The North Star Chronicles

Chapter 6

Andy

It was an eery feeling to be so enamored and drawn to the complete stranger just inches away from me. Polaris, obviously satisfied, rumbled her approval as she sensed her own mate within the man crouched beside me.

"I have a million things to say to you, but I guess I should start with hello,"

"Hello to you too." I responded, doing my best to conceal the blush that I felt flooding into my cheeks. I studied his features. His skin was fair, yet darker than mine. He smelled of ocean spray and I assumed it was both his natural scent as well as evidence of his daily activities along the coast. His hair, though clipped fairly short, was haphazardly tousled by the wind and elements. And his eyes, in their ocean green brilliance, felt like home. "And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" I added awkwardly in my attempt to be playful.

A blush bloomed on his face. "Gale Harrow."

I gave a small nod in acknowledgement. "Andy, or in more formal moments Andromeda, Holmes."

His smile widened. "Of course it is." I moved to sit up but his blush darkened ten fold. "Wait just a second if you would. An Omega brought you some clothes. I just didn't think it would be proper to-"

My eyes widened, having come to the realization that my clothes were nonexistent, self-consciousness scattered goosebumps across my skin.

Gale quickly reached for the pile of clothes sitting on a nearby table and laid them beside me. "If it's alright with you, I'll be right outside the door. The ferry should be docking soon."

I nodded shyly. "The Bainbridge Island ferry?" I clutched the blanket to my chest and sat up, the motion taking more effort than it should have.

He nodded and turned to give me a final glance, his expression looked pained at first as he debated on if he could manage being even a few feet away from me, but quickly he resolved that a few moments of distance was safe enough. "We're going home." he said softly, and I felt in my soul that he was right.

Gale

Closing the door behind him, Gale felt breathless. Her name was so familiar, he'd heard it years before. And Holmes, loosely translated, meant from the island in the water. Everything about her was serene and beautiful. And the power emanating from her was so intense, it was a wonder any spell had been strong enough to conceal her. He was confident that he would have found her years ago had she been anywhere on the planet. Their bond threads were so clear now.

Kaito grew restless, impatiently waiting to return to their mate. And though Gale was eagerly waiting to return to her side, he held back and waited, even though it pained him.

Gale quickly mind linked to his beta and gamma, sending all the information they needed in brief images that were burned into his memory of the explosion that incinerated buildings, of her pupilless iridescent eyes.

Both Titus, and Gale's gamma Rory, answered the link immediately by sending their emotions through the link full force. Intense pride and happiness rang through the link, as well as fierce protectiveness over what they knew to be the most precious of Lunas. The excitement was palpable, but hidden beneath the joy and celebration, was the most subtle hints of uncertainty, as her existence meant that war would surely be knocking on their doorstep.

Gale knew that it was going to be so much more than simply defending the pack. Andy and Polaris were the key to ending The Barren Times and saving their species as a whole. It would take much more than the few hundred members of his own pack.

On the pack link, he sent out an order for all information on witches to be gathered and sent to the council chambers. If they had any chance of winning this war, they needed to find them. Knowing now that Andy's bindings had been magical, it was clear that some of the witches had survived, and finding them would be of utmost importance.

Andy

I shrugged into the knit sweater that was clearly a mans. The shorts were elastic, I pulled the inner drawstraight taught and tied them so they wouldn't fall off of me. I stood and crossed the room, examining myself in the mirror. My hair was disheveled and I made my best attempt at taming it with my fingers.

"I look homeless." I muttered to myself.

Polaris chortled, a throaty laugh ringing clearly in my mind. "You two legged's and clothes." I could see her, if wolves could roll their eyes that's what she was doing. "You best call for him before he crawls out of his skin."

She was right. I could feel his anxiousness creeping up as if he somehow expected me to disappear in the few moments we were apart.

I decided it the perfect opportunity to speak through on bond thread. "I'm ready." I sent.

The door handle turned instantly, the embarrassment he felt for being so haste palpable on our bond. The door pushed open slowly then, and he peered around the corner to make certain he was cleared for entry before walking in with his eyes averted, a blush on his face.

He stood there, hands deep in his pockets as he searched for the words to say.

"I just want you to know, that even though I didn't know what was pulling me here, I can see now that it was you." I broke the silence. "I've felt this pull for the last two years, as if somewhere deep down I knew that I was meant to be here. But I can see it all, and I'm remembering everything. And I see you, and I know who you are. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." I gave him a weak smile, a blush once more spreading across my cheeks.

"I- I still just don't know the right words to say to you. I didn't realize that I would feel this intensely so quickly. I can see you too, for everything that you are, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that it scares the hell out of me." he said, releasing his breath in a soft laughing sigh.

"Me too." I offered back with a nervous laugh.

The boat beneath our feet began to slow and rock softly as it came to a halt at the Bainbridge Island port. Gale held out his hand for me, and the second our fingers met our bond thread hummed, goosebumps spreading across my skin like wildfire.

I leaned against Gale as needed as we made our way off the ferry and onto the island. My body was still weak from the power expenditure and I welcomed his arms wrapped firmly around my waist. The night sky was displayed in all of its glory, the stars looked even more illustrious now with no barrier between myself and my power.

Though it was dark, I could sense movement all around us, at least a dozen figures circling around us in the distance.

"That's your pack isn't it?" I asked, doing my best to meet the eyes of the wolves running surveillance, but having no luck as each averted their eyes before being caught in my gaze.

"This is our pack, Andy. Now lets get you home."