The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 26

JUNIPER

"Nathan!" I screamed, seeing him get tackled by a wolf twice his size. He was still in his human form, which meant his body was more fragile than if he had been in his wolf form. Others joined in on the pile, and I couldn't breathe. Axel grabbed my arm, keeping me steady as I practically flew out of my seat.

"He'll be okay," Axel said, but he was holding his breath as he stared out onto the field.

The ref blew the whistle, and several people started pulling players off of the pile. The player who originally tackled Nathan was the last one to get off. He transformed into his human form, and blood dripped down his chin. He smirked, laughing with joy. "Is biting legal in this game?" I asked. I knew the sport was violent, but I couldn't imagine the rules allowing players to draw blood from one another. That reached a different level of violence.

"I don't think so," Axel said. He didn't blink as he waited for Nathan to move. "Come on, get up," he whispered under his breath.

I glanced at Axel, and the worry in his eyes reflected my own. Despite him always coming off as aloof, I had no doubt he cared about his brother.

Nathan didn't get up, even when the players around him cleared. The referee blew his whistle again, motioning for the medical team to come over. One of them kneeled down next to Nathan, looking him over, while the others pulled out the backboard. They moved him onto the board and started carrying him off the field.

"I'm going to kill the bastard who did that," Axel growled. "That was no accident." He let go of me and jumped off the bleachers, making his way towards the field.

I practically tripped over myself as I jumped after him. "Axel! Wait!" I ran after him, grabbing his arm before he got to the fence separating us and the field. "Let go, J.J.," Axel said, pulling away from my grip.

I dug my fingers into his skin, refusing to let go. I knew he could overpower me, but I didn't care. "Don't do anything stupid. That guy is huge, and if you try to pick a fight with him in front of the school, in front of his team, you could end up like Nathan."

"So I'm just supposed to sit here while my brother gets taken away on a gurney?" Axel stopped trying to pull away from me, but he was still enraged.

"No. We go check on Nathan and see what kind of condition he's in. He doesn't need you to fight his battles. He needs you to be there to support him," I said.

Axel's shoulders dropped, and he looked back at the field, gritting his teeth. "Nathan, of all people, doesn't want me anywhere near him."

Nathan was the one to tell me to stay away from Axel, but he never told me a good reason why. I didn't know what transpired between the two of them, but it was obvious Axel still cared about him.

I grabbed Axel's hand. "I'm going to see Nathan, and I'd like you to come with me. Please." I batted my eyes at him, and I had a feeling he wouldn't be able to say no to me. I didn't know what tore Nathan and Axel apart in the first place, but if there was a chance I could help them mend fences, I had to try.

"You don't have to look at me that way. I'll go with you," Axel said, making a point to roll his eyes.

I smiled, pleased it wasn't difficult to convince Axel. I pulled him with me towards the locker rooms.

As we walked there, the announcer came on the PA system and said, "Due to gross misconduct, player 22 Dean Ambers from TRUW has been suspended for the rest of the game."

I shook my head, listening to the announcement. "Why would he attack Nathan like that? He had to have known he'd get thrown out for the rest of the game."

"His team was losing, and they were desperate. They knew they didn't stand a chance with Nathan still going. They probably decided one player was worth the sacrifice," Axel explained.

I shook my head, deciding I definitely didn't like sports. "That's ridiculous. They should be disqualified for that kind of behavior."

"Unfortunately, without proof that it was premeditated, there won't be any long-term ramifications."

My stomach twisted thinking about that. I wanted to believe the best in people, but it seemed like Moira opened my eyes to a cruel and unjust world. I hated thinking about how many manipulative people there were in the world, and there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn't sure if there was even a way to fight all of it.

By the time we made it to the locker room, the game had already started again, as if nothing had happened. As much as I wanted to support Nathan, I didn't know how I would be able to go to a game of his again. I couldn't stand the thought of him getting hurt. "You're not allowed past here," a security guard said as Axel and I approached.

"Nathan is my brother. You will allow us to go see him," Axel said. He stood tall and spoke with an authority that didn't seem to belong to him.

