The Beta's Justice

Chapter 26

Audrey's POV

I thought Nova would need my help. I knew she was strong, but she struggled to put her foot down and demand respect. She has really come into her own. I felt a pang of pride as Darren and I stood watching her basically setting the tone for the remainder of the school year.

"Why is she still going to school? Really?" Darren leaned over and whispered into my ear.

"Leon and Luna Lily believe it is good for her to gain the pack's respect. Since she didn't fair so well within these walls, they decided that if she could gain respect here, she would have the confidence to gain the respect of the remaining pack members," I explained to him.

He nodded. "Makes sense."

"This is nice," I said with a grin.

"What? Watching Nova create fire and basically begin to act like Luna?" he chuckled.

"No, well, yes, but not just that. I mean us, here, in a normal werewolf life. No training special wolves. No preparing for war. No fighting my father," I sighed happily.

He slid his hand into mine causing a spark to surge through me. "It is definitely better to be a regular student," he agreed.

The hallway began to clear and Nova went back to her locker. She appeared thoughtful as she looked at a sandwich sitting in her locker. "What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

"Well..." she started. "Leon made me something to eat."

"Say no more," I laughed. "It's a nice gesture. But he is not a chef."

"Most definitely," she agreed, giving me a smile.

The bell rang and we all went our separate ways. Darren ended up with his first period the same as Nova's. While I was still two years behind them. It was frustrating. I want to graduate with them. I sat in first-period English class wishing time would move faster. The day was over before we knew it, as was the first week back at school. We spent the whole week training and going to school. Preparing for the festival was no easy task, but by Friday night the grounds around the training center looked spectacular. I didn't think it was possible, but by the looks of the dark circles under Nova's eyes, it was hard not to think it was possible. She had worked so hard.

I stood at the center of it all, helping to direct the wolves to finish putting on the final touches. This festival was planned to start tomorrow and last through the weekend. It looked marvellous. Lights were strung up around the area, making it look like night stars. Each booth had a theme, but it all still worked together. Each adult wolf had a booth while the younger ones helped to run them. Inside the facility, we set up a stage along with chairs for the audience. We intended on putting on a show. According to Nova's schedule, we would be putting on a grand show at least twice a day, along with mini-performances throughout the day. Everyone has been practicing hard all week. The young ones had not yet gone back to school and so it was helpful for them to have something to do throughout the weekend.

I felt arms snake around me and the warmth of a chest pressed against my back. "This place looks amazing," Darren whispered into the back of my head.

"You may have helped," I smiled as I relaxed into his embrace. It was so sweet—this moment. I wanted time to stop. I want to breathe it all in. I want time to stand still.

"Just a bit," he laughed. It was deep. I could feel the vibrations on my back.

I let out a sigh. "I'm exhausted," I said as leaned back more onto him, almost relaxing my whole weight into his arms. "Carry me," I told him dramatically.

Laughing, without a word, he picked me up, causing me to burst into a fit of laughter. "Put me down. I can walk," I said as I wriggled.

"Nope, you asked for me to carry you and so here I am carrying you," he chuckled as he walked with me in his arms toward the packhouse.

I tried to riggle my way out of his arms, but it only made him tighten his grip. As much as I wanted to act like it was embarrassing to have him carry me, I couldn't help the smile that crept across my lips. He was warm. This was nice. Being held and loved was nice. Instead, of pulling away, I began to snuggle in closer. The rise and fall of his chest was rhythmically soothing. I struggled to keep my eyes open and soon they closed.

I woke as I felt a blanket wrap around me. “Where are you going?” I yawned as I forced my eyes open.

“Letting you sleep because tomorrow is a big day,” he said with a proud smile spreading across his lips.

“Stay here with me tonight,” I asked, trying to sound less desperate than I felt. However, my desperation escaped.

His gaze softened as he walked back toward me. He sat down on the side of my bed, next to me and gently placed his hand on my cheek. “You know, I want to spend the night with you, but the longer we both know we are mates, the harder it is becoming for me to control myself. If I were to spend time here with you, I may lose myself and I couldn't do that to you,” he explained. I could see the lust in his gaze and how he was fighting with himself internally.

I reached out and placed my hand over his. “I understand. I can wait,” I assured him. I wanted to wait as well, but I wanted the love I felt with him to last more than daylight hours. I wanted to feel him with me every day at every moment.

“Thank you,” he said with a sigh of relief. “I will see you in the morning,” he said as he leaned down and planted a kiss on my lips. I deepened the kiss and I could feel the sensation that could cause me to forget myself. However, before I did, he pulled away. “I promise one day soon we will continue where we have left off more than once,” he said as he brushed his nose lightly across mine and then got up from bed.

“Good night,” I whispered, sleepily.

