Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Chapter 20

Once we are laying down and have had an opportunity to calm down, Marco pulls me close so we can let our bodies become tangled together.

"Okay, Marco. No more stalling. What happened today? What was the emergency on the fifth floor? Why did we get sent home?" I ask, brushing my fingers across his cheek and jaw.

He sighs and looks past me. He closes his eyes for a long second before he looks back at me. His eyes are slightly glossy, as if there are tears behind his eyes.

"Kas attacked James. She didn't just attack him, she tried to kill him. She ripped his throat open with her bare hands. He almost died today," he says before rolling onto his back, looking at the ceiling. He rubs his hand over his eyes and forehead.

I sit up in disbelief, "Oh my Goddess. Are you serious? Why? Why would she do that? And of all wolves...how did she possibly get the best of James?"

"I'm completely serious. As for the rest of the questions, I've got no idea. I don't know what possessed her," he shakes his head at the ceiling, "I heard the commotion and went inside thinking James must've caught someone trying to get in through a window or something. I don't know. But when I opened the door, she was in full attack mode and he was bleeding out."

"Marco, I-I don't know what to say. I-," I can't finish because I really don't know what to say.

"I don't need you to say anythin', Musu. Just being here listening is enough," he looks at me with a weak smile. He pauses, then looks back up to the ceiling. He covers his eyes with the heels of his hands and speaks again. His voice shakes now, "For half a second, I considered shooting her, Musu. I almost shot my Luna. Clash stopped me. He wouldn't let us hurt her."

He takes his hands away from his eyes and blinks hard, trying to fight back the tears, "She was doing exactly what we taught her to do if she needed to protect herself from an attacker. Not use it against one of us. James and I turned her into that wolf."

"Marco, you can't think this was you or James's fault. You will get to talk to her soon enough and clear this whole thing up," I reassure him.

"As soon as I told her who she was attacking, she stopped, and tried to heal him. Like she actually didn't know. The look on her face. She was so surprised."

Marco takes his job as the Luna's guard very seriously. So for him to say there was even an inkling of a thought of hurting her, I know it was serious. Marco, James, and the Luna all have a very close relationship. I can't even fathom any of them wanting to hurt the other.

"She healed him after she almost killed him?" I ask, with confusion.

"Well, she tried to heal him, but then she started having a vision, so she wasn't able to finish. We had to take him to the hospital wing. He's gonna make it. He's strong, but still. If she wasn't a healer, he wouldn't have made it."

"Wait a minute. How in the Goddess's name, were you just able to do that to me, out there," I point to the hallway, "If you just experienced your partner almost getting killed a few hours ago?" "It's gonna sound cold, but I just needed to not think about it for a little longer," he sighs with a shrug.

I don't even know how to feel about that. The mind of a true warrior, I guess. Able to set aside trauma as needed to live his life in the pack. If he was still on Milo's covert ops team, I would never know what he did at work, so I guess it would be the same mentality, but I would know less about his side of the story.

I hear a text chime in the special tone I have for Lenora on my phone. Marco is still looking at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. I take the phone from the nightstand and she's asking for a translation. Greek. Simple enough.

'You are strong. Trust your instincts.' I quickly text back and put the phone down. No idea what it means out of context, but I can find out later. I have more important things going on.

Mercy chimes in, "Tell him now. Take his mind off of things."

"Mercy now is most definitely not the time," I scold her.

"Now is the perfect time. Do it! Don't make me take over," she warns.

I roll my eyes internally at her.

"Marco, umm, maybe now is not a good time, but I think it is probably as good a time as any," I say, uncharacteristically unsure of myself.

"What's wrong, Corazón?" he leans up on his elbow, looking at me with concern.

"Well, remember a couple weeks ago, when I had a bad day at work and you got the bath ready for me?"

"Yeah, I remember you fell asleep in the tub."

"Okay, well, after that. Like, after you carried me to bed. Do you remember that?" I give him a sly smile.

He looks at me for a moment until I see the memory connect in his mind and he smiles back at me, "oh, that...yeah, I remember that."

"Well, things have been so crazy since then and I haven't really seen you much, so I haven't had a chance to really talk to you and I -" "Musu, just tell me what's on your mind," he takes my hand in his and gives it a kiss.

"Marco, I-I'm pregnant," my voice is so small I'm not sure if he hears me. 1

He looks like he's stuck in time with my hand pressed against his lips. I feel like my heart just stopped. Is he upset? I can't read his expression.

"I-I know we wanted to wait until we after we get married, an-and we aren't even engaged yet but, you know, we haven't exactly been careful," I try to justify. His eyes shift to mine as he slowly lets go of my hand, "A-are you disappointed?"

"Stay right here," he says and gets out of bed. He pulls boxers out of the drawer, finds shorts and a shirt, and walks out of the room. He peaks back in," I'm serious, don't move."

I pull the sheet up to cover myself, suddenly selfconscious, and look out the door curiously, waiting for him to come back. He put a shirt and shorts on to walk around the house? Half the time he gripes about having to wear boxers. This is not the reaction I was expecting

It seems like he's gone for an eternity, but a minute later; he comes back in the room and gently pulls me so I'm sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Marco, what are you doing? Please talk to me," I beg.

He stands in front of me, pacing for a moment, then kneels on the floor in front of the bed. His beautiful light brown eyes shine brightly as he clears his throat and starts to talk.

"Musu Goba, I knew the moment I saw you, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. You're perfect. Hell, you're more than perfect. You're like, everything I didn't know I even needed in a mate. I know we've only known each other a little over a year, but it seems like it's been a lifetime. And now you just told me I get to be a father? You're gonna have my pup? I'm the luckiest son of a bitch in the world." I breathe a little sigh of relief now that he sounds happy about the situation.

He looks down for a moment before he looks me in the eye and puts his hand out in front of him. In between his thumb and index finger is a beautiful diamond ring. Emerald cut with filigree around the band. "Musu, will you please marry me?" he asks with tears in his eyes.

"I-," my voice catches in my throat. Yes, we had looked at rings, but I didn't know he had actually bought one, "Marco, of course. Yes, I'll marry you."

He gives me a broad smile when he carefully takes my left hand and slides the ring onto my finger. It's a perfect fit. I look in awe at the beautiful ring, then pull him toward me, giving him a deep kiss. "It's perfect, Mon Loup. Thank you," I smile before giving him another kiss.

"I'm so relieved," he sighs, putting his hand on his heart.

"Relieved? Were you worried I would say no?"

"I bought the ring the day I got the bath ready for you. I was gonna ask that night, but when I came back in the bathroom, you was sleeping in the tub, so I knew it wasn't the right time. And like you said, after that, we haven't really had a chance to spend time together. So, I've been carrying it in the inside pocket of my work suit jacket to keep it safe, but I couldn't keep it in the box, cause it woulda been too bulky." 1

I smirk at him as his Hispanic slang gets thicker with his explanation and laugh, "Let me guess, the ring box is in the gun safe at the packhouse?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because you know that is the only place I wouldn't look for it," I smile as I take in his handsome features, "Why did you put a shirt and shorts on just now?" "I don't know a lot, Musu, but I know a proposal ain't the right time to be an animal," a small blush comes over his face. He smiles as he looks up at me from the floor and pulls me toward him for another sweet kiss. He pulls away, then wraps his arms around my waist, and leaning his ear against my belly. 2

"How long until I get to hold our baby, Corazón?"

"Well, our first appointment is next week, but should be in about four and a half months," I inform him as I rub the back of his head.

He nuzzles closer to my belly and whispers soft enough that I'm pretty sure he didn't intend for me to hear, "Thank you, Moon Goddess."