The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 132

JUNIPER

I pulled away from Kalli, knowing I had to pull myself together. The brothers were in the backyard, fighting to protect this pack. I was safe thanks to Kalli, and now was not the time to wallow.

I looked at Nathan. Kalli had tied the cord around his hands so tightly that his fingers had turned red. He was still unconscious, but his body started to stir. It wouldn't be long until he was awake again.

I hated seeing my mate looking like that, but I also knew that it wasn't the same Nathan. I just didn't know what was wrong with him.

"Why would he attack me like that?" I wiped the tears off my face, and adjusted my clothing. There was nothing I could do about the small rips on the collar of the shirt, but I wanted to look as presentable as possible.

"Something is wrong with him," Kalli said. She didn't take her eyes off Nathan. "I need your help moving him. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Why do we need to move him?" My chest tightened at the thought of touching Nathan after what he did, and my heart cracked knowing this.

Kalli touched my arm, and I jumped at the contact. I didn't want anyone to touch me.

"If that was anyone other than your mate and one of Ethan's brothers, I would've killed him on the spot for touching you like that." Her voice was soothing, but there was a sharp blade underneath the calming tone. "I don't know what's wrong with him or if it can be fixed, but we have to make sure he is properly tied up if we want the chance to figure it out. He is going to regain consciousness soon, and a lamp cord won't hold if he shifts into his wolf form. Are you okay enough to help me?"

I nodded, pushing down a pang of fear as I joined Kalli as she knelt next to Nathan. She grabbed one side of him, while I grabbed the other. My arms shook as I helped her move Nathan to the desk. By the time we propped him on the chair, I was out of breath, while Kalli looked just fine.

"Remind me to talk to you about starting warrior training when all of this is over." I grabbed my side as I tried to catch my breath.

Kalli chuckled. "That was the plan anyway." She frowned, looking at Nathan. "I need you to go to my room and go into the drawers next to the left of the bed. There should be handcuffs we can use to lock Nathan to the chair. I'll stay here and look after Nathan." I nodded, knowing exactly why Kalli asked me to be the one to get the handcuffs. We both knew I wouldn't be able to handle him if Nathan woke up while I was by myself. I hurried to her room, hesitating only slightly when I reached her bedroom door. Something felt wrong about going into the luna and alpha's room by myself, but now was not the time to worry about that.

I found the handcuffs exactly where Kalli had said, along with other weapons. She was overly prepared for an attack if anyone broke into the pack house at night-or she and Winston were into some interesting things.

Not thinking about it much, I hurried back to the guest room, but before I returned, I heard Kalli's voice floating down the hall.

"Keep this up, and you're only going to make this worse for yourself," she warned. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you threaten my pack."

"Let me go, you b!itch!" Nathan growled. The Nathan I knew would never speak to his luna like that.

My hands shook as I held the handcuffs meant to restrain my mate. I pressed them against my chest to stop the shaking. I just needed a moment longer before I went into that room to face a stranger. My chest ached, confused by whatever was going on with my mate bond. It was still there. That much I knew from the pain flaring in my chest. However, it felt as if Nathan was being torn away from me.

If I stepped in that room, I would have to face whatever Nathan had become, and now that he was conscious and speaking like that, I couldn't get my body to move. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. If I could just calm my heart, I could face the man in that room. Maybe I could even help him remember who he was and break whatever spell Anthony had placed on him. "Juniper!"

My eyes snapped open as I saw Asher and Axel rushing down the hallway towards me. When Asher reached me, he pulled me against his chest, and his scent surrounded me. For a moment, I felt safe again. I always felt safe in Asher's arms.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Asher said, releasing me. "I thought you were in trouble. It felt like someone was trying to hurt you."

"She's not okay," Axel said.

I looked at him, and the storm in his eyes raged with a ferocity. I blinked, and tears unexpectedly fell from my eyes. Through everything, Axel was always the one who made me feel seen. With a single look, Axel could see through my walls and my pain, and he loved me anyway.

