The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 111

JUNIPER

The lights above me were blinding, and a crowd of unfamiliar voices hit my ears. My back was on a cold, metal table, and panic started bubbling up in my throat. I had to get out of here. I had to get back to Ethan and make sure Nathan was okay. As I tried to move, suddenly hands grabbed my limbs and forced me to stay still.

"She's waking up!"

"The anesthetics are wearing off. Give her more now. I can't have her move during this process!"

I felt a prick against my arm. I fought against the hands pinning me down, but then my body stopped responding, and I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried.

"Don't let that happen again. If this silver bullet pierces her heart, then there's not much I will be able to do to save her."

My mind started drifting off, and the sounds around me faded. I felt like I was floating, and everything grew dark. I wanted to fight against it. There was too much to do. However, my body forced my mind to give up. ETHAN

"Ethan, what happened?" Asher asked.

I looked at my brothers. They were staring at me as we sat in the waiting room. The doctors were working hard to save Juniper's life. Marking her had bought her more time, but between the concoction of drugs in her system and the silver bullet next to her heart, the doctors refused to give us any solid answers.

"We're doing everything we can."

"Her condition is quite severe."

"She's lucky to be alive."

"We'll update you once we have any news."

None of those were the answers I wanted. Now Asher and Axel stared at me, wanting an explanation. Juniper was supposed to be safe with me, and I didn't protect her. I was Nathan's older brother, and I didn't protect him either.

"Juniper jumped in front of a gun to save my life," I said, unable to feel the extent of what that meant. Juniper was in surgery, and it could go either way.

Asher sank into the chair next to me. "I want to say she shouldn't have done that, but then that means you'd be the one on that table instead."

"She shouldn't have jumped in front of a bullet for me," I said. "There's only one of her. Even if I had been shot, she would've had the two of you two."

"She'd have Axel," Asher corrected. "I don't know if she wants me after everything that has happened between us. She deserves better than the way I've treated her."

My heart ached as I looked at my younger brother. He messed up in a big way, but I knew he wasn't a bad person. "She needs you right now. Having her mates near her will help her recover. It'll give her better chances."

"I wish Nathan was here, too," Asher said, dodging my statement. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "He's her mate, too."

"I know." I couldn't stop the guilt from choking me. "I'm sorry. I failed him. I've failed all of you."

Axel stopped pacing and snapped his head towards me. "What are you talking about? You didn't fail anyone."

"I let Juniper get kidnapped on my watch. I had a chance to save her and Nathan, and I didn't save either of them."

Axel started laughing. "I don't think I've ever seen you so humble." He grabbed his torso as he leaned forward, laughing even harder. "The Great Ethan, who is one of the best warriors, incredibly smart and one of the most responsible people, thinks he failed." I didn't know how to respond to Axel's laughter in the waiting room of the hospital. He looked like he had gone completely mad. He may have with how little sleep he had over the past few days.

"This isn't funny."

"It kind of is," Asher added, sniggering himself. "You went into the headquarters of a group of people trying to kill Alpha Williams and his family by yourself, and you came out with a few surface wounds. And you think you failed." Asher had to take a moment to breathe. "No wonder you're so wound tight if you think that is failure," Axel said, finishing his twin's thoughts.

I narrowed my eyes, confused by their reactions. I was fully prepared for them to think it was my fault Juniper was in surgery now and that Anthony took Nathan. Instead, they were laughing at me.

"As the future beta, I'm supposed to handle situations like that. There's no room for error," I said. In only a few weeks, I was supposed to step up to become the official beta. It was my responsibility to protect the alpha and all other werewolves, but I couldn't protect those closest to me.

Axel laughed even harder. "You really need a vacation when all of this is said and done. You took on an army by yourself. Even as the beta, you're not supposed to be doing things by yourself. You'll have warriors to support you. Even our father rarely lifted a finger. You didn't fail today. Juniper's still alive." I could practically hear the unspoken "for now" in his voice.

"She's going to make it," I said, hoping it would relieve some of the pressure I felt, but it didn't lessen any of the worry.

"She better." Axel took a seat next to me, and the mood died down.

