The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 22

ASHER

I was a complete i***t. I let Nathan's words get to me, and I became insecure that Juniper was pulling away. I was so desperate for her to let me in that I ended up pushing her away. When I saw her eyes glistening, knowing I was the one to cause her tears, I felt like my chest was being ripped apart. I was supposed to be there for her, but instead, I was a complete a*s.

I wanted to stop her from walking away, but I didn't feel like I had the right to. I was the reason she was on the verge of tears, and if she wanted to leave, then I had to let her.

I needed to apologize and make it up to her. I could buy her flowers or chocolates, but something told me that wouldn't be enough of an apology.

"What has you in a mood?" Axel sat across from me, propping his feet on our table.

I pushed his feet off, glaring at him. "Do you have to disrespect the furniture like that? And I'm not in a mood."

Axel put his feet up again and leaned back. "You're in a mood. You're not even good at pretending, so just spit it out. Nothing is going to change if you keep sulking like that."

I wanted to shove Axel's feet off the table. Actually, I wanted to push him out of his chair, but only because he was right. I was in a mood, and I had been in one all day. First, I took it out on Juniper, and now I wanted to take it out on him.

"I'm frustrated that Juniper is so guarded. Sometimes it feels like she's purposely keeping secrets from me. I know she doesn't remember who I am, so she doesn't feel our history like I do, but I just want her to talk to me." I thought it would be easy to have Juniper back in my life, even if she didn't remember the times we spent together as a kid. However, I didn't realize it was just a constant reminder that I had abandoned her. She didn't remember our history because I let her forget it.

"So what if she is keeping things from you? She doesn't owe you anything. As far as she is concerned, she has only known you for a few weeks. That's not enough to foster trust. I don't go spilling my guts to someone I just met." Axel moved his feet off the table and leaned in closer. "I know it's hard, but you have to get over yourself. What if Juniper saw you in this mood? She wouldn't deserve that."

I muttered a profanity under my breath and ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm an a*s." Axel raised his eyebrows, so I elaborated, "She already saw this mood, and I definitely made a bad day worse for her."

Axel huffed and shook his head. "And you're just sitting here instead of groveling? Are you an i***t on top of being an a*s?"

My instincts told me to argue with Axel, but I bit my tongue. He was right. I grabbed my stuff and started running to her dorm. Juniper was on the verge of tears because of me, and I just let her walk away. I should have groveled and begged for her forgiveness right then.

I was out of breath by the time I made it to her dorm. I took a moment to catch my breath before knocking. I heard shuffling from inside, and the lock clicked open a minute later.

Moira opened the door, and her eyes instantly sparkled. "Oh, Asher. It's good to see you." She twisted her hair around her finger, and she widened her eyes enough to give off a sweet, innocent look.

"Is Juniper here?"

Moira's eye twitched, but she didn't let her smile fade. "Why are you hanging out with her? You're just wasting your time. With your kind of status, you should be with someone like me. I'm the daughter of an alpha. I have the kind of bloodline your family would approve of. She has no status." Moira touched my arm, and I wondered if she cared about me, or if she only cared about the status I could give her.

"I'm not interested. Is Juniper here?"

This time her facade faded. "You're only going to get hurt if you stay with her. I know you've heard those rumors. She's just going to ditch you for someone who can help her."

I resisted the urge to growl at the woman in front of me. "I know the truth. I know you made up those rumors to try to destroy her. Nothing you say about Juniper can change my mind about her. I suggest you move out of my way, because I plan on seeing Juniper whether or not you try to stop me."

"Someone saw Juniper hugging Ethan Burrell, the TA, today. That's your brother, right? He could make sure she doesn't get kicked out of school. Think about it for a moment. Why would she settle for you, when she could have your brother?" Moira's words struck a nerve. Over the years, I saw women flock to Ethan, completely overlooking me. He was superior to me in every way, and an insecure part of me worried that Juniper would realize Ethan was the better choice if she got to know him. However, Juniper deserved the benefit of the doubt, especially after the way I treated her earlier. On top of that, Moira was the last person I'd listen to about Juniper.

***

JUNIPER

A knock on my door made me jump. I wiped my tears away as best as I could, but I was sure I still looked like a mess. I thought about facing Moira, and the harsh comments she would make about my appearance and decided it wasn't worth opening the door. I owed her nothing.

Another set of knocks hit the door.

"June, please open up," Asher said from the other side.

My heart raced. I didn't want Asher to see me like this, either. I stared at the door, paralyzed. Why was he here?

"I know you said you didn't want to see me," Asher said, "and I don't blame you. I messed up. I was a complete i***t. You deserve better from me. Please open up."

I crawled out of bed and went to my door. I cracked it open, trying to hide as much of my face as possible. "Why did you come here?"

Asher looked in the small window I gave him. His face was twisted with pain. "Because I want to apologize to you. I will beg on my hands and knees if I have to. I know I messed up."

As I stared at Asher's face, it was difficult to stay mad at him. He looked genuinely upset, and it took effort to stop myself from instantly forgiving him. His words from before were harsh, and I deserved a proper apology.

"I was looking forward to seeing you earlier, and then you were upset with me for a reason I still don't understand."

"I know, and if you let me in your room, I'd be happy to explain myself-not that it's an excuse," Asher said. "Please."

I was weak for Asher's big eyes. I opened the door, inviting him into my room. He slipped inside, and I shut the door behind him. I leaned against the door and waited for him to explain.

He stopped in the middle of the room, looking around at my stuff before his eyes settled on me.

"Nathan stopped bullies from attacking you today," Asher finally said.

"And?" My throat felt tight. If this was his way of apologizing...

"I was jealous. Nathan was there to protect you when I should've been. I felt inferior." Asher ran his fingers through his hair. "And then I was an i***t who made it your problem, when it was mine." "Isn't it a good thing that Nathan was there?" I asked. "I don't understand why you're jealous."

"Because I like you. A lot. In fact, I like you so much that I'm afraid if I'm honest with you, it'll scare you away. And Nathan also likes you, and he protected you when I couldn't. I know my feelings are way ahead of yours, and it feels like if I'm not careful, then I'm going to lose you." Asher looked at me, and worry filled his eyes.

I could see his fear brimming, and it made my heart ache. I didn't understand why he liked me as much as he claimed. We barely knew each other, so it didn't make sense, but it also excited me. Being around Asher had been the highlight of my day every day I saw him-today being the only exception. I didn't understand my own attachment to him.

"If you want me to go, I understand," Asher said when I didn't respond. "I just hope you know that I'm truly sorry for how I acted earlier."

I walked forward, closing the gap between us. I grabbed his shirt and played with the hem. "You don't have to be so afraid of losing me. I like you, too. A lot, so the only reason I could see you losing me is if you push me away like you did today."

I looked up at Asher, and my heart thumped like crazy. His scent surrounded me, and it quickly clouded my head.

"I'm sorry. I promise I won't let my jealousy get the best of me again." He brushed a piece of hair out of my face and pressed his forehead against mine.

His breath was hot against my face, and my body tingled at his proximity.

"I need you to trust me when I say I'm not going anywhere. I like you, got it?" I whispered.

"Even over my brothers?" he asked.

I knew the question came from a place of insecurities. There was so much pressure on the Burrell brothers, and they were all charming in their own way. I felt drawn to the others in a way I didn't understand, but I knew Asher was the one I wanted to be with. "Even over your brothers," I said.

Asher's lips pulled into a soft smile, and his body seemed to relax. "Good."

He leaned forward, pressing his mouth against mine, and all of the pain and frustration from before seemed to disappear.