The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 112

JUNIPER

When I cracked my eyes open, the first thing I saw was the Burrell Brothers passed out in the chairs along the walls. Axel had one leg propped over the armchair while his head rested on Asher's shoulder. Asher's head was propped against Axel's, and his arms were crossed over his chest. The position did not look comfortable, but the way their chests slowly rose and fell was comforting. I didn't know where I was, but I knew I was safe with them here.

Then Ethan was sitting in a chair on the other side of him. He was using his arm to keep his head propped, and he looked completely disarmed as he slept. His eyes were soft, and the creases in his forehead that showed up when he was overthinking were nowhere to be found.

Slowly, I looked around the rest of the room, trying to remember how I got here in the first place, but I had no memory of it. The library in the basement felt like some terrible dream, but when I shifted just slightly, the pain in my chest made me hiss, confirming it was more than a nightmare.

Ethan's eyes snapped open, as if he was in tune with my every movement. His eyes found mine, and he blinked a few times in disbelief.

"Hey," I said with a smile.

"Hey," he whispered back.

"You're still alive," I said. Tears started building in my eyes as reality started to sink in.

"So are you." Ethan didn't move from his seat, but I could tell he wanted to. I could feel his relief and his panic in my chest, as if it was my own. He had always been hard to read, but now it was like I was reciting my ABC's. I knew exactly how he was feeling. "What's wrong?" I asked, knowing there was something he wasn't saying.

He took a deep breath. He was afraid to tell me, which only made my own panic start to build. "You almost died. You were bleeding out in my arms." His voice cracked, and a flood of emotions washed through him. It was like he had been holding in all of these feelings, but talking about what happened broke the dam.

"Just tell me," I said, unable to bear the seconds between his sentences.

"She told me I had to mark you to save your life, and I knew it was the only way," Ethan said. He looked away from me, filled with shame.

My hand went up to my neck automatically, and my fingers ran over the small groves. My heart raced knowing there was no going back on a mate mark. I was forever branded as Ethan's mate. I thought the finality of it would terrify me, but instead, it felt right, like it was meant to be.

"Who told you to mark me?" I asked, my mind still reeling.

"I don't know. She was dressed in white with stark white hair. I didn't see what happened to her, because she was gone by the time I had marked you. The Moon Warriors found no trace of her either." Ethan leaned back, the creases in his forehead returning. "I can't figure out how she got there or why she was there."

As Ethan described the woman, flashes of her appeared in my head. I remembered a dream about the Moon Goddess, but I thought that was all it was. Now I wondered if that was true.

"I'm so sorry," Ethan continued before I said anything. "I would've never marked you without your permission. If I thought there was any other way to save your life..."

I held out my hand to him, ignoring the pain in my chest that followed. "Come here."

Ethan looked at my hand and hesitated.

I raised my eyebrows. "Come here." This time the words came out like an order, and Ethan was instantly on his feet.

I grabbed his hand and tugged him closer, not stopping until he was sitting in the bed with me.

"Why are you apologizing for saving my life?" I asked.

Ethan started playing with my fingers. Normally, this man was so sure of himself. It was cute seeing his hesitations.

"Because we never discussed marking. You said that you wanted to talk to my brothers about everything, and it feels like I took that away from you."

"Look at me," I said, needing Ethan to stop avoiding my gaze. When he listened, I continued. "I told you that I love you and want to be with you, no matter the circumstances. You already made it clear you were okay with sharing me, so I don't see what the issue is. You marked me to save my life. It's not how I imagined it happening, but I'm alive because of you. You shouldn't be apologizing for that."

Ethan leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. He let out a long breath, and his body shook. I cupped his face, taking in his warmth. I stared into his eyes, wanting to memorize every feature of his. I had thought I was going to lose him, and I never wanted to forget this moment.

Ethan leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. He let out a long breath, and his body shook. I cupped his face, taking in his warmth. I stared into his eyes, wanting to memorize every feature of his. I had thought I was going to lose him, and I never wanted to forget this moment.

"You are absolutely incredible," Ethan said. "You jumped in front of a bullet for me."

A laugh escaped my lips. "It was my turn to risk my life. Too many Burrell's have gotten shot on my behalf. But, you're the incredible one. I just stepped in front of a gun. You came after me and found me. I don't think I would've gotten away from Craig if it wasn't for you," I said. Saying the hunter's name made my body tense up. "Is Craig-" I swallowed hard. "Is he still alive?" "No," Ethan said. "I made sure he will never touch you or anyone else again."

My body relaxed, knowing the hunter was dead. He deserved nothing less than a painful death, but I was just grateful he was gone.

My eyes grew heavy suddenly, and I felt exhausted. I leaned my head against Ethan's chest, taking in his scent. "I think I'm going to rest my eyes for a bit."

Ethan stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. "Rest, my love. Take as much time as you need. I'll be here when you wake up. We all will be."

***

The next time I woke up, Ethan was no longer next to me. I sat up, his lack of presence making me panic. It felt like there was a void in my chest, and my breathing increased. For a moment, I couldn't remember if my interaction with Ethan was a dream or real, but when I touched my neck and felt the mate mark, I knew it was real.

