Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Chapter 20

Once we are laying down and have had an opportunity to calm down, Marco pulls me close so we can let our bodies become tangled together.

"Okay, Marco. No more stalling. What happened today? What was the emergency on the fifth floor? Why did we get sent home?" I ask, brushing my fingers across his cheek and jaw.

He sighs and looks past me. He closes his eyes for a long second before he looks back at me. His eyes are slightly glossy, as if there are tears behind his eyes.

“Kas attacked James. She didn't just attack him, she tried to kill him. She ripped his throat open with her bare hands. He almost died today,” he says before rolling onto his back, looking at the ceiling. He rubs his hand over his eyes and forehead.

I sit up in disbelief, “Oh my Goddess. Are you serious? Why? Why would she do that? And of all wolves...how did she possibly get the best of James?”

“I'm completely serious. As for the rest of the questions, I've got no idea. I don't know what possessed her,” he shakes his head at the ceiling, "I heard the commotion and went inside thinking James must've caught someone trying to get in through a window or something. I don't know. But when I opened the door, she was in full attack mode and he was bleeding out.”

“Marco, I-I don't know what to say. I-,” I can't finish because I really don't know what to say.

“I don't need you to say anythin', Musu. Just being here listening is enough,” he looks at me with a weak smile. He pauses, then looks back up to the ceiling. He covers his eyes with the heels of his hands and speaks again. His voice shakes now, “For half a second, I considered shooting her, Musu. I almost shot my Luna. Clash stopped me. He wouldn't let us hurt her.”

He takes his hands away from his eyes and blinks hard, trying to fight back the tears, "She was doing exactly what we taught her to do if she needed to protect herself from an attacker. Not use it against one of us. James and I turned her into that wolf."

"Marco, you can't think this was you or James's fault. You will get to talk to her soon enough and clear this whole thing up," I reassure him.

"As soon as I told her who she was attacking, she stopped, and tried to heal him. Like she actually didn't know. The look on her face. She was so surprised.”

Marco takes his job as the Luna's guard very seriously. So for him to say there was even an inkling of a thought of hurting her, I know it was serious. Marco, James, and the Luna all have a very close relationship. I can't even fathom any of them wanting to hurt the other.

"She healed him after she almost killed him?" I ask, with confusion.

“Well, she tried to heal him, but then she started having a vision, so she wasn't able to finish. We had to take him to the hospital wing. He's gonna make it. He's strong, but still. If she wasn't a healer, he wouldn't have made it."

Goddess's name, were you just able to do that to me, out there," I point to the hallway, “If you just experienced your partner

not think about it for a little longer," he sighs

guess. Able to set aside trauma as needed to live his life in the pack. If he was still on Milo's

is still looking at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. I take the phone from

quickly text back and put the phone down. No idea what it means out of context, but I can find out later. I

in, "Tell him now. Take

most definitely not the

Do it! Don't make me take over,” she

roll my eyes

a good time, but I think it is

on his

a couple weeks ago, when I had a bad day at work and you got

I remember you fell

bed. Do you remember that?” I give him a sly

at me for a moment until I see the memory connect in his mind and he smiles back at me, "oh,

so crazy since then and I haven't really seen you much, so I haven't had

your mind,” he takes

voice is so small I'm not

against his lips. I feel like my heart just stopped. Is

married, an-and we aren't even engaged yet but, you know, we haven't exactly been careful,” I try to justify. His eyes shift to mine as he slowly lets go of my hand, "A-are

pulls boxers out of the drawer, finds shorts and a shirt, and

sheet up to cover myself, suddenly selfconscious, and look out the door curiously, waiting for him to come back. He put a shirt and shorts on to walk around the house? Half the time he gripes about having to wear boxers. This is not

later; he comes back in the

you doing? Please talk to

in front of me, pacing for a moment, then kneels on the floor in front of the bed. His beautiful light brown