The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 101

ETHAN

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Moira huffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't know. It's stupid. I shouldn't have come."

"I'm kind of busy right now. Can this wait?" I asked, still trying to figure out why she'd show up at my door now of all times.

She rolled her eyes overly dramatically. "Juniper should've just reached out to you instead of linking me. I don't know what her problem is."

"Wait, what?" The mention of Juniper's name made me hang on Moira's every word. "What do you mean she contacted you?"

"I don't know. It was super weird. I was just trying to study, and then suddenly she started linking me, but it was almost like it wasn't working. I tried to link her back to tell her to stop trying to link me, but it was like she couldn't hear me." Moira placed her hands on my hips. "It was really annoying. When I see her, I'm going to make sure she knows I'm not her messenger. I don't even know why she'd reach out to me either. She knows I hate her guts."

Moira bit her lip suddenly, as if she realized who she was talking to.

"What did Juniper tell you?" I asked, ignoring all of the unimportant comments Moira added. She could say she hated Juniper all she wanted, but for whatever reason she was standing in my doorway, giving me a message.

"She told me to tell you that she was at the library. I don't know why you need to know that, and I really don't care." Moira looked me up and down, very obviously checking me out. When she realized I was staring at her, her face started to turn red. "I doubt you care that she's at the library studying like usual."

I narrowed my eyes, even more confused by Moira's presence. "When did she ask you to tell me this?"

"I don't know. Like twenty minutes ago or something? Well, I told you her message, so tell her that the two of us are even now, 'kay?" Moira said.

She started to walk away, but I grabbed her arm. "She told you she was at the library? Did she say anything else?"

Moira shook away my grip. "No. I don't get why you're acting so weird or why Juniper sounded so desperate for me to tell you she was at the library. What's going on?"

"I have to go," I said, stepping into my apartment. I tried to shut the door, but Moira stuck her foot in the way.

She pushed the door open, following me inside. "Is Juniper in trouble or something?"

I didn't have time to answer Moira's questions. I had already lost valuable time, and if Juniper linked Moira out of all people to tell me she was at the library, then there had to be a good reason for it.

"Go home, Moira. It'll be better that way." I went to my closet and started grabbing my warrior gear.

Moira ignored my instructions and watched me grab my stuff. "She is in trouble. That's why the link sounded so weird. It's also why she hasn't been in class, right? She has never missed a day of class, and I thought it was strange. She goes even when she's sick."

I strapped my belt on and loaded it with various weapons. I didn't know what I would find when I went to the library. "I'm surprised you even noticed. I thought you hated her and wanted her out of the school."

Moira stood still. "I hate that she's always been better than me, but that doesn't mean I want her hurt. I just wanted to ruin her reputation."

I scoffed and shook my head. "Your friends attacked Juniper, and don't try to tell me you didn't know about that. Instead of dealing with your own insecurities, you took them out on someone else. Juniper trusted you, and you used that against her." "1-"

"I'm not really interested in your excuses. Juniper needs me right now. You're going to have to work through your terrible behavior on your own." I ushered Moira out of my apartment, locking the door behind me. Charles would have to stay tied up until I got Juniper back. Then I would take him to Alpha Williams.

"-"

"I'm not really interested in your excuses. Juniper needs me right now. You're going to have to work through your terrible behavior on your own." I ushered Moira out of my apartment, locking the door behind me. Charles would have to stay tied up until I got Juniper back. Then I would take him to Alpha Williams.

As soon as Alpha Williams was on campus, he would be close enough for me to send a link to. Once that happened, it was all over for my father and anyone else he was working with. Tomorrow everything would get resolved. Right now, I had to make sure my mate was still alive.

She had to still be alive, I reminded myself. If Juniper was dead, I would've felt the pain of the mate bond breaking. That thought was the only thing keeping me sane.

"Where are you going?" Moira asked, chasing after me.

"To get my mate back. I suggest you go home. This is not something you want to get involved in," I said. I didn't look to see if Moira had listened to my advice, but her footsteps faded away. She was at least smart enough to not follow me. Where I was going, I knew death was going to follow. I didn't care about keeping captives for a proper trial. Whoever took Juniper had signed their own death warrant.

***

JUNIPER

My body jolted awake as it slammed against the cold, hard ground. I rolled so I was facing up. The hunter grunted and walked away from me. The drugs still laced my body, but they didn't feel as heavy as before. I didn't know how long had passed since I lost consciousness or where I was in the slightest.