"Ethan will be back soon. Winston, the future alpha, just arrived at the hospital, so Ethan went to greet him." Asher was sitting in the chair fully awake now. He had a book in his hands, but he rested it on his lap, so he could give me his full attention. "Oh." I gripped the blanket on my lap, feeling foolish for panicking. Asher must've seen right through me. "How long have I been asleep?"

"For a while. We've been starting to worry. Ethan said you woke up briefly but that was over eight hours ago," Asher said.

I nodded. Despite the amount of sleep I had gotten, it didn't feel like enough. I wanted to go back to sleep already, but I fought back. I wasn't ready to go back to sleep yet. It had been too long since I had seen Asher's face, and I wanted to take it in. "Where's Axel?" I asked, suddenly realizing Asher and I were the only ones in the room.

"He went to get food for us. I can get him for you, if you want." Asher closed his book and started to stand up.

"No," I quickly said. I didn't want to be left alone.

Asher set his book on the little side table by my bed, but he didn't sit back down. "Do you need anything? I can get you water or the nurse if you're in too much pain."

"I need you," I blurted. I instantly felt foolish because of how the words came out. I thought about my almost kiss with Asher and all of the unspoken words between us. I had wanted to talk to him about everything, but that felt like a lifetime ago. The words felt jumbled in my head, and I didn't know how to articulate what I wanted to say.

Asher stared at me without saying anything, which only made me feel more anxious.

"I want you to stay here. I don't want you to go," I said, hoping it would be enough to break him out of his stupor.

"Are you sure? I can link Axel and wait for him to come back if you'd prefer his company."

"I'm sure. I want you to sit with me," I said more confidently than before.

He still seemed hesitant to accept my invitation, but this time he sat on the edge of my bed. He avoided my gaze, and I could feel his words bubbling inside of him. Yet he stayed silent. Despite him sitting right next to me, I felt a distance between us. It had been there ever since the break up.

He still seemed hesitant to accept my invitation, but this time he sat on the edge of my bed. He avoided my gaze, and I could feel his words bubbling inside of him. Yet he stayed silent. Despite him sitting right next to me, I felt a distance between us. It had been there ever since the break up.

I wished things had gone differently for us, but I also knew that if Asher and I had never broken up, I wouldn't have been able to build my bond with Ethan and Axel the way I had. That didn't erase the pain I had felt when Asher had said those awful things to me. It also didn't stop me from caring about him despite everything that went down between us. Knowing he was my mate made those feelings even harder to ignore.

But before I gave into the pull of the mate bond, I had to make sure things would never be the way they were.

"I've been thinking about us a lot recently," I said.

Asher's eyes finally met mine, making my heart race. He still had a way of making me feel like a flustered girl from a simple look. I looked down at my hands, knowing my thoughts would get mixed with feelings if I continued looking at him. "You've been thinking about us?" he repeated, with a question added at the end.

I nodded. "I've been thinking about that day in the alley when we almost kissed," I admitted. "I was running high with emotions, and I don't think I was thinking straight."

Asher squeezed his eyes shut. "If you're about to say what I think you're going to, you don't have to. I'll be okay. I know Ethan and Axel will take good care of you, and you deserve that. You deserve to be happy in whatever way that means to you." Asher actually smiled when he said that, and I knew he wasn't the same person he was when he said all of those horrible things to me. It made my decision that much easier.

I grabbed his hand and was surprised by how familiar the gesture felt. "The Moon Goddess blessed me with multiple mates for a reason. She blessed me with you as a mate, and I'm not ready to give up on us. I don't know if I can fully trust you after everything that happened, but you've shown me you've changed. If you think you can get past any jealousy with your brothers also being my mates, then I want to give us a real shot."

I could hear his heart thrumming against his chest.

"Do you really mean it?" There was hope behind his words.

"Yes, but I'm warning you now. If you pull the same thing as before, there won't be a third chance," I said.

"I swear to you that I won't let my jealousy get in the way again. You don't know how relieved I am that you're even willing to give me this chance. I want to throw my arms around you right now, but I don't want to hurt you," Asher said. "How about just a kiss then?" I suggested. My hands were shaky at the thought of kissing Asher again. It was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.

"I think I can manage that," Asher said, giving me his signature smirk, only there was something different about it this time. It wasn't some flirtatious smile to get what he wanted. It was one of pure joy, and it was one that was only for me. Asher pressed his lips against mine, but his touch was light, as if the slightest pressure could break me. I wanted to add more pressure, but moving made my chest ache, and I was okay with that for now. There would be time for more later.

***

AXEL

I leaned against the wall outside of Juniper's room, listening to the conversation between Juniper and Asher. A weight fell from my shoulders as Juniper agreed to give Asher another chance. I knew Asher was a good guy who let his jealousy get the best of him, and I hoped he would keep his word and be the man Juniper deserved. If he wasn't, he would have more than just Juniper to answer to.

For now, I was just happy for both of them, knowing they deserved the happiness they could bring each other.