Just move the log. I haven’t been able to make it budge an inch. I roll over and look at the clock. Four seventeen a.m. Two solid weeks of getting to be a spectator in the memories of my past lives. I think it’s time to take things into my own hands. Images of Kas, dying in horrific, violent ways or giving me passionate kisses that I wish would never end, have relentlessly consumed my thoughts. It has made it impossible to sleep at night or focus during the long, hot days. The more I see, the more I regret how I’ve treated her in this lifetime. The only one I have to be pissed at is myself. More and more, I just want to be near her so I can beg for forgiveness. I miss her presence, her laugh, the serene look on her face when she meditates, the way she can calm me with a slight touch. I miss everything about her. And do I have to tell you how fucked up it is to see memories of how excited the Mavri Magea are when our lives happen intersect? The more I see images and clips of them, th

“Kas, of all the things that have ever come out of your mouth, that was by far the strangest.” Milo takes me by the shoulders and looks at me wide eyed. “Please tell me you’re joking… or that you had some kind of weird vision or something.” Frustration creeps in when I try to figure out what to say. It's the truth. Bronx would have believed me. He wouldn’t have liked it, but he would have believed me and supported me. Why can't Milo do the same? “Milo, I’m telling you that’s what happened. It wasn’t a vision or a dream. It was real.” I take his hands off my shoulders and hold them in mine. “She somehow pulled me into this place that is called the Beyond. It is like… a place between astral dimensions. I would go there when I needed to hide while I was creating Kardiá tou Menae. When beings were… after me… It’s the first time I have seen anyone else hanging out there. Sometimes you can sense other beings passing by you, but they never stop. I mean, I stopped there plenty of times, but

“Kas, why aren’t you in your suite? You’re not supposed to be working.” Milo throws open the door to my office, clearly agitated. The door bangs against the wall, makes the other women in the room jump in their seats and bow to him, exposing their necks. He looks uneasily at the display. “Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was here.” “Well, hello to you too, Beta.” I take a sip of the protein shake Diane made for me and clasp my hands in front of me. “Marybeth and Elisa are putting together the last of the goodie bags for story time. We were running out of room for them in the suite, so we moved down here. That way, the event crew doesn’t have to come into the suite to take them to the storage shed by the fire pits. After that, we will be ready for tomorrow night.” “So you’re putting gift bags together for the kids?” He looks around at the colorful bags we have been filling with little toys and bags of popcorn for the children and quickly changes demeanor. “No, Marybeth and Elisa are

Bronx POV“Hi Carly. We should be at the main gate in about fifteen minutes. We’ll give most of these folks a chance to get settled in their houses. Two of the guys are going to come up the mountain with me. If you can just direct the drivers to the houses, I’ll get Klay settled into his suite in the guard area later.” “Sounds good, Alpha. I will send the addresses to the GPS systems in the SUVs now.” Carly chirps happily into the phone. “Did you want to stop by the pack house to see your babies before you head up to story time? Diane and I are in the Luna’s suite with them, our babies, and Katie.”“I, uh, I’m going to wait until I’ve spoken to Kas, Carly.” I speak slowly, trying to remember patience. “I want to make sure she’s okay with me being there. I can’t just barge in anymore.”“I understand, Alpha.” Carly’s tone softens and sounds more like it used to before I changed. “It’s good to have you back, Alpha. I mean that.”“It’s good to be back, Carly.” I look out the window at th

“Oh! Look who it is, everyone!” Kas smiles and waves to Saint. His tail immediately wags happily in response. He trots out of the treeline on the opposite end of the clearing from where Kas is sitting. He stops and bows his head deeply to his Luna in front of everyone. Around us, the pack members bow to Saint in return. Children whisper happily at the sight of the pure white wolf while being shushed by their parents. Kas doesn’t stand up, but she reaches out her hand and bids him to come closer. “Come here, Alpha. We’ve all missed you.” Saint hesitates, not sure what to think. I can feel his indecision. Divided between nervous to be rejected by her and wanting to sit as close as he can. There’s something else that I can’t put my finger on. “Saint, go ahead. She wants you to come closer.” “D-don’t you see it?” He says in awe as he steps forward. “I can’t believe it. Holy shit.” “What? What’s wrong?” I try to push forward to see what he’s looking at. “The crown.” He barely whispers