Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

“Welcome Luna Iokaste, welcome gentlemen. I'm Lady Camille, mother of this coven," an older woman

standing in the middle of the entryway welcomes us, "Luna Iokaste, you are correct. You will not be

able to feel your bond with your mate while you are in our realm unless he is here with you. Never fear,

we have spells that will help you overcome this feeling so you can concentrate on your studies and

training. We will show you to your rooms ina few minutes, but first we need to go over some rules.” :

Marco pats my hand, "Give it a chance, Luna. If it's too much of a problem, I'll call the Alpha.”

Lady Camille begins as if she didn't hear what Marco just said, "Now, the first thing to know is you will

not be able to speak about the things we do here. Our land has an enchantment that will prevent you

from being able to do so.

“The second thing is that your weapons and cell phones will not work here, gentlemen. You're welcome

to escort Luna Iokaste anywhere you want, but I assure you, the

three of you have never been safer. If you need your cell phones, please ask and we will open up

aconnection to the outside world.”

I look at James and Marco who are looking at each other with furrowed brows. James looks at Lady

Camille and nods once in understanding.

“And finally, time works differently here. Alpha Regent Bronx Mason will return in two weeks for a visit,

but it is going to seem more like two months for the three of you. I understand that it's a long time for a

werewolf to be away from your pack, but I assure you, we will do our best to make you comfortable.

Luna Iokaste, we will bring dinner to your room tonight. Please have your guards join you for this

evening's meal so the three of you can get acclimated. We will introduce you all to the coven tomorrow

morning. Speaking of which, starting tomorrow and for the next eight months, we will begin our days at

six in the morning. Now, sisters, please show these three to their rooms. I'm sure they must all need

some rest." 2

“Thank you, Lady Camille. Please, you and the rest of your coven can call me Kas.”

“Oh no, Luna Iokaste. You will find that there is power in a name. While you are here, we will address

you by your Goddess- given name," she smiles warmly and turns away.

"It's gonna be a long eight months," Lex sighs.

Bronx's POV

They told us they were going to portal, but it was still jarring to see Kas there one second and gone the

next. Just like Sister Penny said, the moment they disappear, I can't feel Kas's connection. My heart

feels empty and Saint howls mournfully in my head. He doesn't understand why his mate needs to

leave.

I light another cigarette and take a few deep drags before I drop it and snuff it with my foot. It isn't

making me feel any better about the situation. I sigh deeply and get back in the car. Henri tries to make

small talk but I'm not interested.

Saint's mood changes from sadness to anger. He snarls and tries to push to the surface, " You son of a

bitch, you just let them take our mate away? How could you do this to us?” 2 “Saint, it's temporary. We

need to do this for Kas and Elexis. They deserve to know who they are. We owe it to them to be able to

reach their full potential," I try to justify to him for the hundreth time. It's takes everything I have to push

him back and stop him from shifting. ° "If they harm a hair on my mate's head, I'm disowning you," he

snarls. I don't respond. I'm hurting just as much as he is. He doesn't say another word, he just crawls to

a back corner of my mind and curls up. I can feel his pain, but there is nothing I can do about it.

Between the distance from Kas and Saint's tantrum, I feel lost and exhausted. I close my eyes for a

moment. Henri wakes me up when we get to his packhouse. I feel like I'm going through the motions as

I get out of the car and into the castle. I don't leave my room for dinner, so Henri's wife brings a tray up

to me. I push the food around the plate before I put it in the kitchenette sink and lay down. I look at

pictures of Kas on my phone until I fall asleep. I leave early the next morning, without saying goodbye

to anyone except Henri. I feel homesick.

Two weeks. I can do this. I don't have a choice. When I land, I have a missed call from Marco. I listen

to the voicemail reassuring me that Kas has settled in and things are going well. James would call

again when he had the opportunity but cell reception is spotty, so it may not be as regular as I would

like. It is such a generic message. No real details, no intel on the coven, just a check-in. I dismiss it as

me being exhausted. I trust him and James to

keep Kas safe. I have to. Their situation is currently out of my control.

I find Milo and Reggie in the kitchen having an afternoon snack.

"Man, you look like shit!" Reggie says,

putting down his sandwich.

"You don't say," I rub my hands on my face like I always do when I'm frustrated.

"Wanna go for a run? Get your mind off of things?" Milo offers. Normally I would say yes, but Saint is in

such a bad mood that he just yells NO from the back of my mind and shuts down our link again. »

"T don't think that's a good idea. Where's Cason? I need a distraction. I want some ink." "He's down in

the weight room. Want me to get him for ya?" Milo asks.

