Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Chapter 83

My fangs and claws extend and my eyes turn black as Lex yanks me back and pushes forward, taking control of my body. I struggle to pull her back, but she is too strong. I can't stop her as she lunges forward and grabs Tessa by her neck.

A vision comes to my mind as my skin contacts hers. We are on a battlefield. Tessa's eyes are an endless black abyss as she swings a mace at my head, but I duck and avoid it, except for a small graze across my forehead from one of the spikes. The momentum turns her body and I catch her gripping her back against my chest. I watch myself slit Tessa's throat, letting her body fall at my feet. Her expressionless green eyes stare up at me.

The vision fades and another comes forward. She and I struggling against each other in a bell tower. She stabs a long silver blade into the side of my abdomen and stands back with a disgusting smile. Her wolf's black eyes again at the surface. The pain is excruciating, making me drop to my knees. She chuckles dryly and walks away. One of her legs is dragging behind her with an injury. Once her back is to me, I hear myself recite an incantation over and over, under my breath, 'nullam dolorem senserit. non metus [Feel no pain. Feel no fear]'. I climb to my feet and rush at her, grabbing her by the waist. I keep running until we both sail through the tower window. The Cathedral of Notre Dame rushes past my vision until everything goes dark.

A third vision flashes. Tessa's wolf has me cornered in a cover of thick trees. She shifts to her human form, and a shriek comes from outside the thicket. A human woman drops a basket of truffles as she looks at Tessa in horror. Men with pitchforks and axes rush in from the other side. The vision shifts and Tessa is tied down to an outdoor slab of stone. I am surrounded by the Mavri Magea and what appears to be a village of humans. I watch as everyone throws stones a Tessa while they scream' witch' and 'devil' until someone ultimately sets fire to her cotton dress.

I am thrust back to the present. I feel like I just watched a very messed up movie, "Did you see all that, Lex?"

"Yes. I already knew all of it, but I wasn't allowed to tell you," she growls. Lex is so angry, I barely recognize her voice.

"Control yourself, Lex. We're in the human world," I hopelessly try to talk sense into my nearly feral wolf.

"Valor, come forward!" I hear Lex's voice boom from my mouth. The rest of my sisters all cringe and shrink back.

Tessa's eyes turn black, and her fangs extend as her wolf comes to the surface.

"Lex, you're out of line," Tessa's voice is deeper and rougher when her wolf speaks through her.

'Tessa just admitted she's willing to sacrifice lokaste for her own benefit. But were they Tessa's own thoughts? Or were they yours?" Lex roars as she presses my hands tighter around Tessa's neck, 'You think I'm out of line!? Bitch, look in a mirror and try again."

Lex's anger is rolling off of me. I fight to not slide backwards as her emotions take over. I can't let her shift here. It feels like I am climbing up a sand dune.

"She's a fucking menace," Tessa's wolf, Valor, snaps at Lex, "Freaks of nature who should have never come to be. All of them. The Dark needs to be destroyed. The world is a better place without them. You'll be better off when her human spirit is destroyed, Elexis! You can finally go into retirement. Stop being tortured by her stupidity lifetime after lifetime."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cora stiffen defensively. Amari is glued to her seat with her hands over her mouth in shock. Katherine's face almost looks smug as she watches the altercation play out. Valor just looks back at me defiantly with her onyx eyes bulging out of Tessa's head.

I see a snarl on her face as she shows her true colors. I feel the prickly sensation of fur wanting to sprout from my skin.

"Gotcha, bitch. Your theatrics may convince everyone else over the millennia, but I know better. I've always known," Lex snarls through gritted teeth, "lokaste has every right to walk the earth like anyone else. You're stone-hearted, Valor. You can't feel sadness or joy. Hell, you probably can't even feel love. Never could, could you? Your poor human doesn't even understand what you're doing to her but you. can't, fool, me."

I deep growl comes from Tessa, but Lex ignores it and continues her rant," And we BOTH know it was only a matter of time before that degenerate, pervert mate of yours would start collecting little girls again. You turned a blind eye. Didn't you? How many children has he taken advantage of in this lifetime? Huh? You say my human spirit doesn't deserve to walk the earth? Stop ignoring what's in front of your eyes lifetime after lifetime."

I feel a hand on my shoulder, which is just enough of a distraction for me to take control back from Lex. I release my hands from Tessa's neck and stumble back, slightly disoriented from the fast change in control. Marco catches me before I can fall.

"Luna, maybe the rest of this conversation should take place at home," he murmurs quietly to me, trying to diffuse the situation. I almost can't hear him with Lex raging and howling in my mind. I concentrate and block her off before she bolsters enough strength to fight her way back to the surface.

I look at him, then back to my sisters. Marco looks concerned for me. My sisters all look terrified of me.

"Ladies, meet me in my office on the fifth floor. We can finish this discussion there before dinner," I address the four leaders, 'The rest of our sisters, I would like to invite you to go for a run of our territory while you wait for us. Guards will escort you to ensure you don't get lost."

I don't wait for a response. I turn and walk away. Marco takes my elbow and walks down the path next to me while Tyree opens the atrium door for us. Delilah is on the other side of the door looking frightened.

"Kas, what was that? You were supposed to make friends with your sisters, not enemies," she falls in line with Marco and I. Tyree follows behind US.

"Marco, you heard all that, right?" I ignore Delilah for a moment.

'Yeah, Tessa is a piece of shit," he murmurs as he opens a door for me.

"No," I correct him, "I don't think she is. I think her wolf is. I think Valor is the one driving the train and Tessa has no idea how dangerous she is."

"Okay, so how do you wanna play this? Want me to handle it?" he asks as he opens the car door for Delilah and I. Delilah slides in and looks up at US. 1

"I'm going to apologize for my behavior," I smile sweetly.

'You gonna what?" he looks at me like I've lost my mind.

"It's like you and James have always taught me. I can use anything as a weapon, Marco," I give him a hard look before I slide into the back seat next to Delilah.