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?”

this case it would have been Cordell Santoro, they are reincarnated. Which we already knew,” Delilah tries

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

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

mean, I can’t imagine losing Musu, but knowing that

to live? Shit, man. That's intense,” Marco shakes his head

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

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

you mean, sort of, Delilah?” Milo asks

there Beta. Don’t be

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

down, but the tears are streaming down her face. She shakes

I

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

fifty goddesses,” Bronx puts his hands on

the fucked up territory. Kas, sit down,” he looks

I protest, until he gives mea stern look. I sit down slowly, watching him carefully, “Alright,

how Cora’s mate died too, right? That

clock

the Guardians wasn't about killing the Guardians? What if it was about killing their mates? Could an old version of me

so strong willed and independent, you know, rather living as a wolf than in human form and all that shit, a regular

gives birth to Cora

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