The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 59

JUNIPER

"You lied to me," I said, shaking as I stared into Axel's eyes.

His brows furrowed. "About what?"

"You said it was just a surface wound and that you were fine." I gripped his hand tightly. Even if I was upset that he didn't tell me how badly he was hurt, I never wanted to let him go.

"I am fine." He smiled, but he couldn't hide his wince of pain.

"You nearly died." My voice was tight as I spoke, and it felt like I wasn't breathing because of the ache in my lungs.

"J.J." Axel's voice was soft. "Come here." He motioned for me to get into the bed with him, and I didn't hesitate to crawl next to him.

His scent surrounded me, and he wrapped his arm around me, kissing my forehead in the process.

"I'm sorry I lied to you. I didn't know how dangerous it was to stay there. If there were other hunters around, and if they came after us, I knew I couldn't protect you. I just wanted us to get out of there as fast as possible, and I didn't want to worry you." His voice was soothing as he spoke, and I knew he didn't mean to lie to hurt me.

I nuzzled my face into the crook of his arm, being careful where I touched him. "If something like that ever happens again, promise me you won't lie to me. I can handle the truth. I'm not as weak as you think."

"I don't think you're weak. I just wanted to protect you, but I promise I'll be honest if something like that happens again." His fingers ran through my hair, stroking tears from my eyes. It was soothing to feel his touch and hear his voice. I knew I should've been comforting him, since he was the one injured, but I couldn't help it.

"Thank you." I pushed myself up, so I was sitting on the bed. "I need you to promise me something else."

"Anything."

"Promise me you won't die. I need you to stay alive."

Axel frowned. He grabbed my hand and played with my fingers. "J.J., we all die sooner or later. We're not immortal."

I chewed on my inner lips, knowing what I was asking wasn't logical. I knew death was a part of life, but I was tired of dealing with it. "I know. Just don't die yet, okay?"

Axel pulled his lips tight and held out his hand. He couldn't sit up because of his injury, so he wanted me to come to him. He pulled me into him and held me tightly. "I will do my best. I can promise you that much, because I'm not ready to lose you." ETHAN

I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw Juniper curled against Axel. It didn't take a genius to see the way she looked at him. She had been falling for Axel for a while now, even if she tried to deny it. Now that Asher wasn't a factor, there was nothing to stop her from going to Axel.

I shouldn't have been surprised, yet my chest ached as I looked at the two of them. I knew from the beginning that there was never a chance for Juniper and me. Even if she did fall for me, as long as I was her TA, there was never a future for us. As the future beta of all werewolves, I couldn't afford a scandal like that, so I held back my feelings.

My brothers didn't have the obligation I did. They were free to pursue her heart in a way I would never be able to. I knew that was for the best, even if it hurt. This way, I could always protect her, just like an older brother.

I shut the door, leaving Axel and Juniper to rest. They both needed it, and I had other things to handle.

Nathan and Asher sat in the room in an eerie silence. I wasn't used to my brothers looking so solemnly. When they were around, they were either bickering or laughing.

"Axel is going to be okay," I announced, drawing their attention. "He regained consciousness, but he's resting now."

"That's a relief," Nathan said, slumping onto the couch.

Asher's body relaxed, too, but he didn't say anything. He hadn't gone to check on Axel once since Juniper started sitting by Axel's side. I couldn't tell if he was avoiding Juniper or both of them. Did he smell Axel on her the way I did? Did he realize that it was more than just his blood on her?

Juniper didn't have to go into details for me to know what transpired between them. I could see it on her face, the way she looked absolutely broken, knowing the severity of Axel's injuries. Part of me wondered if the roles were reversed if she would be as devastated by my injuries.

I shook that thought off, knowing it didn't matter anyway.

I sat on the couch at the other end of Nathan. "I spoke to Father. He is ordering the alpha of the closest pack to send a group of warriors to assist with our investigation. He wants Asher and me to lead the investigation." Nathan shot upright and gaped at me. "Wait, why am I being left out of this?"

"Because you have the least amount of warrior training, and he wants someone to watch over Axel while he recovers," I said simply. The second statement wasn't true. Our father showed almost no concern for Axel, which wasn't surprising. He wrote Axel off a long time ago. He didn't need him, because I was the next heir to the beta title, Asher was right behind me, and Nathan was the wolfball star. Our father had every type of son he needed.

"You know he doesn't care about that," Nathan said. "He just doesn't want his precious wolfball star to get hurt. It's not fair." He slumped back and crossed his arms.

