The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 161

JUNIPER

I struggled to untie the knot, keeping the gag in Elijah's mouth, and after a few minutes of struggling, I gave in and extended a claw, easily tearing through the cloth. I let it fall to the floor, and Elijah stretched his jaw with his new-found freedom. "You have no idea how annoying that thing was," Elijah said.

"I can imagine."

Elijah slumped in the chair he had been forced to stand on, ignoring the chaos swarming around us. Charles and Barbara had been quickly taken down once Axel, Asher, and Ethan arrived with the warriors from our school. Charles didn't stand a chance, which made him even more foolish to think he could get away with this.

"You really had me fooled back there," Elijah said. "I thought you had actually come here by yourself."

"That was the point. I've seen enough movies to know never to listen to the ransom notes, and I wasn't about to become a victim again," I said. I had been nervous about the plan, but I was the one who insisted on being the bait. If anyone else had walked through that door, there was a real possibility Charles would've killed Elijah on the spot.

"You are a very smart woman," Elijah said. His cheek was bruised, and the wound looked fresh. I wondered what Charles did to him in the twenty-four hour period of captivity.

"I'm just glad Charles never realized that."

Elijah shook his head. "He always had a one-track mind. He only focused on his goal, often missing details about how to get there."

"I just don't understand why he'd bother to come after you and me and risk his freedom in the process. He could have disappeared without a trace. He could've lived his life." I knew if the positions had been reversed, I never would've risked pulling a stunt like he did.

"Charles was an angry man. He wouldn't have been satisfied running away. He may be spineless, but he cares more about his image. He's the type of man who would rather go out in flames than be known as someone who fled," Elijah explained. "Who I don't understand is Barb. She's always been there for me. She was someone who I could always talk to if I needed to figure things out. I never would have thought she was working with Anthony this entire time."

"I guess you can never be quite sure if you really know a person," I said. I wasn't thinking about Barbara as the words came out of my mouth. Instead, I thought about all of the secrets my mother had kept from me over the years. I would always love her, and the empty space in my life where she used to be still ached, but she also wasn't the woman I thought she was.

"Did it hurt when you found out my mother lied about you being my father?" I asked.

Elijah looked down, thrown off by the question. "I wish I could say that it didn't. If she had told me from the beginning you were mine, things might have gone very differently, but I also understood why she did what she did. I think she wanted to protect you from the life of the alpha's daughter."

"I wish she hadn't made that decision for me," I said. "I wish she had allowed me to know my true lineage. I wish I had a chance to get to know you when I was a child."

"I think your mother had her reasons for keeping your identity a secret that neither of us will ever understand," Elijah said. He looked off into the distance, his eyes growing heavy as the memories flooded them. "She kept her own past a secret, too. It was something I had always wondered about. It made her a mystery to me, which was part of the intrigue. However, she never told me, no matter how many times I asked. Sometimes, it felt like she was running from something, something only Bob ever truly understood." "What do you mean?" I asked.

Elijah shook his head. "Forget I said anything. I think I'm just worn out from the past couple of days."

"That's not something I'm going to just forget. What do you mean you think my mother was running from something?"

Elijah hesitated. "I don't know. It's not like I have any evidence. There were just times she would look over her shoulder, as if she expected someone to jump out at her suddenly. There's no reason for it. Just a feeling really, but sometimes I just felt like there was a whole other life she had lived that she kept secret."

I didn't know what to say. Months ago, I would have been furious at someone for making a claim like that about my mother, but if these past few months taught me anything, it was that there was a lot about my history and my life that I didn't know.

"I don't think you have to worry about that with your mates," Elijah said when I didn't respond. He looked over where Ethan and Asher were talking to the warriors and giving them instructions. Then he looked at Nathan and Axel talking to each other. "Those boys love you and would do anything for you."

I smiled, knowing it was true. There was still a lot I had to learn about each of the Burrell brothers, but that would come with time. I knew that they were mine all of the way, and I saw the beauty in their souls. I knew there would be moments where our relationship would strain for one reason or another, but I knew it would never be because of lies or secrets they kept from me. I trusted them with my whole heart.

"They do, don't they?" My cheeks burned as my smile only increased.

Axel waved when he noticed me staring at him, and Nathan quickly looked, his face glowing the moment he laid eyes on me. Ethan refused to let Nathan be a part of the initial raid, since Nathan had a long way to go with his training, but he agreed to let him come with us.

The others noticed my attention on them as well, and soon all four brothers were making their way towards me.

"We will be loading up the captives to take back to the pack soon," Ethan said. "Winston wants to interrogate them as soon as possible. He wants to ensure we got everyone this time."

