Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Daughters of the Moon Goddess – Prologue Kas’s POV

“Are you sure about this?” my wolf Elexis asks when the timer on the oven goes off.

“Absolutely,” I say confidently, “I refuse to be a prisoner in our own home, Lex.”

I pull the cupcakes out of the oven. Carrot cake caramel – I’ve been experimenting to perfect the recipe for my bakery for weeks so we can add it to the fall menu. The little browned mounds of cake finally look perfect and smell like heaven. I set them on the cooling rack and make a few notes in my notebook before I go get a shower.

I choose my outfit carefully, a loose, casual dress I can quickly remove with slip-on shoes. Once I’m changed, I check myself in the mirror. I don’t look out of place. People won’t notice anything strange. Satisfied with what I see, I go back to the kitchen and put a thick layer of cinnamon cream cheese icing on the cupcakes. I add orange and gold sprinkles for effect.

Sunday is usually my lazy day. It’s the day my mate Bronx and I stay in the apartment. We do that so my guards can have the day off and so he and I get to spend time together, but since m y birthday a little over a month ago, Bronx has decided he has more important things to do than spend time with me. 2

What important things, you ask? Who knows? He won’t tell me. He just says he needs time

alone with the guys. Which guys, you ask? Who knows? He won’t tell me that either. For the past five weeks, he leaves on Sunday morning and doesn’t come back until after dinner as if it were no big deal. 1

Sorry, I’m being rude. I should introduce myself before I complain too much about my life. My name is Kas Mason. I have been the Luna Regent of the Blood River werewolf pack in Montana for a little over a year now.

Bronx hasn’t really been treating me like a Luna lately though, more like an afterthought and I am getting pretty sick of it. I tried to talk to him about it. I really did, but he brushed me off. H e just rolled his eyes at me and walked away, muttering something about always nagging at him.

Not only has he been leaving me alone on the one day of the week we get to spend together, he has also put a substitute guard on duty outside the apartment door. And on top of all that, the guard has orders: I’m not allowed to leave the apartment unsupervised. If I leave, the guard needs to tell Bronx where I am headed.

It’s such bullshit. It’s not like I’m a child. I don’t even need a guard anymore. I mean, I used t o, but I’m much stronger now than when the guards were first assigned to protect me.

What does Bronx really think is going to happen while I’m in our apartment inside the packhouse, anyway? It’s not that I don’t like Tyree. He is a great guard and a fearsome warrior,

but it’s just stupid that he needs to be out there when Bronx should be in here with me

I smooth my clothes and open the apartment door.

“Is everything alright, Luna?” Tyree asks with a concerned look on his face.

“Oh yeah, no problem, Tyree,” I smile innocently at him, “I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to try another cupcake? Be my taste tester since the Alpha isn’t here? I think I have perfected the recipe this time.”

“Of course, Luna,” his dark eyes brighten at the offer of food as he smiles back.

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“Great! You always give the best critiques of my baking.” I hand him a plate with three cupcakes on it, “Dig in! I just want to grab my notebook so I can write down your feedback.”

“I’m happy I can help. Thank you so much, Luna,” he nods, raising the cupcake toward me like a beer mug

I open the apartment door just as he takes a big bite of the little cake. I let energy build in my hand, making a slight violet aura form around it, and curl my fingers into a fist. Everything around me becomes deathly still. I look back to see Tyree frozen in time, mid-bite.

Perfect. I have half an hour before the effect wears off.

Oh, I forgot to mention; I have supernatural powers. One of them is being able to stop time. If it’s just one person, like poor unsuspecting Tyree, for example, it can last for more than half a n hour. If it’s a large group of people, I can only hold it for about five minutes before my energy fades. I don’t really have time to explain right now. I have to get going.

I sprint down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the packhouse before anyone can see me. As I race to the wood line, I pull my clothes off so I don’t waste time. I pile them under a bush and shift into my wolf form.

Lex shakes out her inky black fur and bolts deep into the woods.

“So what are you going to do if you find him?” Lex asks as she sprints toward the river.

“Don’t worry about it. That’s between me and Bronx,” I huff at her.

“All riiiight,” she replies in a sing-song tone, “Oh! I caught his scent. He’s close.”

We run to the tree line of the Blood River and there he is, hanging out with his buddies. He is laughing, smoking, and drinking beer like he doesn’t have a care in the world. I try to swallow my anger, but now even Lex is mad, which is influencing my emotions.

“Oh Hell no, Kas. I’m not sure what’s going on with him lately, but sneaking out to drink and smoke, that’s just wrong,” she snarls, “I thought for sure he was hunting rogues and didn’t want to tell you.”

“Shift, Lex.”

“Uh, we don’t have any clothes. Those other guys will see you naked.”

“I don’t care. I want to talk to him, so shift.”

“Kas, don’t say anything you’ll regret,” she says with a worried tone in her voice before she lets me shift back to human form.

I storm out of the woods, naked as the day I was born, and make a beeline for my mate.

He finally catches my scent and turns to face me with a shocked expression on his face.

“Kas? What are you doing here?” His eye goes black, showing his wolf, Saint, is at the surface when he sees I have no clothes on. He stands up and strides toward me. His surprise turns to anger as he tries to block my body from the view of his friends.

The guys all avert their eyes when they realize I’m not trying to hide myself. It’s one thing for other wolves to see you right before and after you shift, but standing around with no clothes o n is a different story. Wolves have a tendency to get protective when their mates naked, so covering yourself up as soon as possible is usually proper etiquette. Saint pulls the shirt off of Bronx’s body and hastily puts it over my head, jerking it down as fast as possible to cover me.

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“What the fuck, Kas?” Saint’s deep raspy voice growls from Bronx’s mouth as he grabs me by the upper arm and pulls me roughly toward the tree line. His claws are slightly extended, drawing little drops of blood from my inner arm.

