The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 105

JUNIPER

I pulled back from Nathan, trying not to think about the tear stains on his shirt. "I'm sorry." I kept my head down. I didn't want to look into his eyes, afraid to see any judgment in them. Nathan grabbed my chin and gently tilted my head up. "You don't have to apologize."

His closeness made my head swim, making me feel even dizzier than before. This was Nathan. Sweet, little Nathan-only he wasn't so little anymore. I felt it in the strength in his arms and saw it in the kindness in his eyes. He had grown into a fine man over the years, and I hadn't been there to see it happen.

I wanted to lean into his touch, but I knew that would only make my thoughts cloudy, and I couldn't afford that. At the same time, I couldn't bring myself to pull away from him.

"There's something I need to tell you," I said, looking up into Nathan's eyes.

"Don't tell me right now," he said, tearing his eyes away from mine. His hand released from my face, and I felt the distance growing between us. "I'm not sure I can handle hearing what you have to say right now. Tell me when we get out of here. That way I can live in denial a little longer."

I scrunched my nose, trying to figure out what Nathan thought I was about to say. I reached for his hand, desperate to stop him from pulling away. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't want to wait. If we don't get out of here, I want you to know that-" Nathan pulled his hand away. "Juniper, I can smell Ethan all over you. I know you've been with him. It's clear you've chosen him. I thought that maybe when you and Asher broke up..." He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "That doesn't matter. Just let me live in denial a little longer. If we make it out of here alive, then you can break my heart."

"It's not like that," I said. "I'm not trying to break your heart. I'm trying to tell you the truth."

"Then don't. Just lie to me a little longer." Nathan started backing away from me.

Something snapped inside of me. He wasn't listening, so I was determined to make him listen. I grabbed his face and pulled it against mine. Our lips touched, and it felt like the dying embers roared to life with fervent energy.

Nathan stood there frozen for a moment. His lips were unmoving against mine, and then he melted into the kiss. His hands went to my body, but they were clumsy and unsure. It was as if he was going back and forth, unable to decide how to touch me. I pulled away after a moment to catch my breath, but I didn't remove my hands from his face. His eyes were wild with questions, and he looked at me for an explanation.

"Good. You've shut up. Now will you listen to what I have to say?" I asked. I licked my lips, my heart still racing from his touch. "I was trying to tell you that you're my mate. When James died, the Moon Goddess blessed me with new mates; you, Ethan, Axel, and Asher. All of you are my mates, which is why this has been so confusing."

"I'm... your mate?" Nathan didn't seem to fully register what I was saying. Or maybe it was something he thought he'd only dreamed of, so he was trying to decide if he was hearing my words correctly.

"Yes. I don't fully know what this means for all of us, yet. I want to have a conversation with everyone if-when we get out of this mess, but yes. Nathan, you are my mate." The words tasted like sour candy, a shock and then pleasantly sweet. I held his head in my hands, trying to process the stirring feelings within me. I had never thought of Nathan as someone who could be my mate before, but now, it was different.

I waited for him to say something, but instead, he closed the distance between us, kissing me again. This time his lips were more sure as they moved against mine like waves in an ocean. He even dipped his tongue out, testing the waters. I parted my lips, easily slipping into the rhythm.

Then the door snapped open, making my entire body jump as I was torn out of the sweet moment and thrown into the harsh reality we were in. Nathan spun his body, blocking me like a shield from whoever had just burst into the room. I held onto the back of Nathan's shirt to keep me stable. My legs felt wobbly, but this time I didn't think it was only the fault of the drugs.

Craig stood at the door, and his face was twisted as he looked at us. He pulled out his gun and pointed it towards Nathan. "Move." He gestured to the other side of the room.

"What are you going to do?" Nathan demanded. His voice sounded different than before. There was a new confidence to it, as if he was determined to do whatever it took to protect me.

"I'm not running some w***e house," Craig growled. "I said move."

I felt Nathan's reluctance to listen, which terrified me. I pushed his back gently. "Go. It's okay." I didn't want him to defy Craig and get himself shot. As much as I hated it, I knew Nathan was more expendable than I was. Nathan let out a harsh sigh and started moving to where Craig indicated. The hunter moved closer to him. "Sit." He pointed to an old wooden chair and waited for Nathan to listen like a dog.

Nathan's eyes met mine, and I saw the hatred of this moment burning deep within them. He wanted to stand up to Craig and protect me, but he felt helpless. I knew he was desperate to show me he was a man and no longer a child, and this was killing him inside. I wanted to tell him that this didn't change the way I saw him. I needed him to listen, because resisting could result in something I didn't even want to think about.

Craig pulled rope out of the bag slung over his shoulder and started tying Nathan's arms to the chair. Nathan gritted his teeth, trying to hide the pain, but the circulation to his hands was being cut off from how tightly the hunter was tying the knots. When Craig finished, he turned to me. "You sit right there." He pointed to one of the floral chairs I had uncovered.

My body practically fell into the chair, grateful to have a break from standing. My body was exhausted, and it just wanted rest, but I refused to relax. I knew I couldn't give into the temptation of sleep.

"I thought the drugs pumping through both of your systems would've been enough to keep you both subdued, but I must have miscalculated something." Craig pulled out a needle from his bag and walked over to Nathan. My body tensed at the sight, and I started to stand up.

"Don't," Craig warned without even looking at me. "If you try to stop me, I will make sure to put enough drugs in his system to stop his heart. With the wolfsbane in his system, he won't be able to recover from something like that."

I bit my inner cheek, trying to stay calm. My need to protect Nathan stirred inside of me, but I fought that instinct, knowing it could cause more damage.

Craig injected the serum into Nathan's vein, and it only took seconds before Nathan's eyes glazed over. He was having a hard time focusing, and I had to clench my hands to stop myself from saying or doing anything. While Craig was in the room with the gun, he had the upper hand.

I stared at his gun in his holster. If I could trick him into getting close enough, I could grab the gun, giving me more power. It was the only way I could think of to get out of this mess on my own.

"Please don't hurt him," I said, deliberately making my voice sound weak. I stumbled to my feet and lost my balance, collapsing to the floor. I braced myself with my hands, but I landed wrong and felt a pinch in my left wrist. I hissed as the pain shot through my

nerves.

"I told you to sit," Craig growled. He stomped over to me, none of his stealth present in his angered footsteps. He picked me up by the back of the shirt, and I reached for his gun.

My fingers wrapped around the handle of the gun, but then an incredible pressure squeezed my wrist. Craig yanked my arm away, and I didn't have enough strength to keep a grip on the gun. My feet came off the ground as he lifted me to meet his eyes by my arm. "I told you not to try anything, stupid girl," Craig growled.

He tightened his grip on my wrist, and I felt my bones creak under the pressure. A yelp escaped my lips, and Nathan pulled against his restraints, snarling wildly. Then Craig threw me to the floor. I landed on my side, and if my wrist wasn't broken before, I was sure it was now. I stayed on the floor, fighting back the tears of pain.

"Now you're going to learn what happens when you don't listen." He pulled the gun out of his holster and aimed it at Nathan.

"No!" I screamed, even though there was nothing I could do to stop what was happening.

The door swung open, and the room suddenly grew thick with wolf energy.

"What is happening here?" a deep voice demanded. Beta Burrell stormed into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He looked between Nathan and Craig, and his face started to turn red.

"I'm taking care of things you're too weak to do yourself," Craig answered. He c****d his gun and pulled the trigger. Only my scream filled the air.