I pushed myself off the ground into a sitting position. I wanted to stand up, but my head felt dizzy just from the smallest movement. I looked around the dark room, and most of the furniture was covered in white sheets. Dust covered everything in the room. It even filled the air, making my nose tingle.

I couldn't hold back the sneeze that overcame me.

"You're awake," the hunter said. He sat down on a wooden chair and started carving an apple. "I'm surprised. Those drugs should've kept you subdued for another hour minimum."

"You're Craig, aren't you?" I asked. I kept as still as possible, hoping the pounding in my head would subside if I stopped moving.

Bits of apple skin flung through the air. He kept his eyes focused on his work. "You've done your research."

"You killed James and tried to kill me. That's not a face I'd easily forget," I said. He was much older now, and gray peppered his hair since that day, but his eyes were burned in my brain forever. I couldn't comprehend how I didn't recognize him instantly when I ran across him with Axel. I knew nothing could make me forget his face again.

"You did forget it," he pointed out.

I ignored his comment, knowing he was right. "Why haven't you killed me yet?" It was a dangerous question to ask, but the last time I ran into Craig, he tried to shoot me on sight. If he had wanted to, he could've shot me in the back in Ethan's apartment. "Just be grateful you're still alive," Craid answered. He bit into his apple, and the juice ran down his chin. The sight made my stomach churn.

"Did Beta Burrell change his mind and tell you to keep me alive?" I wanted answers, and maybe if I pestered him enough, he would actually answer some of my questions.

"I got tired of listening to Beta Burrell," Craig said. He finished the fruit in only a couple of bites. "Lucky you. He ordered me to do whatever it took to kill you, but he's being blinded by his sons."

"That's hard to believe," I muttered. Beta Burrell didn't seem to care about the well-being of any of his sons, and it made me hate him that much more.

"He wants to kill you because he thinks it'll remove his son's distractions and then they'll join his side willingly," Craig explained.

"That will never happen."

"And that's why you're still alive. When I saw that boy jump in front of a bullet to save your life, I knew you were the key to getting those boys on my side. If your life is at stake, they'll do anything I say," Craig said.

A wave of nausea washed over me. Craig planned to use me to blackmail the brothers. "I'm not that important to them. They have morals. They are not just going to betray everything they care about because you threaten me."

Craig chuckled, tossing the core of the apple into a waste bin behind me. He did it with perfect aim. "I have learned that most people will break morals when it comes to love."

"They don't love me," I said. My voice wavered, and I knew I didn't sound convincing.

"Shall we test that little theory of yours?" he asked. He smirked playfully, and my stomach twisted, knowing I wouldn't like what was about to happen.

Craig stood up, and I flinched, afraid he was going to try to hurt me. However, he walked away from me to the other side of the room. He left through a door and didn't even bother to check on me. He wasn't worried about me trying to run off.

I tried to stand up, knowing if I was going to run, this was the time to do it, but I was barely on my feet when my vision went black and my head spun. I sank to the floor, knowing that running wasn't an option with the drugs still pulsing through my system.

A moment later, Craig returned to the room, and muffled cries filled my ears. I leaned over to peer around the furniture in my way, and I inhaled sharply as I saw a body being dragged behind Craig. He threw the body a few feet in front of me, and I had no doubt it was Nathan.

His left eye was swollen and bruised, and there was dried blood on his split lip. He had been beaten and gagged.

"Nathan!" I called out, crawling to his side. His eyes were wild, but as he saw me, they calmed down. After removing the gag from his mouth, I cradled his head, wishing there was something I could do to help him. "What did you do to him?" "What had to be done," Craig said simply. "He was sticking his nose where it didn't belong, and he had to be taught a lesson."

I stroked Nathan's hair, hoping my touch offered him a little pain relief. I wanted to tell him everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't get the words to come out of my mouth. Seeing him like this reminded me of the day I saw him get injured on the wolfball field.

"He didn't deserve to be beaten," I snapped. I just wanted to protect Nathan, and seeing him like that gave me a burst of energy.

Craig shrugged. "I don't really care. In case you forgot, I kill people for a living."

I sucked in my lips at the reminder. There was no point in arguing with a killer about morals, even if I wanted to beat him for harming a hair on Nathan's head.

"Now, let's test that theory. Should we see what Nathan here will do in order to protect the woman he loves?" Craig taunted.

Nathan's eyes grew wide, and I knew he was just as afraid as I was.