Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Bronx’s POV

I watch Kas go into the bedroom, but I don’t stop her. I understand she's upset. She needs time by herself to think before I go in and try to talk to her about the situation. I can’t tell if they upset her about the rumor she could be pregnant or about my reaction to Dionysus putting his filthy hands on her. Thinking about it again gets Saint worked up.

“It’s not too late to go find him and tear his throat out,” Saint snarls.

“Saint, knock it off. We're in hot water as itis,” I argue with him.

“You're just gonna let him get away with that?” he continues to rage.

“Tell you what, Saint. You tell me what the fuck you were talking to Kas about last night and I'll go after Dionysus.”

“Forget it, dummy. I already told you, that's between me and our mate,” he growls, conceding and making his way to the corner of my mind to sulk.

A new message notification pings from my cell phone.

Ashley: PR team will call in an hour. Be ready. Is Kas really pregnant?

Bronx: fine ty and no she isnt pregnant I put the phone back in my pocket and continue to pace. I stop when I hear a crashing sound coming from the bathroom.

“Kas?” I call out. I feel my heart pounding harder when I don’t hear her yell back to me. I run into the bedroom and break open the locked door of the bathroom.

The musky smell of wet dog combined with Kas’s fresh rain and lilac scent fill the room. Someone has thrown all the toiletries that were on the counter on the floor. Towels are strewn all over the room and the glass shower door is wide open with steam of the hot water billowing out.

“Kas?” I look into the shower stall. Lex is watching me from inside the shower, letting the hot water stream down her head and down her giant black coat. She is completely soaked through, with her tongue lolling out happily to the side. She gives me a satisfied whine with a yawn when she sees me.

“Lex? Oh my Goddess. Not again. Come on, Lex. Let’s get you dried off, Baby. Why did you shift? Can you shift back? Where's Kas?” I ask her questions in rapid fire, knowing full well I can't communicate with her while she is in wolf form and I'm in human form. Despite my best efforts, I can’t coax her out of the shower.

“Don’t interrupt a woman when she’s relaxing in the shower, dummy,” Saint calls from the back of my mind before he goes back to sulking.

I rub my hands on my face, then put them on my hips, and look at Lex in the shower, then around the room. She's probably almost three hundred pounds.

I won't be able to move her without upsetting her, which is the absolute last thing I need. As much as] hate to admit it, Saint's right. I pick up the vanity stool and the towels strewn around the room. When I sit down, I stack the towels on my lap while I wait for her to finish her shower. I pull out my cell phone and send another message. Bronx: im going to need longer than 1 hour

Ashley: What? Why?

Bronx: Just give me 2 hours okay

Ashley: Yes, Sir.

I sit for another twenty minutes while Lex indulges in the hot water before she steps out of the shower stall and shakes her soaked fur out. Heavy drops of water land on every surface of the bathroom, including me. I clench my jaw to avoid losing my temper.

“Come here, Lex. Let me finish drying you off,” I say patiently. I shut off the water then sit backdown soI can wipe her down. °

My beautiful wolf mate sits in front of me and licks my nose happily, melting a little of the anger that is brooding just under the surface. While I need to know what is going on with Kas and understand why she shifted, Lex clearly isn’t upset. She just wants attention. I can't deny her that. She’s my mate, after all.

She sighs with contentment while I rub her down with the soft towels and dry her off. When I get her as dry as I can, I stop to admire her. She wags her tail and turns her head to the side to side so I can get a better look at her profile.

“Lex, come on now. Please give me Kas back. We have a lot going on. I need to talk to her,” I request quietly, running my hands through her damp fur.

Lex huffs slightly, stands up, and makes her way out of the bathroom. She turns around when I don't immediately follow and gently takes my hand in her mouth. She looks at me with her beautiful violet wolf eyes.

I shake my head in disbelief and stand up, letting her lead me out to the bedroom. She lets go of my hand and climbs up on the bed. I watch her happily bounce on the bed like a child, except she's a giant black wolf. She stops and lowers the front half of her body, playfully wagging her tail in the air. She yips at me again and continues to bounce on the springy bed.

“Lex, what are you doing?” I ask as patiently as I can. It's great that Lex is having a good time, but I really need Kas back. I sit on the floor and lean back on my hands, watching Lex roll on the bed, having a grand old time. When she realizes I’m watching her, she stops and climbs off the bed. She licks the side of my face and lays down so with her body wrapped around me like a giant wolf cocoon. Even with the slightly damp fur, she is warm and soft. Now that she’s had a shower, she smells just like Kas. I close my eyes and breathe in her scent, letting it calm me.

I nuzzle my nose against the thick collar of fur on her neck, “Lex, I'm glad you're having a good time and I’m glad we got to spend time together, but now! need Kas back, okay?”

I feel Lex sigh heavily and relax her body, making me lean deeper against her. The desire to relax with her is overwhelming. I feel my eyes getting heavy with Lex encompassing me. Which I'm beginning to think is the point.

I open a mind link, “Marco, who’s outside my suite right now?”

“James 1s. Is everything okay?”

“Kas shifted, but I don’t know why. I'm in here with Lex. She seems to be pretty calm right now, but I need you to make sure she doesn't get out if she goes crazy.”

“Kas shifted? Inside the hotel room?”

“Yeah. In the bathroom. It’s almost like Lex is taking a spa day or something.”

“The excitement never ends, does it?” Marco chuckles, “I'll go stand guard with James”

“Thanks Marco,” I say with a yawn.

I look at my watch. The PR team will call in an hour and fifteen minutes. I dig into my pocket to pull out my phone, eliciting a groan from Lex.

“Sorry, Lex. I have to get up in an hour and deal with some shit. Just setting an alarm, okay?” I reassure her, setting an alarm for an hour from now before I let myself sink into her soft, fresh coat and close my eyes.

When the alarm goes off, I groan and roll over, careful not to disturb Kas. Kas?

I'm suddenly wide awake when I realize she shifted while Lex and I were napping. She’s snoring lightly, leaning into my shoulder contentedly. I adjust my position sol can pick her up and put her in the bed.

“Bronx? Did Lex behave?” Kas asks sleepily without opening her eyes.

“Uh, yeah. With all things considered,” I can’t help but smile as I smooth her hair away from her face, “What was that all about, anyway?”

“I promised her for my sisters,” Kas whispers before her snores start again. I give her a concerned look. I don’t know what her sisters have to do with her shifting or promising anything to Lex, but I can find out more about it later.

My cell phone starts to ring on the floor. I see Ashley's name on the caller ID. I pick it up and leave the room, closing the bedroom door quietly behind me so I can talk to the PR team about our next move.