Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Chapter 72

Bronx's POV

We finally break for lunch after negotiating costs for various parts of the contract between Santoro Enterprises and MasonCo, which surprisingly, is a legitimate business venture for them, even though I find it extremely coincidental they bought land within wolf running distance from the northern part of our territory.

I look at my watch. It's almost one p.m. I haven't heard any updates from Delilah or Musu. No news is good news, I guess, I think to myself as I climb the stairs to the fifth floor.

There's one security guard half a flight in front of me and two half a flight behind me as I walk. I can't believe I have to have security in my own home, but even with the wards Delilah and Lady Camille put up, we do not know if this Leticia woman could create another portal out of thin air and attack me. If I would have refused to allow the extra security, I think my ranked members would have pulled a mutiny and thrown me in the dungeon.

When we get to the top floor, I see James and Marco in front of my apartment door, talking with Tyree, who is on guard. It looks like a friendly conversation, not one for concern.

It is bizarre to see both James and Marco in casual clothes. Marco, specifically, looks a little more disheveled than I have seen him before. He's wearing a bandana over his hair, with gym shorts and a tank top. He doesn't look like he has shaved in several days. It is so weird to see him like that. Even weirder that James is always in a white polo shirt and black jeans with black trainers when he is off duty, unless he's training. It's as casual as he gets, even though I know Delilah has bought him other colored shirts.

"Gentlemen, everything alright?" I ask as I approach.

"Yes Alpha," Marco says, "I am here to get Musu. I made her lunch. We were just catching up with Tyree before we went in."

"Yeah, I asked Mrs. Miller to have some food brought up for Delilah and me. We are going to eat here while Musu is with Marco. Just waiting for the food to get here." 1

"Alright, well, why don't we go in and let the ladies know it's lunchtime," I say, unlocking the door.

James and Marco follow me into the silent apartment. Musu's laptop is on the coffee table, but she is nowhere to be seen. We can smell all three of their scents, so we know they are here somewhere. I walk to the partially open bedroom door and quietly push it open.

"Look at that. A cuddle puddle. They have replaced you, buddy," Saint says with a chuckle. 7

Kas, Delilah, and Musu are all intertwined with each other on the giant king sized bed. Kas's Luna instincts kicked in at some point because I see she has her arms protectively around her friends, who look happy, serene, and safe with their arms draped over her in return. There is a soft purple glow surrounding the three of them.

"Everything okay, Alpha?" Marco asks as he steps forward. James is directly behind him with a concerned look. I turn and put my finger to my lips, then point to the bed.

James and Marco both stand behind me in the doorway, looking at our mates for a few moments, wondering what we should do.

"I ain't gonna wake Musu up. That looks like the best sleep she's gotten in weeks," Marco mind links US.

"Yeah, Delilah too," James says in a whisper, even though it's through a mind link, "Is it safe though? For Delilah and Musu to be glowing like that?"

"I think so. Kas healed Lenora and Ashley and nothing bad happened. If anything, it helped their babies. You've seen how big Codi is and how close she and Kas are now. And Ashley says Katie feels stronger than ever.

Besides, when was the last time Kas's aura glowed in her sleep? She's so happy right now she literally can't contain herself."

"Other than when they with US, I can't think of a time when the three of them been any safer," Marco shrugs, "Two pregnant she-wolves and a goddess Luna guarding them. That's a whole mood, man." 3

"Okay, then let's let them sleep," I reply, "I have some things I want to talk to both of you about, anyway. Looks like they had something to drink. Let me just grab the glasses and put them in the kitchen."

I tiptoe into the room and silently pick up the glasses. From this close, I can see just how content Kas looks. It reminds me of a picture I have somewhere of Lenora and me with Mom when we were little kids. We are all sleeping and Mom is hugging her pups tightly on her lap. Kas has the same content look as my Mom did in that picture. I can only hope her conversation with Zeus about having a pup of her own will come to fruition one day, and Kas will have a moment like this with her own children.

Once I make my way out of the room, James closes the door behind me.

"Chocolate milkshakes?" James questions. There is a hint of annoyance in his voice. 2

I set the glasses down and sniff one of them, "Milkshakes with my post workout protein powder added."

I see a slight look of relief on both James' and Marco's faces. These two are going to be the most protective fathers in the pack. Hands down.

I head out to the dining room table and we all sit down.

"So what did you want to discuss, Bronx?" James asks as he clasps his hands in front of him on the table. I'm glad I have finally broken his habit of calling me Alpha when we are in the apartment.

"What do you guys think of keeping Tyree as one of Kas's full-time guards? I want to make sure you have more time with your families and I want to change your roles a bit too. Especially with everything going on right now," I lean back in my seat and drum my fingers on the table, looking between the two men.

"I don't see a problem keeping Tyree in rotation," Marco says with a satisfied look, "We can work with him to get some of his skills brushed up and have him go through a few training sessions with Kas to make sure we are a solid unit." "I agree," James says, "Kas seems comfortable with him, so as long as she is fine with it, I am too."

"Okay good. That's settled. I will let Reggie know he's losing one of his guys and have Ashley discuss his new role with him," I rap with my knuckles on the table.

"You mentioned something about our roles too?" Marco looks at me tentatively. He has had a rough go of things since Silver Moon. Whatever happened with Kas disappearing from the giant crystal, he took it personally. He requested a week off to get his head straight. I told him to take as long as he needed. He is someone who is important to Kas. She would hate to lose him as one of her guards.

It upset me at first when I heard he tried to wake her up from her vision, but I also understand he was worried and trying to help.

"James, I want you to work more closely with Reggie, Lenora and Musu. We need to keep tabs on the Manae now that we know who they are. You keep Marco and Tyree updated on new intelligence," I explain to James.

"I can certainly do that, Sir. Thank you for trusting me with that," he nods in satisfaction.

"Marco, you're Kas's new lead guard. I know the two of you have taught her everything you know about fighting. Marco, I need you to help her figure out how to use her abilities better. You're going to work more closely with Delilah and consul with Lady Camille as necessary. I need you to figure out how to prevent her from having any more visions," I explain, "It's dangerous on many levels and each time it becomes more dangerous for everyone."

Marco gives me an indecisive look. It is rare to see his self-confidence so low.

"Marco, Lenora and Tyree told me what a good job you did taking charge at Silver Moon during an emergency. I need that guy for our Luna. For my mate. Are you really going to make me show my cards right now?" I ask, leaning forward with my arms against the table.

"Alpha, l- no please, I-," he looks terrified knowing what I'm about to say.

"Marco, it's time for you to step up. We both know you can do this and it will relieve a lot of stress for many people," I say with a more consoling tone.

Marco groans as he leans back and squeezes his eyes tightly, "Fine, if you gotta tell James, go ahead but that's it. I don't want no one else knowing."

"James, Deago came to Blood River, not just because he met his mate here, but because his brother was the Beta for his old pack. They are a small pack, so they didn't have any positions other than border guard for his dad. When he met Marco's mom, my grandfather let him come to Blood River as a senior trainer. He became lead trainer once my dad took over."

James looks at me blankly for a moment, trying to process what I just told him. I flicker of recognition strikes and he looks at Marco, "You're a Beta?"