Chapter 29: Coming Home

Mink's P.O.V:
"Is it repaired?" I asked Varun, the main mechanic/technician of my pack. The guy could repair a space ship for all I knew. I was lucky indeed to have him by my side.
"I had to sneak in some parts from a nearby camp," he said with a charming smile and not a single drop of remorse. "They're probably going to have a defective tank for a few days but we have a complete chopper."
"Good. Clear air traffic so they're not shot down by the Army." I ordered.
"Yes ma'am!" Varun gave me a mock salute before sprinting out of my room.
"So...we're all set to go?"
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, leaning my head against the headboard. "Come to walk out on me again?"
"No. I've come to convince you that we can work things out...eventually." He entered the room and shut the door behind him, clicking the lock in place.
"Twenty years ago, I met a man who was relentless in his pursuit of me." I told him, the memories no longer as painful. “He used to stalk me night and day before he found out that the silver haired girl he was so obsessed with could transform into a wolf. Any normal person would have run for the hills, but Abhay? No, he wasn't normal now, was he? He stayed. Almost fell into the Jharna once, but he still didn't give up, not until I had accepted him as my mate. He was there with me every step of every day until I could no longer separate our scents, until he had become a part of my life that I couldn’t live without. But then one day, he was just....gone. I couldn't find him no matter where I searched. And I had searched for him, relentlessly, for years. Just like that, he was erased from this world and I was left with this gaping hole in my heart where he was supposed to be. That day, when I finally stopped searching, when I finally realized that he wasn't coming back, that day I promised myself that I'll never, ever, let anyone that close to my heart ever again."
"But it still means that we have a shot. We could still be together." He argued, coming to sit in front of me on the bed.
"Maybe." I told him. “But I can’t be your Luna, Rhys. Please don’t ask me to make that choice.”
"I’m not going to, not when I know I can’t do the same for you...well, except the Luna part because we don’t have a name for a Female Alpha’s mate yet but I’ll be working on it.” He told me with a sheepish smile at the end before he turned serious again. "I know I can't promise you that I'll always be with you, no one's seen what tomorrow might bring. But I won’t let it come between us. You can't just sit here and wait for everything to end! No more sacrifices, Mikalya. We'll find a way only if you're willing to believe in us."
"I do. I believe in us. But-"
He kissed me then, stealing my words with his lips. His hands wound in my hair, mine around his neck as he deepened the kiss. I soaked in the earthiness and sunshine of his scent as snow fell from the sky to cover the ground outside the window.
"I'll come back to you." He said when we pulled back to rest our foreheads together. "When the snow melts away and the flowers bloom. I'll come back to you."
"Are you sure?" I asked. I knew this will tear me apart when it ends. What we were talking about was a temporary fix, but maybe we could make it work out in the end. Maybe this doesn’t have to be a doomed story right from the start.
"Yes." Determination shore in his eyes. "Once I settle all disputes. Once everyone is at peace. I'll return. I'll come home to you. And then, we'll discuss this at great lengths."
"Then I'll hold on to that."
“You bet you will.” And then his lips were on mine once again, making me sigh in relief as we entered a new phase in our relationship. A relationship that now seemed to have a future.

****

“So…this is it, I guess.”
“Indeed,” I told Rhys as he stood on the planes near Jharna, ready for departure with his beta and his warriors. “This is it for now.”
In the end, we hadn’t come to any decision about how we were going to make our long-distance relationship work so Rhys was heading back to his pack. His pack needed him in this time of chaos, right after so much panic and bloodshed and he also needed to form a summit for all Alphas so they could discuss what was to be done with Aiden and Devon’s men now that their Alpha’s were taken care of. I, of course will be attending the summit along with Aya, as the first official Female Alpha. Every wolf will be given a chance to follow their heart and choose which Alpha they want themselves to align with next or if any of the stronger men or women would like to form a pack of their own.
All I knew was that we’ll be seeing each other again on the day of the Summit that will be held next month and that Rhys will be spending summer at Jharna while I’ll be visiting Jever during the winters. Temporary fixes, but that’ll do for now.
Rhys motioned his men to get into the chopper and then he held out his hand for me to take. I placed my hand in his and then we moved bit further away from our respective pack, near the Jharna where the sound of the roaring water helped drown out ours and would prevent eavesdroppers from getting any juicy scoops.
“What is it?” I asked when Rhys just kept looking at me with a small smile on his face.
“I’m just taking in my fill.” He said. “You do understand that we won’t be seeing each other for over a month, right?”
“Of course I understand that,” I told him. “It’s what we agreed upon.” I placed my hand on his cheeks lightly. “I know it’s going to be difficult but we’ll get through. I’m sure of it.”
“As much as I like the fact that we’ve finally come to an understanding, it’ll be difficult staying away from you for such long months.” He sighed before he wrapped his arms around my waist. “I’m gonna miss you, Mikalya. Did I ever tell you I had a special house built in Jever that was just for me and my mate?”
“Really?” I blinked back my surprise. “Does that mean we’ll be staying there when I come to Jever?”
“Yes, absolutely.” He smiled. “In fact, I’ll be staying there from now on; making sure the house is perfect for you when you arrive.”
“You don’t have to change anything.” I told him, placing my forehead against his. “I’m sure it’ll be perfect just the way it is. I want to see it soon, so send me pictures when you get home.”
“My home is wherever you are, Mikalya.” He said quietly as he placed a kiss on my lips. “Miss me while I’m gone, okay? I know I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.”I said as we pulled back. “Stay safe. I’ll meet you at the Summit next month. Stay prepared for all the commotion.”
“That should be my dialogue,” Rhys laughed as we walked back towards the chopper hand in hand. I gave them the signal and the pilot started the chopped, its blades starting with a loud commotion of sound.
“Goodbye!” Aya screamed at both Rhys and Zyane as they boarded the chopper. I waved at them without saying anything.
Aya walked into my arms as the chopper took off and I wrapped my arm around her as she clung to me. This will be our goodbye for now but I had no doubt that we’ll see each other again and soon. Rhys was right when he said that I’d become his home, because he was the same for me. And I knew he’ll be coming home soon, back to me.