Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future novel Chapter 145

Chapter 13

The cool morning air combined with the dew dampening my cheek rouses me from my sleep. I pull Kas closer to my chest so she won't catch a chill. She grumbles a little at being moved, but doesn't wake up. My little sleepyhead. She hates waking up early. I smile as I take a deep breath with my nose buried in her hair. Her fresh rain and lilac scent is mixed with something else. Mud and a little blood.

Hold up. Mud and blood?

My eye snaps open and I see the sun is rising over the treeline. We are still out in the woods. I look around to find we are in the grass next to the Blood River. We are both naked and look like we have been rolling in mud puddles. There is a pile of rabbit remains nearby. I notice my face feels sticky. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. When I pull my hand away, I see it's covered with goopy, almost dried blood that smells just like the rabbit carcasses. Gross. 3

At some point during the night, Kas and I both shifted, but I can't remember a thing after Saint cut our link. I need to get some clothes for us from the nearby lockbox. I adjust my position slightly so I'm on my back, assessing how far away the container is from where we are. As I turn, I feel sores all over my body. I groan a little and try to find a spot that hurts, that isn't covered in mud. I find a couple spots on my arm that clearly have the remnants of bite marks, but Saint has already started healing them. They are just red and sore now.

"Saint?”

“Let me sleep. It was a late night,” he grumbles.

“Not so fast, buddy. What exactly happened last night? How come Kas and I shifted and why are we in the woods? I told you to get her back to the packhouse by dawn.”

"Listen, Bronx. I'm not gonna to taint your virgin ears by getting into the nitty-gritty details. Just know that Lex and I mated...a lot. It was a night to remember. I don't even know the last time Lex was such an animal. It was probably when she was affected by Cora,” I can practically hear him purring, “We were too worn out to make it to the packhouse, so we shifted for you and letting you snuggle up by the river. Like camping. Isn't that what you guys call romantic?" 4

I'm not sure what to say to him. I can't really be mad. He has every right to spend time with Lex as I do with Kas. Who am I to judge if he wants to have a wild night out in the woods with his mate? I just wish he would have taken her back to the packhouse like he said he would instead of romping around until he was too tired to make it back.

"Okay, well I'm going to get us some clothes and go home. Wait. Who's Cora?”

“Leader of The Feral,” he yawns, “Don't worry about it, you'll never meet her.”

“Fine. Go back to sleep.”

“Thank you and you're welcome,” he adds, emphasizing 'welcome', like he did me some sort of favor before he curls up to fall back asleep.

I carefully slide my arm out from under Kas and gently lay her head on the ground. She sighs deeply, but looks content. She also has rabbit remnants around her mouth. The wolf side of me thinks it looks kinda sexy. The human side of me knows it will horrify her if she sees herself with blood all over her face. I make a mental note to get her into the shower before she has time to look in a mirror.

I make my way to the lockbox and pull out a pair of shorts for myself and an oversized shirt and a blanket to wrap Kas up in. While I'm doing that, I mind link our ranked pack members and James and Marco.

"Hey everyone, I'm headed back to the packhouse with Kas. I want both James and Marco on duty. One of you inside the apartment, the other outside. Better yet, bring Tyree in as well. I want him on the stairs. No one on the fifth floor except for ranked members."

They confirm and cut the link to get themselves organized.

"Ashley, let the PR team know I don't need a script. I know what I'm going to say."

"No problem, Alpha."

"Lenora? I need you and Musu to find anything you can about a group known as The Feral and a woman who leads them named Cora."

“That's it? You don't have any more info than that?"

“Based on a conversation I had with Saint just now, I think this Cora woman may have somehow magically affected Kas and Lex. I don't have anything else other than that."

"Alright, we're on it.”

"Milo, Reggie, you're shadowing me today as representatives of MasonCo. After we release the tape to the media, we are going to HQ. There are going to be reporters and you are going to be speaking to them.”

"Got it, boss man. We will change into suits now," Milo confirms before cutting the link.

I kneel down in front of my sleepy little mate, prepping the shirt to put on her.

“Kas, wake up, Baby. We have to get back to the packhouse,” I stroke the side of her face with my hand.

"Pack house?” she gives a cranky little growl, resisting waking up and barely opening her eyes, looking around at her surroundings.

“Yeah. It looks like Lex and Saint had a wild night last night. They let us roll around in mud puddles and sleep by the river. Come on, sit up. I have a shirt for you and a blanket, so you can go back to sleep. I'll carry you,”

She groggily sits up and lets me pull the shirt over her head. I wrap her up like a burrito in the blanket and pick her up.

"Hey Bronx,” she whispers, trying not to fall back asleep in the warm blanket.

"Yeah, Baby?" I look down at her and smile. Her eyes are closed, but she is smiling too.

“I just wanted to let you know I love you and I'm so glad to be home," she tells me as she snuggles further into my chest.

My heart sings at her words, “I love you too, Kas. More than anything."

“But I'm still mad that you left me alone on Sundays."

Well, I guess she's feeling better.

"You'll be glad to know, I've learned my lesson. You will never be alone on Sundays again. We can talk more about it later. I have some business to attend to after I get you in bed.” 3