Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

I'm on the phone for an hour and a half with Ashley and the PR team, coming up with a statement for the media anda plan for how Kas and I should respond if we're asked questions by reporters. I hang up and rub my hands over my face. I really fucked up. The PR team is mad, Ashley’s mad. I can only imagine how mad Lenora is. This was an international event. She is going to have to deal with it, too. I'm surprised she hasn't called to yell at me yet. And tabloids reporting that Kas is pregnant, too? Ican only imagine how upset she is.

I sit back in my seat and sigh. The television is on mute, but I look over and see an image of me sitting on the edge of the fountain with my hand on Kas’s belly. Oh shit. I can’t hear what the reporter is saying, but she has a huge grin on her face. The tabloids aren't just making shit up. They saw us talking about it. Even if they couldn't hear our conversation, they saw the body language. That’s all they need to run with a false story.

Fuck.

I lean forward and put my head in my hands and hear Kas out of the bedroom.

I can't bear to look at her. She gently pushes my chest to get me to sit up. When I look up, I see she’s wearing our shirt, hair tousled like it always is when she first wakes up. I let her take my arms and wrap them around her when she sits in my lap, so she is comfortable. She takes a deep breath and breathes in my scent.

“Bronx, can we go home now, please? I want to sleep in our bed, even if it's only for a few days.”

“Of course, Baby. Our flight is scheduled for tomorrow and we don't have any other travel plans scheduled. You'll sleep in our bed for as many nights as you want starting tomorrow. Not justa few days. I can see if Carly can move up the flight if you want to leave sooner?”

“No. I can wait one more night,” she sighs and curls herself up tighter against me, “I can just stay in here though, right? I don’t have to leave the room?”

“Yeah, you can just stay in the room. Kas, I really fucked up this time. I’m so sorry,” I whisper into her forehead. I realize I'm rocking her back and forth slightly.

“It's going to be alright, Bronx. People will forget about it soon enough,” her voice is hollow, like she doesn’t believe the words she’s saying. I can feel an emotion coming from her. I think it’s sadness, but it’s more complicated than that.

“What's wrong, Kas? If all this is too stressful, I will pull strings. We can get out of here in an hour if that’s what you want. I know! fucked up. I will do whatever it takes to fix it. Just give the word and we are on our way to the airport,” I give her a kiss on the temple and whisper into her ear.

“I'm fine, Sweetheart. Just a little-”

I wait for her to finish, but she doesn't. I look down and see she is asleep. Her head and top half of her body drops forward heavily when I try to look at her.

“Kas?” I adjust my position to tilt her back, making her head roll back heavily against my bicep, “Kas?!”

I pat my hand against her face, but she doesn’t respond. I take a deep breath and smell her scent. Her body is warm and I can still feel the sparks of our mate bond. I lift her eyelid, but her eyes don’t have the hollow, empty look they do when she falls into a vision. They’re just rolled back slightly, like she passed out.

“James! Get Delilah. Something’s wrong with Kas,” I command through a mind link while I take her into the bedroom, “ It’s not a Code Violet. Not like one we've seen before, anyway.”

still in wolf

I’m putting her in bed

Kas’s hands in mine and kiss her fingertips. I feel my breath getting heavier as I try not

Delilah right behind him. Delilah rushes over to her

down Kas’s body without touching her. A slight blue aura comes from her hands as she murmurs an

“Alpha, I-I don’t think her human spirit is in her body right

someone, especially Kas, but you can’t try to leave your body and gallivant around the universe while you're pregnant. There's too much that could go

a bit and see if she can find her way back. Something or someone pulled her away suddenly. If itis more than a few hours, let's

hand, “Ou es-tu mon ami?

Kas’s POV

hall of Mount Olympus, where I first met Zeus. I look in both directions, but

echoes down the hall, “My name is Iokaste Latmus Mason.

a tiara with a crescent moon. Her blue eyes shine like moonlight and become more clear as she glides closer to me. I can't see her feet to tell if she is walking or floating an inch off the ground. “Mother,” I hear Lex whisper, but she sounds far away, as if she isn’t actually with

though she walks slowly. She kneels down to the

she says. I hear her

trying to prick at the

Iokaste. Please come with me. You have caused quite a stir here,” she stands and takes my hand. She isn’t as tall as Zeus, but she is

done something wrong, Mother?” I feel worry settling

isn't a gift you were given, but I think you can wait a few more minutes,” she looks

with giant throne-like chairs around the perimeter. As we enter, people materialize in the chairs. Some of them I recognize from pictures and statues I have seen. Zeus

the middle, my

of the corner of my eye, I see two people standing next to Mother’s throne. They are

happening?”

to be fine,” she smiles with her soft blue eyes. Jasen nods reassuringly on the other side

apologies. You go by Kas now, correct?” Zeus’s

I gulp hard, feeling like my voice

“Kas, your