Page 8 of Panther Heart’s Secret Passion (Esoterra Shifters World #2)

Chapter Eight

Allen

The howl outside the cabin still echoed in my ears, sharp and menacing, as I crouched by the window, my senses straining for any sign of movement.

Adrienne was curled up on the fur rug, her breath steady but her face tense, even in the firelight.

The bond between us burned in my chest, urging me to stay close, but those rogues were out there, Morris’s pack, and I couldn’t let them get to her.

I stood, grabbing my jacket, and kept my voice low.

“Stay here, Adrienne. I need to check something outside. Lock the door behind me.”

She sat up, her hazel eyes narrowing. “Check what? Allen, you’re doing it again, shutting me out. What’s out there?”

I forced a smile, trying to keep it light.

“Just some animals, probably spooked by the noise. I’ll set a few traps, scare them off.

Stay inside, okay?” I didn’t wait for her to argue, slipping out the door before she could push back.

The night was cold, the fog thick, and the scent of pine and damp earth filled my lungs as I moved away from the cabin.

The moment I was out of sight, I shifted, my body rippling into my panther form, black fur blending seamlessly into the shadows.

My paws hit the forest floor silently, my senses sharp as I caught the rogues’ scent, acrid and heavy with menace, circling closer.

I moved swiftly, weaving through the trees, my eyes scanning the darkness.

The first rogue lunged from a thicket, a gray wolf with yellow eyes, its snarl cutting through the quiet.

I dodged, my claws raking across its flank, sending it yelping back into the fog.

Another came from the side, a lean coyote, its teeth snapping at my shoulder.

I twisted, slamming my weight into it, my jaws closing on its scruff as I threw it against a tree.

The third was bigger, a bear shifter, its roar shaking the leaves as it charged.

I leaped onto a low branch, then dropped onto its back, my claws digging deep until it roared in pain and retreated, crashing through the underbrush.

Their snarls faded as they scattered, but I knew they’d be back. Morris wasn’t the type to give up.

I circled the cabin, making sure the rogues were gone, my heart pounding from the fight and the weight of what I was hiding.

I planned to tell Adrienne I’d scared them off with traps, something simple to keep her from asking too many questions.

But as I approached the cabin, my senses prickled, a faint glow cutting through the fog.

Adrienne stood outside, her flashlight in hand, its beam sweeping the clearing.

I froze, mid-shift, my body caught between panther and human, muscle and fur rippling as I tried to pull back into the shadows.

Too late. The light hit me, and she gasped, her eyes wide with fear, the flashlight dropping to the ground with a dull thud, its beam slicing through the mist.

“What are you?” she whispered, her voice trembling, her face pale in the moonlight as she stumbled backward, her hands clutching her jacket.

I finished shifting, standing human again, my chest heaving as I stepped toward her. “Adrienne, wait, let me explain.” My voice was low, urgent, but she shook her head, her breath hitching as she backed toward the cabin door.

“Explain what?” she said, her voice rising, sharp with panic. “I saw you, Allen! You were a… a panther, and then you just… changed! What the hell are you?” Her eyes darted to the trees, like she expected more monsters to come lunging out.

I raised my hands, trying to calm her. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m still me, Adrienne. I’m a shifter, from a place called Esoterra. It’s a hidden realm, here in the forest. I was born this way, and I’ve been trying to protect you from what’s out there.”

She stopped, her back against the cabin door, her eyes locked on mine, but there was no trust in them, only fear.

“Protect me? By lying to me? All this time, you’ve been hiding this, this…

whatever you are! Those things that attacked me, the ones with the tattoos, are they like you?

Is that why you’re always there, because you’re part of this? ”

“No,” I said, stepping closer, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. “Those are rogues, shifters who want to hurt people, humans and us. I’m fighting them, Adrienne. That’s why I’m here, to stop them. I didn’t tell you because I couldn’t, not without putting you in more danger.”

She laughed, a short, bitter sound, her hands shaking as she pushed the door open.

“More danger? My room’s trashed, Benjamin’s dead, and now I find out you’re some kind of shapeshifter?

How is that not dangerous, Allen? You’ve been lying to me from the start!

” She turned and stormed inside, her footsteps heavy as she headed for the small bedroom off the main room.

I followed, my heart pounding, but she slammed the door and locked it, the click loud in the quiet cabin.

“Adrienne, please,” I said, my voice low as I stood outside the door. “Just listen to me. I know this is a lot, but I’m not your enemy. I’m trying to keep you safe. There are dangers out there you don’t understand, things that’ll come for you if you keep digging.”

“Stop it,” she said through the door, her voice muffled but sharp.

“Just stop. I don’t want to hear it right now.

I need to think, Allen. I need you to leave me alone.

” Her words hit like a punch, the bond between us twisting painfully in my chest. I could hear her breathing, fast and uneven, and I pictured her sitting on the bed, arms wrapped around herself, trying to make sense of what she’d seen.

I pressed my hand against the door, my voice soft.

“Okay. I’ll give you space. But don’t go outside alone, Adrienne.

Not tonight. Please.” There was no answer, just silence, and it was louder than any scream.

I stepped back, my stomach churning with guilt.

I’d lost her trust, maybe for good, and the thought made my chest ache.

But I couldn’t leave her, not with Morris’s rogues out there, not with the veil fragment still in her pocket.

I moved to the main room, standing guard by the window, my senses alert for any sign of the rogues.

The fire had died down, leaving the cabin dim, the shadows heavy.

I sank into a chair, my eyes fixed on the bedroom door, listening for any sound from her.

The bond was still there, pulling at me, but it felt fragile now, like a thread stretched too thin.

I wanted to break the door down, to make her understand, but forcing her would only push her further away.

My hands clenched, my mind replaying the fight with the rogues, their snarls, their glowing eyes.

Morris was out there, planning something worse, and Adrienne was caught in the middle.

I had to protect her, even if she hated me for it.

The silence from the bedroom stretched on, and I leaned my head back, my senses straining for any sign of danger outside.

The forest was quiet now, too quiet, and it set my nerves on edge.

I stood, pacing the room, my eyes flicking to the window, the door, the bedroom.

I couldn’t shake the image of Adrienne’s face, pale and terrified, her voice trembling as she whispered, “What are you?” I’d spent my life hiding who I was, but I never thought it’d cost me this much.

The council’s orders, Morris’s threats, the veil’s fragility, it all pressed down on me, but nothing hurt worse than her fear.

I stopped pacing, my hand brushing the knife in my bag, its rune-carved handle a reminder of Esoterra, of the rules I was breaking just by caring for her.

I wanted to tell her everything, about the veil, the rogues, the soulmate bond that made it impossible to walk away.

But she wasn’t ready, and I didn’t know if she ever would be.

All I could do was keep her safe, even if it meant standing guard in the dark, alone with my guilt.