The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 127

ETHAN

happy and peaceful. However, I needed the twins' help.

I wasn't surprised when I opened the door and found Asher, Axel, and Juniper entangled with each other on the bed. I had felt Juniper's mood shift, and I had a feeling that the twins were thoroughly distracting her. I didn't want to wake them, since they all looked Asher, Axel, wake up, I linked as loudly as I could, not wanting to disturb Juniper. After what she discovered tonight, she deserved to rest.

Asher and Axel both jumped, looking around the room with confusion. I waved them over, but they took their time getting up. "What time is it?" Axel asked, stifling a yawn.

"Shh, I don't want to wake Juniper up." I motioned for them to follow me outside the room. I left the door cracked, wanting to keep an eye on Juniper. She was safe in this pack house, but I was paranoid. It felt like there were layers upon layers of scandals, and everytime I peeled one layer off, something new jumped out at me. I was tired of surprises, and until I knew everything was safe, I only trusted myself or my brothers to protect Juniper.

"What's going on?" Asher asked. He squinted at me as his eyes adjusted to the light in the hallway.

"No one can find Heline," Ethan said. "And there's a chance she's working with Anthony."

"What?" Axel said.

"You're going to wake Juniper," I cautioned.

"What do you mean she might be working with our father?" Axel asked in a whisper this time.

"I think Heline told Anthony that Juniper is Elijah's son. I think that's the real reason he's been trying to kill her."

Asher and Axel went unnaturally still.

"If Anthony wanted to eliminate the Williams' bloodline, he would need to take out Juniper, too," Asher said. "It makes too much sense."

"And Heline is the only one who could've told him, since Elijah swears he didn't tell anyone," I said.

"You're forgetting something," Axel said. "There's one more person who knew Juniper is Elijah's child. Juniper's mother."

"Would she have told him something like that?" Asher asked.

"I don't know. But she worked for our father for years. It's possible she told him or he found out somehow. We shouldn't assume Heline is working for the enemy. She's Winston's mother," Axel said.

"And our father is the one who is trying to kill the alpha and his family," Asher said.

"You both are right," I said before an argument could ensue. "Juniper's mother could've been the one to tell our father the truth about her father--if he even knows. Or it could've been Heline. Either way, I want you two on high alert until we know what's going on. Don't let your guard down around anyone. Got it?"

"Of course," Asher said, and Axel nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now, Asher, I want you to come with me. Axel, stay with Juniper, and alert us if you notice anything strange," I said.

"Got it, boss," Axel said, saluting me with two fingers before slipping back into the room.

"What are we going to do?" Asher asked, following me.

"We're going to tell Winston he has a half-sister," I said. As the new alpha, Winston needed to be updated. He was the one other person I felt like I could trust outside of my own brothers. I just hoped my instincts didn't prove to be wrong about him.

***

Morning broke at dawn, and there were still no signs of Heline. Asher and I had gone out looking for her with Elijah while Winston stayed at the pack house to watch over our mates in case something happened while we were gone. Elijah took us to all of the places he thought his wife might go, and the entire time, the tension between the three of us stagnated, making casual talk nearly impossible.

I felt Asher's frustration with the former alpha as much as my own. I hated knowing Juniper grew up feeling like an outsider after her parents died. It was something I wished I could go back in time and change, so it was infuriating when I found out that Elijah could have done something and chose not.

He didn't even know Juniper, yet he wrote her off as his child with a little pressure from his wife. It didn't matter what kind of shame or scandal it would've brought him. Juniper was his daughter, and she deserved to be loved and protected. I couldn't ever imagine doing something like that to my future children.

"We should go back to the pack house," I announced, as the sun started to light up the world. There was only a few hours before the fake alpha ceremony was supposed to begin, and the preparations were already under way.

"We have to find my wife," Elijah said.

"Clearly, she doesn't want to be found," Asher said with a bite in his voice. Part of me admired my brother for showing his feelings so easily. I wanted to make passive-aggressive comments or yell at Elijah, especially after going the entire night without sleep, but years of pushing my emotions down was a difficult habit to break.

"Keep looking for her, if you want," I said, "but we're going back."

Elijah's shoulders sank. "No, you're right. I have to be there for the ceremony, and I'm out of ideas."