“What the fuck, Kas? I think I should be the one asking you that, Saint! And don’t grab me like that! You’re hurting me!”I growl dangerously at him, yanking my arm away. I can feel the purple aura starting to glow all over my body now, “Let me talk to Bronx. Right now!”

“No,” he crosses his arms and stares me down.

“Saint, what the Hell are you doing? Let me talk to Bronx.”

“Sending you home. That’s what I’m doing. Why isn’t Tyree watching you?” he snarls, avoiding my demand.

I cross my arms, glaring at him, and snarl back sarcastically, “He’s taste testing cupcakes.”

I watch his eye flicker back to green as Bronx takes control back from his wolf. “Kas, you need t o leave right now. Don’t make me escort you.”

Oh, my Goddess! He is letting Saint control him and treat me like that? I can’t believe this man or his wolf!

I feel my mouth drop in shock, “Bronx, you shouldn’t have to escort me because you should b e AT HOME, not out here smoking and drinking! You know you shouldn’t be out here, otherwise you would be at the packhouse doing it. Not out where no one will look for you.”

“ENOUGH KAS! GO HOME,” he roars in his Alpha tone.

Lex growls quietly in my mind, “I hate to say it, but just comply, Kas. Let’s get out of here. Please. It’s not worth arguing with him when he’s clearly been drinking. We can deal with him later.”

(This conversation is NOT over, Bronx Mason,” I take his shirt off and throw it at him before I shift and Lex runs home.

I get to the edge of the woods by the packhouse and hastily throw on the dress. I pick up the shoes, putting them on as I run back up to my apartment. Tyree is still frozen in place, mid cupcake bite. I grab my notepad from the apartment and step back out, unfurling my fingerst o unfreeze him.

“It’s delicious, Luna. The cinnamon in the frosting really makes it perfect.” Tyree nods as he finishes the first bite.

“Great! I’m so happy you like it!” I smile brightly. “Well, you can keep the rest. I’ll be inside if you need me.”

“Thank you again, Luna,” he dutifully responds, “I’ll be out here if you need me.”

I step into the apartment and immediately mind link my two regular guards, James and Marco. I push down my anger so they won’t sense it. They already know how unhappy I’ve been with Bronx lately. They always tell me to come to them if I have a problem, but I don’t want to burden them with my personal relationships too much.

“Luna, what’s wrong?” I hear them respond almost in unison.

“Everything’s fine, guys. I just wanted to let you know I figured out a new strategy. I need your help to refine it,” I smile slyly as I tell them my revelation.

Bronx’s POV

“I can’t believe she is trying to spy on us,” Saint growls in my mind as we watch Lex run off into the woods.

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“No joke. I deserve to have a little fun now and then. She needs to stay in her lane and just calm down,” I half-heartedly agree with my wolf. I can feel his emotions influencing me, making me annoyed with our mate. He’s been doing that a lot lately, and I have been letting him. It’s easier than fighting with the wolf spirit that lives in my head.

“And the way she was talking to you in front of the pack members? Our friends?! She’s gonna pay for that!” Saint’s anger grows, making me feel extremely irritable, “I just want time to blow off steam. What’s so wrong with that?”

I watch in the direction Kas left until I’m sure her scent is gone. Once I’m satisfied, I turn

around and head back to my friends. I small part of me feels a pang of guilt but Saint pushes it

away.

“Everything alright, Alpha?” Cason, my tattoo artist, asks.

TWIU

“Yeah, I’ll deal with that later.” I wave vaguely in the direction Kas just left from before I grab another beer and lean back on a rock so we can continue our conversation.

*****

When I get home, Tyree salutes me in the hall.

“Alpha,” he regards me.

“Tyree, why did you let the Luna leave by herself?” I try to give him a chance to justify his disregard for my orders.

“What are you talking about, Sir? Is this some sort of test? She’s been inside all day. Except for when she let me taste test those new cupcakes. You’ve got to try them, Alpha. They’re amazing,” he smiles at me, completely oblivious to Kas’s impromptu trip to the woods this afternoon.

“Yeah, I’ll have to do that, Tyree. You’re dismissed.” I watch as he walks down the hall and down the stairs before I go inside.

“She froze him, Bronx,” Saint paces impatiently in my mind, “She knows better!”

“KAS!” I yell once the door is closed, “You froze Tyree?”

Kas comes out from the bedroom with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I wouldn’t have had to if you would have just told me what you were doing, Bronx,” she retorts defiantly.

“You know I don’t like you using magic on pack members. Don’t do it again,” I warn her.

“My powers are NOT magic!” she throws her hands out to the side as she yells before turning around and going back to the bedroom. She gives me one last glare, her violet eyes glowing brightly, before she slams the door closed.

A moment later, the door opens just wide enough for a pillow and blanket to be thrown out on the floor, then it slams closed again.

“Kas? What the Hell? You’re making me sleep on the sofa?!” I pound on the bedroom door with a snarl.

“Yes,” her muffled reply comes through the closed door.

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I could just break it down, but that will lead to a lot more arguing.

I sigh, looking at the bedding by my feet. How did it come to this? Being kicked out of my own damn bedroom? I pick up the pillow and blanket and plop down on the sofa. Reality sets in as I realize I won’t get to wrap my arms around my beautiful little mate tonight. I won’t get to breathe in her fresh rain and lilac scent that always calms me.

Regret starts to seep into the corners of my mind about how I treated Kas and how I let Saint

treat her today. It was uncalled for. The males in our pack are raised understanding that it’s not acceptable to put your hands on a woman the way I grabbed Kas today. I don’t know what got into me or Saint. I will figure out a way to make it up to her somehow.

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