.
She was trouble, no doubt, but the kind I could not stay away from.
I leaned against a lamppost across the street, watching her through the fogged windows as she charmed the librarian, Mrs. Carter, into sharing those maps.
Adrienne’s voice carried just enough for my shifter hearing to catch, her tone all charm as she joked about buried treasure.
“Come on, Mrs. Carter,” she said, leaning on the counter. “You must have some old forest maps tucked away. I am hunting for buried treasure, you know, something to spice up my story.”
The librarian chuckled, shaking her head. “You are trouble, are you not? Fine, I will check the archives. But no promises.”
Adrienne grinned, and I could not help but smile too.
She had a way of getting what she wanted, her wit sharp enough to cut through anyone’s defenses.
I watched her flip through a stack of papers, her brow furrowing as she traced a map with her finger.
She was relentless, and it was going to get her killed if I did not step in.
I shifted my weight, torn between marching back in there and dragging her out or keeping my distance like the council ordered.
The bond made it hard to think straight.
Every time I pictured her, those hazel eyes, that stubborn tilt of her chin, my chest warmed like I was standing too close to a fire.
But I was a shifter, she was human, and Esoterra’s laws were clear.
Getting close to her was a risk I could not afford.
Still, I could not let Morris get to her.
Memories of him hit me hard. Three years ago, he stood in that same grove, his amber eyes blazing as he preached about human greed, how they would destroy our forests if we did not strike first. I argued we could protect Esoterra without war, that humans were not all the same.
The council sided with me, barely, but Morris’s followers turned on me.
When he was banished, I was too, guilty by association.
Now he was back, and I was not going to let him ruin everything again.
The library door swung open, and Adrienne stepped out, her phone pressed to her ear. I stayed in the shadows, my ears pricking up as her voice carried across the street.
“Yeah, I got the map,” she said, her tone low but excited. “There is a restricted logging site off Route 17. I am heading there at midnight. If there is a story, it is there.”
My stomach dropped. The logging site was deep in the forest, too close to Esoterra’s borders.
Morris would be watching, and Adrienne had no idea what she was walking into.
I clenched my fists, the scarf in my pocket feeling heavier than it should.
I had to stop her, but without spilling the truth about what I was.
She was already too curious, and I was running out of lies.