"Nathan is in that room, but it's not the Nathan I know. I don't even recognize him," I said. I lifted up the handcuffs. "Kalli has him restrained, and she needs these. I can't go in there again, though." "What do you mean by that?" Asher asked.

"If you don't let me go, I will kill you and everyone you care about, like the dogs you are!" Nathan snarled.

My body flinched as his voice hit my ears.

"Get the handcuffs to Luna Kalli," Axel said. "I'll stay here with Juniper."

Asher nodded and gently took the handcuffs from my hands. He kissed me on the cheek. "It'll be okay. We will fix whatever is going on with Nathan." Then he disappeared into the room to help Kalli. Axel took Asher's place in front of me and looked me up and down. His hand lightly touched my neck, and I flinched. He quickly pulled back.

"He hurt you," Axel whispered.

I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to tell him what Nathan had done exactly, fearful that Axel would hold it against his brother. However, I couldn't deny the truth.

"Kalli stopped him."

"Can I hold you?" Axel asked. He had never asked permission to touch me before, especially not for a simple hug. However, after the way Nathan roughly handled me, it was a welcomed gesture. "Please," I choked out.

Axel wrapped his arms around me and lightly stroked my hair. "My father is dead. We stopped him and his minions, and we'll find a way to help Nathan. I know it feels impossible right now, but this is the start of everything getting better."

***

Nathan was moved to a solitary room and strapped down to a bed while multiple doctors came in and out, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. All of them said the same thing, just with different words: other than scars, Nathan's body was healthy, and they couldn't find an explanation for his mind.

Each time a new doctor came, I stood in the doorway, watching from far away. Part of me knew Nathan needed me, but I woke up in the middle of the night several times, screaming from nightmares of his hands wrapped around my neck. I knew the Nathan who had hurt me wasn't my Nathan, but it was still the Nathan in that room.

I didn't explain why I stayed just out of sight when the others visited, and no one asked. It didn't stop the guilt from eating away from me. Nathan needed me, but I let my fear stop me.

"How can there still be no improvement?" Asher asked, pacing in Winston's new alpha office. This wasn't the first meeting we had about how to help Nathan, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

I found myself staring out the window, looking at the backyard that had been soaked in blood just a few days prior. It was almost as if the attack had never happened.

"It would help if we knew what is causing Nathan to act this way," Ethan said. "It's like he's a completely different person."

"There were no bite marks on his body, so it can't be a vampire's influence," Kalli chimed in.

"And there are no drugs in his system," Winston said.

I was barely listening to the conversation. It was the same thing on repeat day after day, but Ethan insisted on holding meetings in case there was something we overlooked.

Next, Axel would bring up magic.

"What if he was placed under some spell by that witch?" Axel asked.

My lips twitched, wanting to smile. If we weren't talking about why Nathan was acting like a monster instead of the sweet man we all knew, then maybe I would've let myself find amusement in the predictability of this conversation. "Shouldn't a spell have broken when we killed her?" Asher asked.

"I don't know. I don't know how any of this magic stuff works," Axel snapped. "I just want to understand what happened to my brother. He was the one who deserved this the least. It should've been me instead. I was the one father hated. He should've taken me instead."

My lungs tightened, hearing those words come out of Axel's mouth. I knew it came from a place of wanting to protect his brother, but I couldn't stand the thought of anyone switching places with Nathan. I couldn't even bear the idea of Nathan being tied to a room, shouting profanities at anyone who tried to help him.

"This isn't helpful," Kalli said. The room went silent, and I felt everyone's eyes turn to me. They were all worried about me. Ethan had even suggested I go rest during the meeting, but I had insisted on coming along. I didn't want to hide away while everyone was trying to help Nathan.

"We're playing a guessing game," I said. It was the first time I had spoken up in one of these meetings. "But we know someone who is familiar with magic and vampires." I turned, and met the eyes of the surprised room. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, but we need to call Remy."