The Beta's Justice

Chapter 17

Nova's POV

He headed for the front door. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned to look back at me. "Coming?" he smiled at me as he waited for me to get up from the chair.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I reached the front door. Part of me was nervous to go with him. He knows me. Everyone knows him, but I don't remember him, which makes going with him a little more nerve-wracking.

"That's a secret, but I promise you'll have fun," he grinned as he looked back at me.

"Okay, give me a second. I need to tell June that I'm going out with you," I told him. I had almost forgotten to tell her. I hadn't left the house since I got home from the hospital.

"Sure. I'll be right here," he said as he looked down at me. There was something in his gaze that drew me to him.

Turning, I went to the kitchen to find June. She was pretending to put away the dishes and make a grocery list. "Eavesdropping?" I asked, laughing at her feeble attempt to pretend she hadn't been listening in.

"Oh, me. Never," she feigned, appearing shocked that I would accuse her of such a thing.

"Yes, you," I laughed.

"Well, I wasn't. But if you want to go out with Leon, you can. I mean if he asked you to go out," she shrugged her shoulders, as she continued to move dishes around.

"Okay, I'll call if I need you," I told her as I felt for my phone to make sure it was sitting in my pocket.

"I'm sure you won't need to, but if you do, I'm here," she assured me.

"Okay, I'll see you later," I smiled as I turned to leave.

"Oh, I think you forgot something," she informed me.

"I did?" I asked, confused. I couldn't think of what I might have forgotten.

"Yup, you did," she said as she opened her arms and waited.

"Oh," I laughed as I went over and gave her a hug.

She wrapped her hands around me. "I love you," she whispered into my hair.

"I love you too," I told her.

"Good, now you can go," she said as she let go of me.

"Okay," I smiled as I left and went to the front door where Leon was waiting for me.

"Ready?" He asked as I approached him.

"Yes," I responded. Suddenly, nerves set in again. I couldn't tell if I was scared, nervous, worried, or happy about going somewhere with him.

I watched as he reached out to take my hand, but then quickly pulled away and instead opened the door. A feeling stirred inside me, but only for a split second, then it was gone. I followed him out to the car. He opened the passenger side door for me

Sliding into the seat, a wave of familiarity washed over me. Similar to deja vu, but also not. He got into the driver's seat, started the car and then pulled out of the driveway. For some time, we drove in silence. He seemed nervous or maybe he didn't know what to say. I mean, I don't know what to say.

“How are you feeling?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"You mean has my condition changed since when you asked me at my house?" I asked, confused.

"Right, I asked that," he laughed nervously. "Okay, ummm, well, what have you been doing for the last month?"

"I've been reading and resting mostly. I haven't really wanted to leave the house," I told him honestly.

"Oh, why not?" He asked as he turned the car off the main road.

"Too many people want me to remember them, but I don't. Even June and Ben. They don't say it, but I can see it in their eyes," I said as I kept my eyes on the road ahead of us.

"That must be hard."

"It is," I sighed.

"Then how about we start over," he suggested.

"What do you mean?" I finally turned to look at him.

"I mean, I won't expect you to remember us from before. And I'll try not to bring up things from the past. I'll try to make it like we just met today," he smiled as he continued to watch the road.

"That sounds nice," I smiled as well. Suddenly, it felt like a weight I didn't know I was carrying had been lifted from my shoulders.

"So will you tell me now where we are going?" I decided to try and act like a normal person who didn't have memory issues.

He laughed before answering. "I told you it's a surprise."

I didn't understand what was so funny. "Why are you laughing? It's normal for people to want to know where they are being taken," I tried to persuade him.

"It is, but it is also natural for the person preparing the surprise not to tell," he chuckled. He seemed lighter, too.

"Fine," I huffed overly dramatically.

"How about we talk about something else?" He offered.

"Sure," I agreed.

"While you were home, what did you do?"

"Oh, ummm, not much. I thought I already told you. I just read, did some writing, and slept... a lot," I told him. "What about you?"

