Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

We have planned a little brunch gathering in our apartment, before the hustle and bustle of the day

begins. We just want to make sure we remember what is important. And to Bronx and me, that is

family. Lenora and Milo come over and | finally get to meet Bronx's parents. 2

The first thing his mom, Sandy, does is give me a crushing hug and call me her son's saviour. A little

extreme, but she's excited, so you know, whatever. | will take hugs whenever | can get them. | feel a

familiar warmth coming from my hands. | quickly let go of her, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Oh! Honey, it's alright. Bronx already warned me that your energy goes into overdrive when you're

happy. | take it as a compliment, "she smiles warmly at me.

“Thank you, Sandy," | smile shyly.

“No nono. You call me Mom, young lady," she gives me a faux stern look. 2

“A-alright, Mom," | test the word in my mouth. It is going to take some getting used to. | have never

called anyone Mom before. Not even my real mother. | hope the Moon Goddess understands.

Bronx has Sandy's facial features including her green eyes but with his dad, Michael's dark hair.

Michael and Bronx have the same hulking size, personality, and mannerisms. Just like Bronx, Michael

acts tough but can't fool me, he's a big softie. He is obsessed with making sure everyone has enough

to eat. | think | win him over when | offer him an oversized snickerdoodle.

Lenora shows off her baby bump and announces she and Milo are having a girl. Sandy and | can't stop

admiring her and complimenting her pregnancy glow. Milo dotes over her, not letting her lift a finger for

anything. Even when she wants a refill of her water, he jumps up and gets it. It's pretty adorable. | look

forward to one day when that is Bronx and me.

Everyone is elated when we announce our engagement. Sandy and Michael nod approvingly at the

ring and congratulate us with hugs. Michael and Milo pull Bronx to the living room to chat. | overhear

Bronx tell Milo the good news about Saint and Lex but he insists that Milo should still lead the Solstice

pack run. He deserves the honor for all the hard work he has putin. °

“Does this mean we can finally crack that bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue?" Milo begs. « Bronx laughs

and agrees. He asks Milo to invite James, Delilah, and Marco to join them in his office after the solstice

party.

Sandy, Lenora, and | make our way to the kitchen to start putting food away and talking about the

details of the special day Bronx and | shared yesterday.

We say our goodbyes and confirm the timing to meet up for the party later. Once everyone leaves

Bronx tells me he has a gift for me even though we agreed not to exchange gifts. He insists | need it

after our conversation about starting a bakery. | unwrap the small box to find a framed sheet of paper.

It's a recipe for a baguette written in French, but next to it is another piece of paper with the English

translation. The frame is ornate, gold.

“Baguette?” | cock my head as | look at the recipe.

“Alpha Martin's in-laws own a bakery. The recipe has been in their family for generations and they

wanted you to have it. Cason translated it for me. | haven't had a good time to give it to you, but after

yesterday, it seems like the right time.” “Thank you so much, Sweetheart. It's perfect, "I smile at such a

thoughtful gift, "Can we contact them tomorrow to thank them?”

“Of course, Baby” he says as he kisses the top of my head.

Bronx told me Solstice is a formal party, but Lenora had taken the liberty of buying a dress for me. She

was convinced | wouldn't want to spend the money on the perfect dress. She isn't wrong. | still don't

have a job, after all. | have no money for a fancy dress. ° She wants it to be a surprise, so | can't say

no. So an hour before the party, she brings the dress bag to the apartment, along with a shoe box and

takes it to the closet. I'm standing in the closet with her and Delilah looking at the bag, dreading what is

inside. The side of the black bag says Givenchy in large white lettering. She smiles while she unzips

the bag.

She pulls the bag back to reveal a shimmering silver dress. The color matches my hair. It is a floor-

length style with spaghetti straps and a completely open back. “Lenora, everyone is going to see my

scars," | feel a little self-conscious as | look at the dress. Delilah has already pinned my hair into an

updo. | don't mind if people close to me seeing my scars, but the whole pack?

“Yes. It is time to show the real you, Kas. I'm telling you, people won't even notice the scars when they

see how beautiful the dress is on you,” Delilah reassures me, "They all already love you. When they

see your scars, they are going to respect you even more. | promise.” °

"You're going to look amazing!" Lex says in my mind, “| am so happy you finally get to look as beautiful

on the outside as you are in inside.”

I'm so happy to have her back. She always knows just what to say.

“All right. | trust you and Lex likes the dress too. Let me finish putting my makeup on, then you can help

me get into the dress.” Lenora helps me touch up my makeup and into the dress. She's right. The

dress fits me like a glove. It shows off my curves and | have never felt more beautiful. | turn in the

mirror to catch a glimpse of the back. The keloid scars were evident, but the dress helps distract from

them. Oh also, Delilah had been right, Bronx's tattoos have almost completely faded. But he decided to

wait until they were completely gone before he gets new ones, just in case there is still some sort of

lingering connection from the healing.

| look through the mirror and see Bronx walk past the closet before he stops and backs up to get

another look at me.

‘You-you're gonna wear that, Baby?" His eyes are wide as he looks me up and down, then turns to

Lenora, "Leni, no. Find another dress. “Uhh, Bronx...yes," Lenora retorts. She stands up from the

bench and puts her hands on her hips, "And you are not going to stop her. And not only are you not

going to stop her, you're not going to be jealous, either. You're going to be proud and show off your

gorgeous mate. Do you understand me?” Bronx looks like he wants to start an argument with his sister,

but he knows now is not the right time.

“Fine, Lenora. But from now on, | get a say," he counters. |

“Over my dead body," she crosses her arms over her chest.

There is a very awkward moment of a showdown between the two of them before Bronx growls and

huffs off to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

akk

The party is a blast. We get to watch the kids open gifts and Bronx, Milo, and Reggie give speeches

thanking all the pack members for their hard work and dedication over the past year. They even hand

out bonuses to the omegas who work in the packhouse. After we eat, we dance like there was no

tomorrow. : The party ends close to midnight with Milo leading the pack run. | can tell Bronx is

disappointed but he understands it's necessary. We hold back and go to his office, biding the time with

kisses and soft touches until the pack gets back. Milo comes in with Lenora, James, and Delilah. Bronx

opens the bottle of Johnnie Walker, pours it into glasses, and hands it out to everyone except Lenora

and me. She obviously can't drink, | have no interest in it. : If you ask me, it smells kind of gross, but

the guys don't seem to mind. We sit around, talking and laughing until early morning before we call it a

night and go to bed.

Bronx seems way drunker than he should be for the amount of alcohol he drank, but | notch it up to him

not drinking since we got back from France and only having part of a liver. 2

| go to the bathroom to freshen up, carefully putting the dress back on the hanger, pulling all the pins

out of my hair, and washing all my makeup off. When | get back, | find Bronx face-planted across the

bed, not leaving room for me.

| suddenly feel the sensation of deja vu as the scent of fire wafts to my nose.

No nono nono nolll!