"Without the proper training, I can't condone you coming along," I said. I wouldn't risk another brother getting injured. Asher had at least gone through warrior training growing up. He and Axel were both required to, but Axel rarely showed up to the training sessions, saying he would never lead, so it didn't matter.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Doesn't mean I like it, though." Nathan pouted, crossing his arms. It made it nearly impossible to see him as anything other than a child.

"When do we leave?" Asher asked.

"The warriors should be here tomorrow morning. Let your professors know you'll be gone on official business for at least a day, possibly more. They'll excuse your absences, and you'll be able to make up any work you missed," I said.

Asher stood up. "Right. Can't have the perfect student get a bad grade." The sarcasm dripping from his mouth reminded me of Axel. Asher argued with me on occasion, but this was different. Losing Juniper broke something inside of him, and I wasn't sure it was something he'd be able to fix, especially if he found out she was already with Axel.

"It might be dangerous. If you're not focused, maybe you shouldn't come," I said. I didn't care if our father specifically requested Asher to go. If he wasn't in the right headspace, it would be better if he stayed behind. I didn't know what we would find when we looked into the werewolf hunters, and I wasn't going to put my brother in a dangerous situation if he wasn't ready.

"I'll be there," Asher said firmly. He started walking towards the door. "Just tell me when and where, and I'll be ready."

Asher left, and a sigh escaped my lips. My instinct was to tell him not to come, but I feared it was too late for that.

"I can replace him if you're worried," Nathan suggested.

I shook my head. "That's an even worse idea."

"Gee, thanks," Nathan muttered, standing up.

"Nathan," I said, but he brushed me off. "I get it. What Father wants, he gets, right?"

"Right," I muttered, but I didn't mean it.

It had always been like that, but I was fighting to change that. Father never wanted Juniper in our lives, but here she was, growing more intertwined with us each day. No matter what our father did, he would never be able to pull us away from Juniper without tearing the entire family apart. She was in our lives, and none of us were about to let her go.

JUNIPER

"Do you have to go?" I asked as Ethan packed for his trip. I already knew the answer to my question, but I felt uneasy knowing he was going back to the place where Axel was hurt.

"Yes, but I will be fine. We have a group of warriors trained for this situation." Ethan zipped up his bag, and it wouldn't be long before he left now. "Have you faced werewolf hunters before?"

"Yes. It was part of my training." Ethan paused and studied my face. "There's nothing to worry about. I know what I'm getting myself into."

I nodded, knowing he wouldn't be allowed to become the next beta if he wasn't trained for this situation. Alpha Williams and Beta Burrell had to protect werewolves from outside threats like hunters. Usually, individual packs took care of hunters near their territory unless the threat was too big for their forces to handle. CUW was a different case. It wasn't technically part of any pack to avoid pack issues getting in the way of student learning. Because of this, the safety of the students was left to a higher level. "Just come back without a gunshot wound, please."

Ethan smiled, and his face softened. When he looked at me like that, he wasn't Ethan, the TA, I had come to know. "That is the plan. Look, Juniper. I meant to talk to you about this yesterday, but with everything that happened, I didn't have the chance. I got the school to approve a dorm transfer for you. You'll have your own room, so you don't have to worry about anyone bothering you. The room should be ready to move in now, if you wish. You're also welcome to stay here with Axel for as long as you'd like." "You did that for me?" After I tried to get the housing department to change my room, I gave up, thinking it was futile. I had no idea Ethan had put in a request like that on my behalf.

"I put the request in once you reported the bullying to me. Unfortunately, it took longer than I would've liked to get through the red tape. I'm sorry it took so long."

I threw my arms around Ethan. "I can't believe you were able to do that. Thank you so much!"

Ethan tensed under my touch, but then he relaxed into it. "You're very welcome. The paperwork is on the table for you when you want it!

A knock on the door interrupted the moment. I quickly pulled away from Ethan, as if I had been caught doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing.

Ethan cleared his throat and then answered the door. Asher stepped inside, and we made eye contact. He tore his gaze away, looking at his brother instead. "Ready?"

"Yes. Let's go." Ethan grabbed his bag and started heading out. "We'll be back as soon as we can be, Juniper. Let me know if anything happens while I'm gone, but Nathan will probably be your best bet, in case of an emergency." "Okay. Stay safe." I hesitated before adding, "Both of you."

Asher snapped his head toward me. His eyes were wide, and then he relaxed. He gave a quick nod, and then he and Ethan left.