The Traitor Panther

Chapter Four

Why are they standing so close together?

I couldn't respond, because they were in fact standing very close together. Angel was looking up into Ike's eyes, and he was looking down into hers. She was breathing hard, and her face was flushed, Ike looked like his normal calm and composed self. Her hand was grabbing his, and their chests were inches apart.

I couldn't stop my panther when she screamed into the forest and leaped at Angel, claws aimed for her face.

My panther does not miss.

And this time was no exception.

I felt her claws sink into Angel's flesh, followed by a piercing scream. I felt Ike's hands roughly grabbing my panther by the shoulders and Nate yelling at me to stop. He must have shifted back.

But my panther didn't care. She didn't care even when she heard Ike yelling that it wasn't what it looked like. She sank her teeth into Angel's shoulder, not flinching a muscle as Angel kicked at her and tried shoving her fingers in my panther's eyes. I could tell she was trying to shift, but she was probably too hurt already. My panther was going to kill her.

And I wasn't going to stop her.

"She's waking up, back up." My head hurts. Was I asleep?

I pried my eyes open, blinking in an attempt to faster adjust to the bright light in my eyes. Which I discovered as I was finally able to focus my vision, was in fact just the sun in the sky above me. I was laying down on the forest floor, staring up at the sky through the pine needles.

"What happened?" I mumble as I sit up, looking around me. Nate was squatting on the balls of his feet directly beside me, his hands hanging down and his body angled towards me, but his cold face turned opposite towards Matt and Ike, who were standing shoulder to shoulder in front of me. Ike was watching me with a carefully blank face, Matt was glaring. What the fuck did I do?

"How is your head?" Nate asks. I look at him, confused. "I had to knock you out." He explains after seeing my confused expression. "You would've killed Angel if I hadn't." I feel my heart stop beating.

I remember now. I was in the middle of killing Angel when I felt a horrible pain on the back of my head. That must've been Nate hitting me with something.

I look up and meet gazes with Matt. His eyes are red and watery. He's got blood all over the sweatshirt he's wearing. He doesn't even say anything to me, just turns around and walks off towards the pack.

I sigh and bring my knees up to my face, resting my forehead on them and staring at the ground. It would appear that I have fucked up.

"Why would you do that, Cleo?" I feel irritation bubbling in my chest at Ike's question.

"What were you two doing?" I ask instead of answering him. I wanted to know that first. Then I would decide my next move.

"Angel was just... telling me something." My head snaps up and I glare into Ike's already angry eyes.

"I assume confessing her undying love for you?" He scoffs and looks away.

"So you're allowed to have a whole other mate..." He stops and looks at me again. "I'm staying with Matt tonight. I'll see you tomorrow for the ceremony." And with that he turns and walks off in the same direction as Matt. Was he saying he wanted to be with Angel in the same way I was with Nate? Or was he saying how unfair I was to expect perfect cooperation from him about me having another mate and then turn around and act like this? Let's stick with the former.