Several minutes of silence passed between us as we thought about Juniper. Every minute was amplified, and it was excruciating. I just wanted to see her and hold her again. I wanted to tell her how stupid she was for jumping in front of a gun like that and how I loved her even more for doing such a selfless act.

"There's something I have to tell you," I said. Axel and Asher sat up, waiting for me to continue. I had left a detail out when telling everyone what had happened. I didn't mean to keep it a secret, but I also knew it wasn't something either of the twins wanted to hear. I knew there was no point in delaying it any longer. If I didn't tell them now, they'd see the mark on her soon enough. "After Juniper was shot, she was losing a lot of blood. Between the drugs and the bullet, she wasn't going to last long enough to get the help she needed. I marked her to give her the strength she needed to hold on a little longer. I didn't want to mark her that way, but I didn't know what else to do."

"You marked her to save her life?" Axel repeated. I waited for the anger to come.

"Yes." I answered, even though I wasn't sure if he was looking for a response.

"Do you think Juniper will be upset when she finds out?" Axel asked.

Images of Juniper in my bed underneath me flashed through my head. The way she responded to my touch, the way she nuzzled close to me as she slept after, told me she wouldn't be upset. I knew she wanted to talk to my brothers about accepting all of the mate bonds, but I didn't feel like it was my place to bring all of that up.

"I don't think so," I responded after a moment. "She may not be happy with the circumstances, but I don't think she'll be upset about being my mate."

A throat cleared, tearing the three of us away from the conversation. The doctor stood behind us, and we all jumped to our feet. He was holding a clipboard, and his coat was in pristine condition. His beard was mostly gray, and he had a little bit of a gut beneath his coat. He looked tired with his sagging eyes, but I couldn't tell if that was from age or from being on his feet for several hours.

"I'm Doctor Tensen. I am Juniper's doctor. She's out of surgery now, and she's being moved to a room for recovery. We were able to remove the bullet, but the healing process is going to be a struggle for her. She still has traces of wolfsbane and a whole slew of other drugs in her system that will hinder her healing process. Her wolf won't be able to help heal her in the same way, so her healing abilities are much closer to those of a human." The doctor glanced at his clipboard. "It says here she has a mate. Which one of you is it?" "All of us," I said quickly. After telling Asher and Axel that I marked Juniper, I didn't want them to feel like they had any less of a place next to her.

Doctor Tensen looked between the three of us, unsure of how to respond. Having multiple mates was an extremely uncommon occurrence. "In that case, I suggest the three of you stay by her side while she recovers. The closer you all are, the better her recovery will go. Even if one of you has to leave the room, make sure at least one of you is with her at all times."

"Can we see her now?" Axel asked.

"Yes," the doctor said. "In fact, I encourage it. I'll have a nurse show you the way."

We followed a nurse to Juniper's room, and I let Asher and Axel enter before me. I stood in the doorway, unable to breathe as I saw Juniper lying in the hospital bed with her eyes closed. The lights in her room were off, so the only illumination was from the night lights in the hallway and the lights from the machines she was hooked up to. She looked almost peaceful with her eyes closed, but the bandage wrapped around her chest was a painful reminder of why she was here.

The sight of my mate lying in bed like that brought me back to when I was still a child, and Juniper was unconscious in the hospital after the attack on her and James. I hated seeing her like that back then, and I hated it even more now. She looked weak and fragile, but I knew she was anything but. Even when all odds were against her, she never stopped fighting back. She was anything but weak and fragile.

Axel was the first one to approach her bed. He gently stroked her face, sitting on her bed next to her.

"J.J., why'd you have to go and get yourself shot while I was away? You made me promise to come back to you alive. I didn't think I had to ask the same thing of you. Just promise me you'll wake up, so I can see those beautiful eyes again, okay?" He leaned in and kissed her forehead, making me want to do the same thing. I kept my space, standing in the doorway. The twins needed a chance to be with her. Even still, I craved to talk to her. I craved to hear her voice again.

Please wake up, I tried to link. Since I marked her, I should've been able to link with her, and even if she wasn't awake, I hoped she could still hear my voice. I wanted to guide her to consciousness in any way I could, because I knew every one of us in this room needed her to wake up.