The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 32

JUNIPER

I threw my hands in my face to stop Josh from hitting me again. He had never been violent with me when we were dating, and I didn't think he was the type to hit a woman. However, he was on the wolfball team, and after seeing the violence firsthand, I shouldn't have been surprised by his actions. "It's not nice to call a woman such a derogatory term," a voice seethed behind Josh. I instantly recognized the voice as Axel.

"Back off. You can have your turn with her when I'm done," Josh said. He moved towards me, but before he could grab me, Axel grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Axel pulled Josh away and then pushed him down the hallway, repositioning himself to be between Josh and myself.

"You're done now," Axel growled, and his wolf energy burst out of him like an angry wave crashing down onto the beach.

"Who do you think you are? This is none of your business." Josh turned to Axel, and his face was red with anger.

"Actually, it is. For one, I will never standby when a guy thinks it's okay to hit a girl. Two, Juniper is my friend, so this is very much my business." Axel slipped his jacket off and handed it to me. "Keep this safe for me, kay?" He winked before turning back to Josh. I hugged Axel's jacket, his scent calming my nerves, but watching him face off with Josh made the nerves come back.

Josh swung at Axel as he turned away from me. Axel anticipated this move and ducked in time to avoid the hit. Josh stumbled forward, the alcohol in his system affecting his balance. Axel made a point to keep himself between Josh and me, even though it put him in a disadvantageous position.

Josh swung again, and this time Axel caught Josh's hand and punched him in the gut. Axel pushed him back, creating more space between the fight and me.

"Back down now while you're losing," Axel said, straightening his back. He slowly rolled up his sleeves, watching as Josh recovered from the punch.

"I never lose fights." Josh extended his claws and huffed, seeming ready to transform his wolf form.

"You're going to be sorely disappointed if you try to fight me," Axel said, extending his own claws.

A crowd started gathering around us, and some people were even cheering on the fight. I pressed myself into the wall, scared for Axel. After seeing Nathan knocked out during his game, I had no interest in seeing anyone else injured. I didn't want Axel to fight Josh, even if it was for my defense.

Josh lunged at Axel, barreling into his torso. He picked Axel up and slammed him on to the ground. He punched Axel once, hitting him with his knuckles. He went to hit him again, but Axel caught his hand and pulled Josh forward, slamming his head into the jock at the same time. This disoriented Josh enough that Axel was able to push Josh off of him. Axel lunged on top of Josh and punched him several times before Josh could react.

The crowd cheered, but my stomach lurched as I saw blood splatter from Josh's face.

Josh focused enough to block Axel's next attack. Then he slashed Axel, scratching his chest and ripping his shirt in the process.

"Axel!" I screamed, terrified for him. I just wanted the fight to stop.

Axel slammed his fist into Josh's face again. He was ready to punch again, but then he glanced at me, making him pause mid swing. His expression softened, and he stood up, pushing Josh to the ground again. "Consider yourself lucky tonight. If I ever catch you so much as talking to Juniper, I won't stop until every bone in your body is broken."

Josh tried to stand up, but he was disoriented from his beating and the alcohol in his system. Several people rushed to Josh's side, but I didn't see what happened to him after that.

Axel grabbed my arm and started pulling me away from the crowd that had gathered. Everyone parted to give Axel space. After the beating he had dealt to Josh, no one was about to mess with him.

Axel walked past the stairs to the lobby and kept going to the end of the hallway where there were no lingering people from the party. I didn't know where he was taking me, and I couldn't bring myself to ask him. I was still in shock from Josh slapping me and then Axel showing up and beating him up. My head spun, and I didn't know what to think.

He pushed through a gray door that led to a stairwell. He pulled me up the stairs, climbing several flights up before we reached another door. Axel opened the door and led me outside. The chilly air hit me first and then I saw the night sky above us. We were on the roof of the building.

Axel let go of my hand and walked to the edge of the building. He ran his fingers through his hair and huffed. His wolf energy pulsed through him still. It was less now than when he was fighting Josh, but his wolf was still riled.

I approached him slowly, unsure of how to handle his mood. "Are you okay?" My voice was quiet, and I stopped several feet away from him.

"No. I'm not okay," he snapped. It wasn't towards me, but it still made me flinch. "When I walked out into the hallway and saw that guy all over you, I wanted to punch him right then. And then he had the audacity to slap you like that. I wanted to kill him. I still want to kill him." Axel was seething just thinking about Josh.

"Why do you care?" I asked. Flashes of Axel making out with the random girl filled my head, making my chest ache.

Axel flipped around, and this time his anger was directed at me. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course I care. I never want another man to lay a hand on you."