“Good night, Audrey,” he responded before he closed the door behind himself.

Darren's POV

Immediately, I took a cold shower, trying to calm myself. She was always so beautiful but today, she was more. When I first met her, she was broken and ashamed of her family. Now she walked with her head held up high and pride in her gaze. Her scent has shifted ever so slightly. The closer she gets to her eighteenth birthday, the stronger her scent becomes, but today it was something different. It was as though the more confident she became the stronger her scent did as well.

I sat down at my desk, worry suddenly taking over. My father was on his way. I knew he would come if Ryker failed. I had hoped he would read my emails, and texts, and listen to my updates, but he didn't. He was deadset in his path of destruction. I dropped my head onto my hands, looking down at my phone. I was debating whether or not to call him again and give it another shot. I knew how the conversation would go, but I finally decided to try.

I sat up straighter in my chair, dialled his number and waited as the phone rang. “Son, you can call all you want, but I am not going to stop my plan. Everything is already in motion,” he answered the phone.

“Please father, the she-wolf you want isn't even here,” I tried to lie to him, but I knew he wouldn't believe me.

“Please, son, I've had spies in and out of that territory. I know Nova survived the attack,” he grunted, displeased with my attempt at fooling him.

“Why do you want her?” I inquired. I knew he wouldn't tell me. All he ever said was he wanted her to replace her mother. However, to what extent I couldn't fathom.

He let out a sigh of exasperation. “Come home and we can speak as gentlemen do.”

“You know I can't. I found my mate here,” I reminded him.

“That's right,” he chuckled. He seemed to find it humorous that my mate resided in the pack that his desired mate had run off to. “How is that going? Last I remember, she is still underage and you can't fully be with her. It must be torture,” he laughed.

“It's actually going very well,” I shot at him in a defiant tone.

“I suppose you've told her who you really are then.”

I froze. She knew, but we had only really talked about it once when we were both in the dungeons. She had never brought it up and I never wanted to bring it back up. My father wasn't exactly someone I wanted to talk about. “She knows,” I finally responded.

“She does and yet she doesn't want to come back here to become the future Luna. I would think every she-wolf would jump at the chance,” he said in a smug tone. I wanted to bring up Helen. I wanted to mock him as well, but I knew I couldn't. If I did, then this call would be for nothing.

“We are busy here and I am beginning to enjoy living again,” I informed him honestly.

“I take it, you told her once. Then the pack went into a war and you never brought it back up and so she quite possibly forget,” he mocked.

I didn't want to admit that he was right. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm myself and focus again on the purpose of why I was calling him. “Father, leave the pack alone. There is no point in going to war with them.”

“There is. I will get Nova and all the power that comes with her and no one will be able to stand against my pack again. Better, I'll be able to take over more. I'll be able to lead the strongest pack in the world and no one will stand against me ever again,” his tone darkened in the way that it did when he started to go into his crazy rant about taking over the world. I had never met Helen and I never knew my father before, but my mother had always assured him that he wasn't always crazy. Helen was an Alpha from Silvertooth. My father doesn't have Alpha blood in him, but Helen's little sister fell in love with him and so when Helen rejected him to go off with Nova's father, the pack's Beta's son, she jumped at the chance to be on his arm. They did turn out to be mates, but somehow that never tuned out the hold Helen had on his heart.

I covered over the speaker and let out a sigh. I didn't want him to hear my frustration, but I needed to think for a moment. “Nova won't go with you not willingly, and I doubt you could take her. She's much more powerful than you know,” I told him in what I knew would be a failed attempt to reason with him. “Let alone, she is the mate of this pack's Alpha. You would be starting a war not only with this pack but with every pack in the world. You know they don't tolerate anyone messing with the mate bond or with Alphas.”

His response was laughter. “I admire your loyalty to her, which I am sure will be very helpful after I've obtained her,” he retorted as though it were certain.

This conversation was over. He wouldn't listen just as he wouldn't listen to any of the previous calls, but I had to try. “Father, if you won't stop this, then I will,” I threatened.

“You and what army,” he chuckled. “You have all but abandoned this pack and yet you believe any of them will back you?”

“No, not them,” I growled at him. “I will stop you,” I promised him.

“I look forward to your attempt,” he lowered his tone. Then a moment later passed, I let it pass. “Your mother would be so disappointed in you,” he added and then hung up the phone.

I chucked the phone across the room, causing it to smash against the wall. He knew exactly what to say. My mother would not be disappointed, but I would never know. She was gone. She had died of a broken heart. When I was twelve, I watched her wither away. My father started talking nonsense about finding Helen and getting her back. She heard this one too many times and stopped eating. How he didn't feel her pain was beyond my understanding. When she passed, the pack mourned, but he lost his s**t completely.