"I've been back to running the pack. Hunter was doing it while you were in the hospital. But I took back over. We lost a lot of wolves, had a mass funeral, my father went to court for his crimes, and my mom is helping wolves to cope with their loss," he was slow to tell me everything. He was in pain, talking about it all.

"After what?"

"Right, sorry, maybe I should start from the beginning," he smiled, but it was hollow. Whatever he was going to tell me wasn't going to be a fun story. After a few moments of gathering his thoughts, he started.

I listened until the end. So much had happened to this pack. A kind of war or maybe civil war. "That's a lot," I marvelled.

"It is, but for a short time, today, I am not the Alpha, I am just Leon," he grinned.

"Oh, and who is just Leon? What does he like?"

He thought for a moment before telling me anything. "I am the Alpha of Crimson Fang, but that's not all I am. Over the past month, it's begun to feel that way, but I'm not. I like playing basketball. I also miss playing. It's been months since I last touched a ball," he paused as his mind drifted for a moment. "I am not the best student, probably because I don't try as hard as I could. I have two really good friends, Ethan and Parker. We haven't been able to hang out as much as we used to, but they are helping with training the warriors," he finished talking and I took in everything he said.

"Are we going to play basketball?" It suddenly dawned on me. That could be the surprise. I was sure of it.

He smiled. "No, but that might be fun. I don't think you've ever played, so I'll have to teach you," he seemed pleased with the thought.

"I guess I'd be okay with that," I nodded.

"What do you like?" He asked.

"I like reading and learning," I said simply.

"Sports?"

"I don't think I like sports or maybe I've never really tried any," I said as I scrunched my brows on thought.

He was quiet for a moment. "We should go to a gym sometime?" He smiled over at me before he turned his attention back to the road.

"I guess," I wasn't sure how to respond. Was it normal to go to a gym with a guy?

We sat in awkward silence until he pulled the car into a restaurant parking lot. "I thought our first date should be a classic," he grinned as he parked the car.

I nodded as I looked over at the restaurant. It looked fancy. Then I glanced down at my clothes. "You look beautiful, as always," he complimented, as though he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Oh, I don't know. That place looks so fancy. But my clothes," I motioned down.

"Are perfect," he said as he opened the car door and slipped out. He came around to my side and pulled open my door. He extended his hand for me to take. Reaching out, I took it. Then electricity zipped through my body. Instantly, I let go, shocked by it.

"Is everything alright?" He worried.

"I felt... something...." I whispered, feeling embarrassed and confused.

"You felt something," he whispered back, hope blooming in his eyes.

"Yes, something," I felt my cheeks begin to redden.

"Something," he marvelled happily. His hand was still outstretched for me to take. I reached out again, taking his hand. The electricity rushed through me again, but this time I didn't pull away.

"Mate!" SKI practically purred. Joy filled her voice and it felt as though she were prancing inside my mind.

We walked into the restaurant, still with my hand in his. We were seated at a table and given menus. Glancing around, I still felt out of place. I was wearing nice clothes, but still, they didn't feel nice enough. "Are you still uncomfortable?" He asked me, appearing worried.

"A little. I just wish I was wearing something nicer is all," I told him, hoping he would understand it was only my clothes making me feel uncomfortable.

"Give me a second," he said as he stood. I watched, confused as he left the restaurant. He returned a moment later. "I was told to give this to you because you may feel underdressed for this place," he said as he handed me a bag.

Opening the bag, I peered inside to see clothes. "Where am I supposed to change?"

"Bathroom," he suggested.

"Why didn't you give this to me back at my house to change into?"

"Because you look perfect in what you're wearing. I didn't think you would feel so underdressed. I'm sorry," he apologized, appearing genuine.

I could feel my cheeks redden from his compliment. “He likes us,” cooed Ski very pleased with the situation.

“Seems so,” I responded, trying to keep my emotions in check. I didn't want to give in too much. Not if this wasn't actually the mate bond, whatever that is.