We shifted into our wolf form and hurried back to the pack house.

***

JUNIPER

"Juny! Juny! Where are you? I can't find you."

I bolted awake, Nathan's voice still ringing in my ears. I looked around the room, expecting to see him standing at the foot of the bed, smiling like he had never left me.

No one was there.

My heart pounded against my ribcage, making it difficult to breathe. It must've been a dream. I placed my hand on my chest, trying to calm my heart. The longer I was away from Nathan, the harder it was each day. I felt him fading away, which made my wolf panic. Having the others around helped ease the disquiet, but it was worse in the mornings when the silence filled the air.

Axel shifted in the bed. He cracked his eyes open, and then he sat up at lightning speed. "What's wrong?"

I didn't want to tell him about my distress over Nathan. I tried to avoid the topic at all costs, partly because talking about it made it more real and partly because it felt selfish. I had three mates who loved me and were constantly there for me, yet I still longed to see Nathan again.

However, I knew Axel could feel what I was feeling through the mate bond, and I wasn't going to lie to him.

"I thought I heard Nathan's voice," I admitted.

Axel's hand rubbed my back, soothing me a little. "After today, we'll get him back."

I wanted to believe him. We had no way of knowing if Anthony was actually going to show up to the ceremony today, and even if he did, there was no guarantee we were going to get Nathan back. If I got my hopes up, and we didn't get Nathan back today, I would be crushed under the disappointment.

"I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with him," I said. Ever since I had woken up to the feeling of my chest being ripped out of my heart, there had been a quiet thrum of pain always in the background. It was louder now. I rubbed my chest, hoping it would settle it, but I couldn't get over the feeling that something was about to go really wrong today.

***

ETHAN

"We looked everywhere, but there were no signs of her," I said to Winston once we were back at the pack house.

He looked as tired as I felt, and I knew he hadn't been able to sleep. Between finding out he had a half sister and his mother going missing, Winston's life had been shaken.

"We can't stop looking for her," Winston said.

"I will send a group of warriors out to keep searching for her, but we have preparations to make. We have to assume the worst," I said.

Winston looked away from me. He didn't want to hear that there was a chance his mother had betrayed his pack. I understood his pain and hated doing this, but as the official beta, it was my responsibility to ensure the pack's safety. Still... Winston was a friend, and he needed me to be that as much as he needed me to be his beta.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "We don't know if your mother has done anything wrong yet. There's a chance that she's innocent in all of this, but we have to prepare for the worst while we hope for the best." Winston nodded. "Of course."

As we started to part to start preparations, the front door burst open, and Heline stumbled into the house. I smelled the alcohol on her breath from across the room.

"Mom!" Winston shouted, running over to her. He caught her as she stumbled. "Where have you been?"

"Winston! Why are you up so late? You have your alpha ceremony tomorrow." Heline's words were slurred, and she was unusually happy.

"Mom, it's the morning, and you're drunk. We've all been worried about you." Winston guided his mother over to the couch.

Asher left to grab a glass of water while the rest of us moved towards the former luna.

Heline waved her hand, nearly hitting Winston's face. "There was no need to worry. I was having a grand old time, drinking my troubles away." "Heline, where is Anthony?" Elijah demanded.

Winston looked at his father in shock. "Now's not the time for that."

"Of course it is." Elijah turned back to his wife. "We need you to tell us everything that you told Anthony before it's too late."

Heline's happy demeanor fell. "What are you talking about? I haven't talked to Anthony in months."

"You're not conspiring with him to kill Juniper because she's a reminder that Dad cheated on you?" Winston asked.

Normally, I wouldn't have condoned such a direct method, but with how much alcohol was in her system, I doubted Heline could lie, even if she wanted to.

"You think I want Juniper dead?" Heline asked, her eyes widening. "What kind of monster do you think I am?"

"You told me to send Juniper away," Elijah pointed out. "You refused to let me take her in, even when Bob and Crissa died."

Heline shook her head. "I did that to protect Juniper, not because I wanted her dead. Is that really the type of person you think I am?"

"If that's true, why have you been acting like you hated me this entire time?" Juniper asked. She stood in the hallway in her pajamas with Axel and Kalli just behind her. "Why did you force my real father to abandon me?"