The Panther's Second Chance (Book 10 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 38

"Well, I really didn't want to do this yet, but it looks like you're trying to push me into a corner. You shouldn't do that, you know. Be manipulative. It's a terrible thing," Anthony said, turning to look at her before he opened the door of his bedroom. Like he was giving her an ultimatum. And that made her nervous.

She just stared at him for a long moment, trying to figure out if he was being serious. "Well, aren't you the pot calling the kettle black." Manipulative jerk.

He frowned at her. " I don't know what that means."

"It means you're one to talk. You've been manipulative since we got here." She didn't want to be having this conversation with him. She just wanted her wolf and her mate back and to get back on the plane and fly home. And leave Tanami Pack short an Alpha. Was he this manipulative to his pack? Was that how he'd gotten the position of Alpha?

"That's different," he said with a glare, not liking being called out.

"Yeah? How?" She folded her arms across her chest, staring at him. Come on Anthony. Give me your bullshit excuse. I'm tired of this game. I'm tired of you.

"I'm saving you from making a terrible mistake. Mating a panther shifter and having a child with him? Do you know how dangerous that could be?" He lifted a brow at her as though he expected her to know these things. Like she was a petulant child that he was trying to educate.

What was he talking about? She and Dominic hadn't really even talked about having children. Dom had seemed a bit flustered when she'd asked him and she'd realized he hadn't given it any thought because up until then, he'd never been with a woman he would consider having children with. How would that work considering she was a werewolf and he was a panther shifter? It also wasn't something she wanted to discuss with Anthony. But at the same time, she was curious. "I don't know what you mean."

"Any child you would have with that pussy cat would be a hybrid. One with both a wolf and a panther. Given that it would have Remington blood, it would be incredibly powerful. We can't have that happening," he said, glaring at her. "It would be very dangerous." He shook his head in disgust, looking at her like he couldn't believe she would ever consider such a thing.

"How do you know all of this?" Natalia was confused. It almost seemed like Anthony know more about Dom than Dominic knew about himself. Unless he was completely bullshitting her. Which, given how manipulative he was, wouldn't surprise her. Was he making this all up as he went along? Maybe he was a master bullshitter. The thought almost made her smile.

"I did my research," he said calmly.

Like there was a class at the local college on panther shifters. She scoffed. "Where?"

He walked across the room and grabbed a book off of his nightstand and then turned and handed it to her.

Natalia took it from him, curiosity eating her up. She flipped the book over, looking at the cover. History of the Panther by Howard Beckham. The book was ancient and Natalia wondered if Dominic was related to Howard and had actually known him at one point. Given the last name, he must have been. She opened the book carefully, and noticed the fine ancient print, and hand drawn pictures. Someone had spent a lot of time on this book. It was definitely about the Panther Shifter. The book was incredible and she wondered if Dominic knew that it existed.  "Where did you get this?"

"I can't tell you all of my secrets," he said, taking the book from her before she could really look through it, and placing it carefully back on his nightstand. He turned back to her, eyeing her in a predatory way.

Natalia bit her lip as she felt fear run through her. Fear for her mate. She needed to get her hands back on that book before she left. She'd rather it be in her possession than anyone else's. "Take me to my mate." She said it that way just to piss him off.

He clenched his jaw, and crossed his massive arms over his chest. "We need to talk first."

"We've talked enough, Alpha," she said in frustration. 'Nala, please come back already.' Which made her think of another question."When was the last time you gave me wolfsbane?"

He frowned and grew quiet for a moment. "Probably six this morning. And I'll keep dosing you until we complete the bond." He gave her a smug smile, letting his gaze trail over her in a way she didn't appreciate.

That made her stomach drop, until she remembered something her great grandfather had told her once. 'At some point, it'll just quit working.' That couldn't be soon enough in her estimation. Or hopefully her parents showed up sooner rather than later. How long had her father planned to stay in Maine for? He'd made it sound like it was going to be a quick trip. "Say what you need to say, then take me to my mate."

"I know you're not going to easily agree to be mine. You're a bit stubborn. You'll need some convincing. That's where that pussy cat comes in. Come on." He finally opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

Natalia took a deep breath. She didn't like this at all. It scared her that Anthony had done his research on Dominic and that he seemed to know quite a bit. She felt like he had the upper hand here. He definitely knew things she didn't and he might even know things Dominic didn't know. That truly scared her.

She wanted to just go somewhere and hide and cry but she couldn't. She was a Princess, a Remington. Crying wasn't very productive and it was something she wouldn't do in front of Alpha Anthony. It would make her even more vulnerable than she already was and it would just be a distraction for her. Something she didn't need right now.

Instead, she needed to figure out how to get both herself and Dominic out of this situation. She needed to come up with a plan. Seeing Dominic would help. She'd know where he was and it would reassure him that she was fine, and the other way around, or at least she hoped. If she could reconnect with her wolf, maybe they could mind link and figure out something together. He would probably be much more resourceful than she was.

Alpha Anthony led her down the hall to the staircase, and then down the steps. She recognized the entrance she and Dominic had come through. But Anthony turned and headed down the hallway towards the back of the house, and past the room they had occupied when they'd first arrived. Natalia thought briefly about ducking in and grabbing her bag, but her need to see Dominic outweighed that and she hurried after him.

He came to a stop at a door and pushed it open, then walked outside. Heat and sunlight hit her, making her blink as her eyes struggled to adjust to the light, and her legs struggled to keep up with Anthony's long stride. Why did he have to walk so fast? If she had to walk around this place all day without having her wolf, she'd be exhausted.

She practically had to run to keep up with him. Somehow she had a feeling if he truly was her mate, he would never let her walk next to him. She'd be one step behind him constantly trying to keep up. He didn't seem to take into consideration the fact that she was over a foot shorter than him and less than half his size. He didn't even look back at her, and she realized if she had her wolf and knew Dominic was safe, she could easily get away from him. She'd shift, shredding his clothes that she didn't want to wear in the first place, and take off into the wilderness.