"Yeah. I'm gonna shower then meet him at his shop."

Carson is from a small French Canadian pack. His father was killed in an attack when he was just a

pup. His mother found a second chance mate with one of our warriors, so they came to Blood River

when he was fourteen. He started tattooing when he was seventeen and has been my tattoo artist

since my first taste of ink. Over the years, he has turned my body into a work of art. But he isn't just my

tattoo artist, he's like an unofficial therapist. Not just for me, for anyone who sits in his chair.

I walk to his shop down the road from the packhouse about an hour later. He is ready and waiting when

I get there. Fortunately for me, he is an artistic genius. I give him a shitty description of what I have in

mind, show him several pictures, and he magically sketches out what's in my brain.

We talk about Kas and all the things that make her so special. From her bubbly, caring personality, her

love of cooking, I also touch on her past a bit. I even tell him about her abilities being the reason she

has to go to France.

“Sounds like she is going to be a great Luna. You're a lucky guy Alpha Bronx," he says with his thick

French accent.

It takes a couple of hours to complete the design on my quad. The result was a realistic pair of violet

eyes that look just like the pictures I had shown him, with Iokaste written below it in his signature script

writing. The '

Kas' part of her name is a little larger than the rest of the letters. It's perfect.

I join the pack for dinner but I'm completely distracted. I don't have much to say and even after sitting

with Cason for a couple hours, I'm still in a bad mood. Everyone can feel it, making dinner a subdued

event. I push food around my plate until I've had enough. Lenora makes me eat a couple of bland

breadsticks, then I go to my apartment.

I flop face first on the sofa and scream into a pillow. After a while, I hear the door open but I don't look

up from the pillow. It's either Lenora or my parents. They're the only ones who have a key.

"Honey, I heard you had to send your mate away. Are you alright?" Mom's sweet voice fills the room. 2

"Come on champ, no sulking. Let's get you up and get some grub in you. Lenora says you didn't eat

dinner and Henri texted me to say he was worried about you," Dad says as he follows in behind Mom.

He heads straight to the kitchen to make me dinner. In my dad's eyes, food cures all ailments. I can't

wait for him to meet Kas. He isn't a great cook but he could make a mean hoagie.

I get off the sofa and give my mom a bone crushing bear hug. She can handle it, I've been doing it for

years. She and Dad were both in the military when they were younger. That's how they met. Before she

retired, she was one of the pack's lead trainers. After I took over, they retired and moved into a house

near the packhouse but they travel a lot so I didn't get to see them often. They were a great Alpha

Regent and Luna, they deserve the time to relax.

"T miss her, Mom. I feel like I have a crater- sized hole in my heart," I sigh as I lean against her.

She pats my back, "It's going to be okay, Honey. Lenora filled us in. You get to see her ina couple of

weeks right?"

"Yeah," I sigh. She pulls out of our hug and looks at me, her green eyes sparkling. She

pats my cheek sypmathetically. Just then Dad comes out of the kitchen with a giant meatball hoagie.

We sit at the table while I eat and tell them all about Kas. The bad and the good. I show them pictures

of her on my cell phone. I keep flipping back until I get to the first one I ever took of her. It is of her

back. Raw and bleeding. [ had to send it to the Elder Council to get

them to make an appearance at Silver Moon. I flip to the next picture, it is her dungeon room. The next

picture is from our hospital wing, showing her healed scars, then pictures of us together, and ones of

her that she didn't realize I took in the library and in the gardens. "Well, she certainly looks beautiful,

scarred or not. And it sounds and looks like she's a strong young lady, Bronx. We can't wait to meet

her. When will she be back?" Dad asks. "In time for winter solstice," I lean back in my seat with a sigh.

"Perfect. We should be back from Japan just in time to meet her," Mom says cheerfully.

I finish my food as they tell me all about their trip to Peru. They stay for a couple of hours as we catch

up on pack and security business things before they head home. They are leaving again in a few days

and won't be back until the week before the winter solstice, the same time Kas will be back.

It's difficult to fall asleep. I realize Kas's old green and grey comforter is neatly folded over the loveseat

in the sitting area of the bedroom. I don't understand why she insists on keeping it, but she uses it

every time she takes a nap. I pick it up and hold it to my nose. It smells just like her. I drag the blanket

to the bed and hold it against me. I feel a little calmer, but still not able to sleep.

"You did this to us, man. You let her leave," Saint reminds me for the umpteenth time. 2 It's going to be

a long two weeks.