"And what does he want to do with Charles?" Elijah asked.

"He will hold a trial against him, but with the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, there's no doubt Charles will get the death penalty this time," Ethan said.

"Good. We don't need a repeat of this, and Charles doesn't deserve to keep living," Elijah said. "Now, who's up for ice cream, since we never got to do that."

"It's going to take some time to clean everything up here and make sure we've combed the entire place for evidence," Asher said. "I'll take a rain check for now."

"I don't think it's a good idea to go out anywhere until we guarantee everything is safe," Ethan said. He worded his statement carefully, knowing he was talking to the former alpha, but it was clear we would not be going out for ice cream if Ethan had anything to say about it.

"How about we settle for ice cream at the apartment?" I suggested.

Elijah grinned. "You really want to?"

I smiled, and this time it became easier. Part of me was a little excited about getting to know my biological father. "I want to get to know you while I have the chance. I don't want to regret anything."

"How about I drive us back to the apartment," Axel offered.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, knowing Axel offered to get out of doing extra work. However, he didn't protest. He probably felt better knowing Axel would be watching over me in his absence, since Nathan still didn't have the fighting skills to act as a bodyguard. "That sounds great," Elijah said.

I looked at Ethan and smiled, but when I saw the look on his face, my mood dropped. We should have been celebrating since we rescued Elijah and took out Charles again, but this victory meant he would have to return to the pack.

I stood by the door, lingering as Ethan said goodbye to his brothers. He took his time, and I knew he was stalling.

"I expect all of you to keep up with that defense training in case anyone else comes out of hiding to try to pull a stunt like this," Ethan said. The way he spoke made him sound like a stern and caring father. I could see him being an amazing father to our children one day.

I bit my lip to push that thought from my head. I was too young to start thinking about a family, but there was something about Ethan that made it easy to imagine a family with him.

"I don't think anyone will try anything once they hear about Charles' failure," Axel said. "And if they do try something, then they are idiots and will be easy to take down."

"Don't make any assumptions," Ethan said. "There are things about our father we don't know, and he made deals with dangerous people. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Don't worry. I will keep them on a strict training schedule," Asher said.

"Maybe one that's not quite so early," I said, hoping he'd let me sleep in a little more.

Asher chuckled. "We'll see. Maybe we can make a deal." He winked, sending a shiver down my spine.

Ethan's phone buzzed, and when he checked the message, he grimaced. "My car is here."

"I'll walk you out," I quickly said.

Ethan grabbed his luggage, and we took our time leaving the apartment complex. Neither of us said anything, knowing we'd have to say goodbye too soon. When we finally made it to the front of the building, Ethan stopped and kissed me on the forehead. He didn't say anything, but I felt how hard this was on him.

I wrapped my arms around him and tried to hold back the tears that I knew were coming.

"It never gets easier saying goodbye," I whispered into his chest. I didn't want him to know I was crying.

He nuzzled my hair, holding me tighter. "Then let's not say goodbye. Let's not say anything, because I'm going to call you as soon as I'm back."

I breathed in his scent, trying to memorize it as best as I could. "Okay, but make sure to lock your door. I don't want Kalli walking in on you again and interrupting anything."

Ethan's low growl vibrated against my chest. "I swear that woman has a sixth sense for c**k blocking."

"I doubt it," I giggled. "She likes to hear details too much. I think she can just be a bit of an airhead sometimes."

Ethan pulled back, lifting an eyebrow. "Details? What kind of details does she ask for?"

"Oh, you know. The usual." My face burned from embarrassment. I didn't want to say the details to Ethan's face.

"I'm not going to let you go until you tell me," he said.

"Then you're going to miss your flight."

"Would that be so bad?"

"No," I said instinctively. "Yes. Winston might actually disown you this time."

"Then you better start talking."

I knew there was no getting out of this. "Just details, like number of o*****s and positions, and who did what. Just stuff like that."

"Do I get high marks in these details of yours?" Ethan whispered in a sultry tone, making me lose my focus.

I started to roll my eyes, but then Ethan kissed me, swiping his tongue over my lips and slipping into my mouth. His hands roamed my body, and he knew exactly where to touch me to make me moan. When we finally parted, I was completely breathless. "Very high marks," I whispered, looking up at his cocky grin.

"Good. Don't forget that while I'm gone."

"Never," I breathed, knowing it was true. While I had his brothers, each of my mates was special. I needed and wanted all of them in my life.

Ethan kissed me again, but then he parted. If I didn't let him go now, then he really would miss his flight. While I was sad to see him go, I knew time would bring us back together again, and in the meantime, I had Asher, Axel, and Nathan to keep me company.