"But you can put your hands on some random girl?" I snapped back. My jealousy was getting the best of me, and my adrenaline stopped me from thinking clearly.

"So what if I was making out with some girl? It's not like you and I are together," Axel growled. His eyes were hard in a way I hadn't seen. Whenever he called us friends, he smiled as if he was perfectly happy staying that way.

"You're the one always calling us friends!" I shouted at him. I thought I was okay with our dynamic, but seeing Asher's mouth on another girl broke something in me. I couldn't keep lying to myself. I cared about Asher, but I also cared about Axel. "You're the one dating my brother!" he snapped back.

He was right. I wanted to be with Asher. I knew that to be true. I ran my hands through my hair and tugged on the root. Confusion coursed through my veins, and suddenly I didn't know what I wanted.

"I know! But you also made it clear that our kiss meant nothing and you just wanted to be friends. You didn't even give me a chance to choose you." I shut my mouth quickly, realizing I had said too much.

I dared to look at Axel, and he stared at me with wide eyes, not saying anything. My heart pounded, and my head spun even more.

I took a step back, feeling the need to run far away from here. "Just forget I said that. I-" I cut myself off. I couldn't say I didn't mean it, because then I would be lying.

"Would you choose me?" Axel asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I... I don't know." This was also the truth. I jumped right in with Asher, and I fell for him fast. Because of that, I ignored the bond I felt with Axel. I pushed it away, hoping it would disappear the more I fell for Asher. Instead, it grew taut, ready to snap at any moment. "I care about Asher. I care about him a lot. I've never felt connected to someone like I felt with him."

"I see."

I wanted him to say more, but I didn't know what would make things less confusing.

"But I also feel this pull to you, and it's confusing, because it's similar to the pull to Asher. If I didn't know any better, I would say it's the mate bond pulling me towards both of you, but that doesn't make any sense. It's not strong enough to be a mate bond, and I shouldn't be feeling it with multiple people." I even felt the pull towards Ethan, too, but I didn't want to add his name to the list of people in my head-at least not to Axel.

"It's not a mate bond." Axel sounded sure of himself, just like Asher had.

"Then what is it?" My voice cracked, and I felt defeated. I was emotionally and mentally exhausted, and I didn't want to think so hard.

"I don't know." Axel took a few steps forward, closing the gap between us.

"Will you at least tell me I'm not crazy? Am I the only one who feels this way? Because if I am, then I'll drop this. But if you like me-if you feel this connection too..." My voice dropped off, because I didn't know how I'd finish that sentence. While Asher and I weren't exclusive, not even thirty minutes ago, I was ready to jump into bed with him. I wanted to call Asher my boyfriend, but I couldn't deny my feelings for Axel any longer. "You're not crazy, but I can't stand the idea of hurting Asher."

"Me neither," I said.

Silence pulsed between us, so loud that it was deafening. Knowing Axel had feelings for me made me feel better and worse. I knew I wasn't imagining things, but neither of us wanted to hurt Asher.

Axel took a few steps forward, the sound of his shoes against the concrete breaking the strained silence.

He cupped my cheek gently, stroking the side that Josh slapped. His touch was soft and caring. "Are you okay? I got too wrapped up in my own fury that I didn't even stop to check on you."

"I'm okay thanks to you," I admitted. My heart thrummed against my chest at Axel's proximity. It only made everything more confusing.

Axel let go of my face and grabbed his jacket from my arms. He draped it around my shoulders. "I don't want you to catch a cold."

"What about you? You're still bleeding, and I don't want you to get sick." My heart thumped as I looked at Axel. We weren't talking about our feelings, but the air was thick with tension. We were too close, and it was too easy to reach out and kiss Axel, but I couldn't do that to Asher.

"I'll be okay." Axel's lip was split, and the scratches on his chest glistened with blood from Josh's claws.

"We should get you cleaned up," I said, worried he'd catch an infection if he didn't treat his wounds. I couldn't stand the idea of him getting hurt even more.

"Not yet. I don't want to leave. I want to be here with you for a moment longer." He reached out and cupped my cheek again.

I grabbed his wrist, needing to feel his touch. His lips were tempting, and it would be easy to lift onto my toes and close the gap, but I held back. Even if I decided to be with Axel instead of Asher, I would never do it like this.

"I don't know what to do," I whispered, feeling completely torn.

"Choose Asher," Axel said, stroking my cheek. "He's the better choice. I promise you that."

"You're good, too," I said. I wanted to show Axel that he was a better person than he gave himself credit for. Even as I stood in front of him, admitting my indescribable pull to him, he told me to choose his brother. "Choose Asher," Axel repeated. "He loves you, and he'll treat you right. I'll be okay. As long as we're friends, and I have you in my life, I'll be okay with that."