Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

“What in the Goddess’s name are you talking about?” Lenora snarls at Katherine, "Kas, you better get

your sister out of here before I do it for you. If she thinks she's taking my baby to be her mate, she's

more fucked in the head than I ever imagined."

Ilook at Lenora to see her eyes are solid black as Justice surface. It only takes a flicker of a glance at

Delilah for us to intervene. We both step in between Lenora and Katherine, making more space

between the women. All the while, Milo is trying to soothe a hysterical, screaming Codi.

"Lenora, please don't make me use my Luna voice. You know hate that," I try to reason with her, but it’s

too late. My fearless mama-wolf, Beta, is ready to protect her pup, and she has her sights set on

Katherine. She tries to push past me, but I grab her arms and hold her solidly. She may be six inches

taller than me, but with Lex helping, I'm still stronger.

"I said stand down, Lenora," my Luna voice booms from deep inside me. Almost instantly, Lenora stops

struggling and her eyes turn green again. She straightens her blouse, never taking her glaring eyes off

of Katherine. She looks like the slightest movement from Katherine will set her off again. I open up a

mind link “BRONX, MARCO, I need you guys NOW!”

“We're on the way, Kas. What's going on?” I hear Bronx reply. I look to my left and see Marco making

his way toward me. From behind me, I can smell Bronx's coffee and dark chocolate scent getting

stronger.

“You're sister and my sister...well, I don’t even know...” I keep my hands on Lenora’s arms until Bronx

comes up behind her and pulls her back. Marco puts one arm protectively over top of me like we have

practiced if there is a threat in the human world and extends his other to keep everyone ata distance. '

“Marco, help Delilah with my sisters,” I order from under his arm, “I'll help Bronx with Milo and Lenora.”

He looks at the surrounding people, then reluctantly at me, “Kas, I-”

“Please, Marco. I will be with Bronx and Milo. I will be fine. We will be at the head table when you have

some answers,’ I do my best to reassure him I don’t need a guard when I’m with my mate. Delilah and

Marco corral Katherine, who can’t bear to take her teary eyes off of Codi, and Amari, leading them

away from us to get an explanation on what is going on. At the same time, Bronx and I lead Lenora and

Milo, with Codi having a full-on tantrum, back to the head table to calm the three of them down.

When we get to the table, Bronx pulls out a chair and makes Lenora sit down while Milo stands and

tries to calm Codi down.

After about twenty minutes, Marco and Delilah make their way back to us. Marco looks like he’s seen a

ghost. Delilah looks like she could burst into tears at any moment. She looks around at the pack

members milling around. "Luna Iokaste, maybe this is a good time to slow things down around us, for

privacy's sake," she looks at me witha nod.

Ilook at the people around us and gauge how much energy it is going to take to slow time. I am still

exhausted from healing Bronx. With a deep breath, I lift my hand and curl my fingers halfway into a fist

and stop. Around us, everyone moves to a snail's pace.

“Okay, I'm tired, so we have maybe ten minutes. Delilah, what's wrong? Marco, what happened?”

“Well, according to your sisters, if their guardian dies, in this case it would have been Cordell Santoro,

they are reincarnated. Which we already knew,” Delilah tries to explain calmly. She casts her eyes to

the floor as if she can't figure out how to say the rest.

Marco looks at her sympathetically and continues on for her, “Basically, as soon as their mate is

reincarnated, the countdown is set for the goddess to die, so she can be reincarnated, too. That way

you don’t have, you know, a baby, mated to a woman who is hundreds of years old. Katherine says

based on how old Codi is, she has six months tops to get her affairs in order.”

“Guardians have the same fate. If their goddess dies, well, they can’t live much longer without their

mate,” Delilah finishes, wiping tears from her eyes. I take her hand and rub her back to comfort her. My

poor sweet best friend. I know outside the Coven’s realm, she is only twenty-one, but she has been

alive over ninety years within the realm. The concept of living hundreds of years is familiar to her.

Thinking about death and mortality is something she tries to avoid. Especially knowing that James ages

like a regular werewolf and while he will get to spend the rest of his life with her, she won't be able to

spend the rest of her life with him.

“I mean, I can’t imagine losing Musu, but knowing that means I got less than

two years to live? Shit, man. That's intense,” Marco shakes his head in disbelief. :

“So you're telling me, Katherine Santoro know's she's going to die...soon. The Moon Goddess is going

to give birth toa new leader of the Maven and my daughter is going to be that goddess's mate? That's

how they recognize each other, because as a toddler Codi somehow already knows her and Katherine

are destined mates?” A look of understanding crosses Lenora's face,

then one of suspicion, "How can Codia Guardian? She's a female. The Guardians are all men,” Lenora

squints her eyes, suspicious of the explanation. 7 “Uh, well, sort of?” Delilah fidgets with her fingers

and avoids eye contact with Lenora.