"Oh, right this way," the security guard said, instantly shrinking. He started walking down the hallway.

I glanced at Axel, giving him a strange look, but he only held up his finger and winked at me, as if he was holding some sort of secret. No wonder the Burrell family held so much power.

We were led down a hallway and then shown the health office. The security guard opened the door, and Axel was the first one to enter. I looked around, surprised to see so few people in the room based on the amount of people who were already injured. Nathan was lying on one of the beds, but he was still unconscious. There was a doctor working on him, wrapping up his arm and his head. Axel waited for the doctor to finish her exam before approaching.

"How is he?"

The doctor frowned, writing a few notes on her chart. "He'll live, but he has a serious concussion. His arm is also broken, and he has deep gashes along his arm, and that's not even including all of the minor injuries. I have seen some extensive injuries, but these are more than what they should be."

She knew this was foul play, but she didn't say it directly.

"How long will it take him to recover?" Axel asked. He kept his face neutral, but I could feel his worry.

"A week, maybe two. It'll depend on how bad the break is."

"Does he have to go to the hospital?" I asked. Werewolves healed exceptionally fast, but breaks still needed to be set properly. If they weren't, the bones could heal in the wrong position, causing lingering pain and sometimes disabilities.

"No, I have everything I need here to help him. We're used to broken bones on the field. It was the gashes that are unusual and deep," she explained.

I pulled my lips tight. Broken bones being normal for this game sounded concerning. Even with intensified healing, it didn't seem worth the risk to play the game. Before, I simply didn't care about watching games. Sports weren't interesting to me, but I understood that others enjoyed them. The more I learned, the stronger my opinion became about wolfball.

"I'm going to have to ask you to step outside of the room. I have to take x-rays, and we can't have unnecessary people in the room," the doctor said.

"Thank you for taking care of my brother," Axel said, making the doctor blush. Asher wasn't the only one who had the ability to make others swoon.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Nathan. His skin was still stained with blood, and his arm was in a brace. I didn't want to leave until he opened his eyes, but Axel grabbed my hand and guided me out of the room. We didn't go far, lingering in the hallway outside of the exam room.

Cheers erupted from above, drawing my attention away. I hated that everyone moved on without a concern for Nathan.

Axel let go of my hand and leaned against the wall. He crossed his arms, and his eyes moved to me. "He'll be okay. The doctor here is good at what she does."

I slumped against the wall, feeling my frustration building. "Do you know her?"

"Nope. But the school wouldn't hire her if she wasn't good. She probably deals with these kinds of injuries every game."

I let my body slide to the floor and took a deep breath. "Why does Nathan play this game if it's so dangerous?"

"Because wolfball players are highly coveted. A professional wolfball player is looked at like some sort of god, and Nathan is good. He's better than good, actually. He has the talent to be one of the greatest wolfball players in history."

I looked up at Axel, wondering how he looked so calm. It was his brother in that room, still unconscious with the severity of the injuries still unknown. I felt like a mess, and I hardly knew him. "Would Nathan be playing wolfball if it wasn't for your father?" Axel chorted, as if he was surprised by my question. He pushed himself off the wall and sat next to me instead. He kept his knees propped and rested his arms on his knees. "You just asked the million dollar question, and honestly, I don't know. Nathan has the talent, but it was my father who saw it first. He decided to cultivate it for his own benefit. I don't know if Nathan would have gone this route without our father pushing him. Our father is like a puppeteer, always pulling our strings-to the extent we're not always aware of what aspects of our lives he's influencing.

"What I do know is that there is genuine joy on Nathan's face when he plays the game. Whether or not he would be playing the game without our father's influence doesn't matter. It's something he enjoys and is good at it."

"But what if he gets injured even worse than this? Or what if his concussion is worse than what the doctor says?" I asked.

Axel chuckled again. "You kind of sound like a worried mother."

I opened my mouth to argue, but I quickly realized he was right. "He's kind. I just don't want him to get hurt."

Axel looked at me, and suddenly his face felt too close. "Sometimes the things you love most also hurt you the most."