The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 48

JUNIPER

I took a step back, completely horrified. I had basically jumped Axel like a crazed woman. I just assumed he'd want to kiss me, too.

"I'm so sorry," I muttered, turning around and wrapping my arms around myself. More tears streamed down my face, and now I felt rejected on top of everything Asher had made me feel.

Axel stepped up behind me and placed his hands on my upper arms. "There's nothing to apologize for. It's not that I don't want to." He leaned his head against the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply. "Trust me. I want to." "You do?" I asked, feeling even more confused. Axel's touch clouded my head, and I didn't want him to stop. But he had.

"Of course I do. I've been thinking about this from the moment I saw you at this school." He placed feathered kisses along my neck, making goosebumps spread down my arms and legs.

I leaned my head back, giving him better access to my neck. "Then I don't understand."

He took a deep breath, and his exhale was warm against my exposed skin. "Not like this. You just broke up with Asher, and he broke your heart. You need time to heal. I don't want to just be a rebound while you get over my brother."

I flipped around and looked up into his eyes. "You're not a rebound. I swear. I should've picked you in the first place. Part of me wanted to. I couldn't stay away from you, but I thought Asher was the better choice. You even said that yourself. I thought he was the one who wouldn't hurt me."

"I know." His voice was soft, and he smiled, but it was weighed down with sadness. He reached up and brushed a piece of hair from my face. "But I also know you're in a lot of pain right now. I promise I'm not going anywhere. I'll be wherever you want me to be, whether that's right by your side or waiting on the sidelines, but I also want you to think about it for a bit, because I don't want you to regret anything with me."

He leaned in, and his mouth brushed against mine lightly. "Because when you're mine, I may never be able to let you go. So I want you to be absolutely sure."

I wanted to be sure, because I wanted to close the distance between us and kiss him again. However, the pain in my chest made me hesitate. I wanted Axel, but I had also wanted Asher, and that hadn't worked out. Maybe Axel was right. Now wasn't the best time. "Okay," I whispered. "Can I still hug you?"

Axel chuckled and pulled me into his chest. "Of course. Like I said, I'm here for you J.J. For whatever you need."

I leaned my head against his chest and breathed in his scent. Tears streamed down my face again, but this time they were from overwhelming relief. As much as I wanted to kiss Axel again, having his arms around me made me feel safe. It made me feel like no matter what happened, he would be here for me, because he wasn't just looking to jump into bed with me.

After I had no tears left, I pulled back and wiped my face. The slight breeze chilled the dampness on my cheeks, and even though part of me felt empty, I became painfully aware of my body.

I still hadn't eaten, and the thin clothes I was wearing were fine indoors, but after a motorcycle ride and standing on a ledge looking over the lake, my body was thoroughly chilled. I wasn't even wearing shoes.

"We should get you back to school," Axel said, coming to the same conclusion as me. "You're freezing."

"I don't want to go back there," I said. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to my dorm and face Moira, and if I went back to Ethan's apartment, Asher could find me, and the idea of seeing him right now made my hands shake. "Then where do you want to go?" Axel asked.

I shook my head, too tired to think straight. "I don't know. I just don't want to go back there."

Axel shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around me. "Okay, then I have an idea."

"What is it?" I asked, but I didn't expect an answer. Whenever I asked Asher about his plans, he never told me, wanting to surprise me constantly.

"There's a little motel not too far from here. It has a great lake view, and breakfast is included. We can stay there until you're ready to go back," Axel explained, to my surprise.

I loved surprises, but there was something nice about the way Axel looped me in. I didn't have to guess or worry he was leading me in the wrong direction.

"What about school?" I asked.

"What about it?" Axel returned.

"I have class on Monday." I had never ditched a class before. Even when I was sick, I dragged myself to class.

"We can go back in time for you to make it to class, or you can take a day off if you don't feel ready. It's okay to miss a single day, but you don't have to decide right now. You have a few days," Axel said.

"Okay."

Axel motioned for the motorcycle, and I followed him. He took off once I was settled, and it was much warmer with his leather jacket keeping me warm. For a moment, I worried about him being cold, but I knew it'd be pointless to say something to him. He'd insist that my warmth was more important, and right now, I didn't mind that.

We drove for a little while before Axel slowed down and stopped at a gas station. He pulled up to a pump, and we both hopped off.

"I need to get gas, but you should get something to eat or drink. Maybe some clothes if they have any," Axel said.

I glanced at the convenience store. "I don't have any money. I don't have any of my stuff."

Axel pulled out his wallet and handed me his credit card. "Get what you want. I'll be there in a moment."

I nodded and headed inside. I felt nervous, knowing I probably looked like a complete mess-especially without any shoes. I tried to remind myself that I'd never see any of these people again.

After grabbing a handheld basket, I went to the snacks and started grabbing everything that looked good. For the first time since yesterday, the hunger finally hit me, and I felt ravenous. I also grabbed several drinks and put them into a basket. The last things I looked for were clothes. They didn't have much, since it was only a convenience store, but they had a selection of sporty t-shirts and jerseys.

I flipped through the selection, but nothing spoke to me. They at least had a pair of flip-flops, which wasn't ideal, but it was better than walking around barefoot.

"Do you need help, young lady?" a voice said from behind me.

I flipped around, and an older gentleman was standing much too close to me. I tried to take a step back, but I ended up bumping into the shelf.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though." I shifted the basket in front of me to create a barrier between the two of us.

The man looked me up and down, and his eyes glimmered. "Don't be shy. It looks like you're down on your luck. I can help you out. All you have to do is help me out."

I stepped to the side, desperate to get some distance between us, but he followed my movements. "I don't need any help."

"Now don't be rude. Someone is offering to help you. The least you should do is accept." His face changed, and he seemed to grow taller, as if he was trying to make himself look more intimidating. He towered over me, and if he tried, it was possible he could overpower me.

However, he smelled like a human, and even some of the weakest of the weakest werewolves were stronger than some humans. Even so, I had to be careful. I couldn't show any of my werewolf features to a human, because it would cause even more problems I didn't want to deal with.

"I said no," I said firmly, looking him straight in the eyes. "Now leave me alone."

The man scowled and reached for my basket. "Such a brat. Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

He tried to pull on the basket, but I let it go, knowing it wasn't worth fighting over stuff. He stumbled backwards, and his nose flared.

I put more distance between us. "I should ask you the same thing. Didn't anyone ever teach you that no means no?"

"How dare you? Clearly, someone needs to teach you a lesson." He dropped the basket and came at me.

Axel stepped in front of me, and there was an energy surrounding him that was suffocating. "I'd think twice before trying to hit a lady."

The man froze, gawking at Axel. His fists were still curled, ready for a fight, but his eyes were wide. His mouth was open, but no sound came out.

"I'll give you five seconds to get out of here before I make you regret every life decision you've ever made," Axel snarled.

The man scrambled backwards, tripping over my basket in the process. He flipped over and half crawled away, desperate to get away from Axel.

I had never seen a werewolf use his werewolf energy on a human before. I had seen plenty of werewolves submit to those stronger than them, but I had never seen that level of fear.

When the man was out of sight, Axel grabbed my basket and started picking up the spilled contents. I quickly helped him.

"That was impressive," Axel said as we gathered the last few items.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "What are you talking about? I needed you to come and rescue me."

Axel smiled. "No, you didn't. You would've torn him to pieces if he touched you. I could feel your energy raging. I just wanted to make it easier for you." He held out his hand and said, "Shall we get out of here?"