“Sort of? What do you mean, sort of, Delilah?” Milo asks with a little growl in his chest.

Bronx gives him a damning glare, “Easy there Beta. Don’t be upset with the messenger.”

"Well," Delilah looks at Lenora as she speaks through her sniffles, "Katherine says her mate has been

reincarnated as a female three times before. Those three lifetimes have been the longest, most

peaceful lives she can remember.” “Okay, but this is the part you guys really ain’t gonna believe,”

Marco says, “ Delilah, you wanna tell ‘em about the babies or should I?”

I hold Delilah’s hand while she tries to calm down, but the tears are streaming down her face. She

shakes her head no as she tries to hold back her sobs.

“Go ahead, Marco,” I nod to him.

“So basically, the Moon Goddess is out of the baby making business. Nowadays she uses regular she-

wolves as vessels or something? Like, she picks someone, and she puts a goddess baby into the

woman. Something like that, I don’t know for sure, it didn't really make sense,” he says, not completely

comprehending what he is saying, “Butit could be, like, any she-wolf, anywhere in the world. If the

Moon Goddess finds her ‘worthy’, she can give birth to one of forty-eight goddesses.”

“Marco, there’s fifty goddesses,” Bronx puts his hands on his hips as he takes in the information.

“Oh yeah, well, now we in the fucked up territory. Kas, sit down,” he looks at me and points to a chair.

"Marco, I'm fine," I protest, until he gives mea stern look. I sit down slowly, watching him carefully,

“Alright, I’m sitting.”

“Well, you know how Cora’s mate died too, right? That means she’s gonna die soon,” he explains.

“Yes, 1t means Tessa’s clock is also ticking,” Milo says.

I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach while they all speak about my mother and sisters. I think

back to the conversations I've had with Leticia. What if killing the Guardians wasn't about killing the

Guardians? What if it was about killing their mates? Could an old version of me want my sisters dead

that badly? If there is no one to lead the other factions, what happens? Who controls the Manae? I

clear my head and bring myself back to the conversation.

“Well, because Cora is so strong willed and independent, you know, rather living as a wolf than in

human form and all that shit, a regular she-wolf can't handle her birth. Cora’s too strong.”

“So, what, the Moon Goddess gives birth to Cora every time she dies?” Lenora asks.

“No,” Delilah croaks. She looks at me with a fresh wave of tears, “Kas does.” “Kas is the only one

strong enough to give birth to Cora. And, uh, Cora’s the only one strong enough to give birth to Kas,”

Marco's eyes go wide when he sees the look on my face, finishing Delilah’s thought.

I blink hard a few times and try to speak, but there are no words. | look at Bronx, who's looking at me

witha concerned face. He's talking to me, but I can't hear him. A familiar high pitched buzzing sound

fills my ears. I swallow hard and push it back.

No. No nono. I refuse to let myself pass out or fall into a premonition right now. I fight against the

blackness creeping into the edges of my vision. In the distance, the storm cloud I can't seem to shake,

quietly thunders as my mood shifts.

“Elexis. Did you know? I have to give birth to my sister,” I growl at her, “Did you know, and you didn’t

fucking tell me?”

“I'm not allowed to tell you those types of things, Kas. You know that. You don’t think it’s frustrating for

me to have almost five thousand years’ worth of knowledge and not be able to share most of it?” she

stands her ground against my anger, “Besides, how the Hell would I explain that, anyway? Until a

month ago, you didn’t even know Cora in this lifetime. Some lifetimes you never meet her. So put the

attitude away.”

“But she’s my sister,” I try to justify, “ Does that mean Bronx is going to be her

father?”

“No Kas. You are not her mother. The Moon Goddess is. And Bronx is not her father, Endymion is. The

Moon Goddess puts her daughter in your care for safekeeping when the time comes for that to happen.

As cruel as it sounds, you're just the host. You and Bronx are going to care for her because she is your

sister and you will raise her like she is your pup until she is old enough to remember who she is and

finds her mate. Same for Cora, except for her, it happens a lot more often. And because she lives in the

wilderness, she can’t raise you. That’s why your father has to find a safe place for you every time

you're reincarnated,” Lex tries to explain.

“How many times have I given birth to her, Lex?"

"I guess ten, maybe twelve?"

"And how many times has she given birth to me?” I brace myself for an answer that I don’t want.

“Kas, please don’'t-”

“Lex, tell me!” I shout at her.

“I don’t know,” she sighs, “at least three hundred.”

I feel the blood drain from my face and I look at Bronx. The pack members around us start moving

regular speed again, happily conversing as if nothing happened.

I feel a tear slide down my cheek, “I think I’m gonna puke.”