The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 62

JUNIPER

After I moved the last of my stuff to my new dorm, I took a moment to look around. It was small and all mine, but it was also strangely quiet. It was both nice and a little unnerving. I wasn't used to having a place to myself. Even when I was a child, my parents often rented small apartments where we would share a space to save money, since we never stayed for more than a few months at a time. This was the first place I could truly call my own. Despite the barren walls and small space, it was my own.

I checked my phone, hoping for an update from Ethan, but there were no messages. I put the last of my stuff away and sent Axel a quick message, letting him know I was heading back to Ethan's apartment.

Ethan's apartment was close to the school. It was a longer walk than to the dorms, but the apartment complex made a special deal for CUW, saving rooms for staff and special students. It came in handy for rotating lecturers.

There were a few professors who had made their lives permanent at CUW, living separately from their packs. They weren't considered rogues, since they usually kept their ties to their old packs, but they were lone wolves.

I was like them in a lot of ways, especially now that the tie with Moira was broken. I still belonged to Alpha Miller's pack, but I knew I would never return there. I was never one of them, and I had no desire to try to be one of them ever again. Running into Moira's parents confirmed that.

Then there was the Burrell's. Ethan had been there for me repeatedly. So had Axel. Even Nathan tried to be there for me, even if his tactics were questionable. I didn't know if Asher would still be there for me, but I knew there was a time when he stood by my side, even when the whole school turned against me. The Burrell brothers were the closest thing I had to the support of a pack, but I knew I would never be one of them.

Beta Burrell forbade his sons from reaching out to me after my parents took me away from them. For whatever reason, he didn't want me around his sons, and I knew that he would never accept me as part of his pack.

Part of me wondered if I was destined to be a lone wolf.

Would Axel be forced to leave me one day?

Would Ethan?

I started my walk back to Ethan's apartment, trying to shake the feeling of loneliness. It was stuck inside my bones, and I knew the only thing that would make the feeling subside was being by Axel's side.

I wanted to run to him, hold him in my arms, and just drink in his presence.

I forced myself to walk to Ethan's apartment, knowing if I ran it would be admitting my need to be by Axel's side to the rest of the world.

A weight lifted off my chest as I made it to Ethan's apartment. I took the stairs two at a time, only pausing when I was in front of his door to catch my breath. I hesitated, realizing I didn't know if I needed to knock or if it'd be okay to just walk in.

I had been basically living here for a few days, but it wasn't my apartment. I decided to just knock, but before I had a chance to follow through with my decision, footsteps distracted me.

I glanced down the hall and was promptly startled by the man walking towards me. He was tall, like Nathan. His dark hair and black eyes matched his blazer, and even the sharpness of the diamond cufflinks adorning his wrists matched his sharp features. Between his pinstriped, black button-up shirt and his perfectly shined shoes, there was not a single hair out of place on this man.

His looks were probably the least intimidating thing about him-even though the sight of him made me feel like I was watching a celebrity pass by. I was awestruck by him, and the closer he got, the more on edge my wolf felt. His power and fierceness rang out around him, making me want to cower in front of him.

I willed myself to turn away and go into Ethan's apartment, but it was like I was in a trance. This man held my gaze captive, and the only thing I could do was wait for him to pass by.

Only he didn't pass me. He looked down at me, and his lips turned into a crooked smile.

"Juniper, it's been a while. I nearly didn't recognize you. You have turned into quite the woman," he said with a familiarity that made me squirm.

I had never seen this man before in my life-at least not that I could remember. His hair was peppered with white streaks, and the skin around his eyes wrinkled with age. His maturity oozed from his every pore, reflecting his age, but time had been kind to him. It didn't take away from his attractiveness. Instead, it amplified it, making it seem like he was wise and knew exactly how to treat someone well.

Something told me he didn't do that very often.

"Do I know you?" I asked. Somewhere hidden in the back of my memories, I already knew the answer was yes. There was a familiarity to his sharp jawline and fierce eyebrows. It felt as if I had gone to war with this man before and lost. His face didn't change as he studied my face. "So you don't truly remember who I am?"

Even as he asked the question, I knew I wasn't supposed to answer it. He had already come to his own conclusion, and my words would be of no importance.

"No," I said, despite my instincts telling me to stay quiet. I didn't remember the man in front of me, but the shape of his nose and high cheekbones reflected a familiarity I had come to know very well. "You're Beta Burrell, though, aren't you?" His eyes lit up, as if he was actually impressed. "You're sharper than I expected. Although, I should've guessed as much. What other explanation would there be for my sons to lie for you?"

My throat tightened, feeling the accusation twisting my stomach. I didn't know what he meant by his words, since I never asked any of the brothers to lie for me. I didn't even know what they lied about.

"Ethan's not home, if you're looking for him." I decided to change the subject instead of commenting on Beta Burrell's question.

"I know exactly where my eldest son is," he said with an authority that tried to crush my chest. "I'm here to see you, Miss Johnson."

***

ASHER

We found Axel's blood trail the first day we arrived. We followed it back to where there were signs of a struggle. The dirt had been kicked up, and Juniper's scent still lingered in the air, even though several days had left it faded.

There were no signs a hunter had ever been in this forest. There weren't even any human scents lingering in the air. The lake was a popular enough area-especially for CUW students. There should have been more signs of life than there were, but it was as if a human had never stepped foot in this forest.

If there hadn't been a silver bullet that nearly killed Axel, there would be no proof Axel and Juniper ever came across a hunter. It was strange and unnerving for countless reasons.

The second day we found nothing new. We made camp in the forest, away from the prying eyes of the townsfolk. Ethan insisted we couldn't go to the motel Juniper and Axel had stayed in. If there was any chance that the owners of the motel were connected to the wolf hunters, it'd be too dangerous for us to stay there. So instead, we set up bedrolls and camped in the forest with warriors taking turns keeping guard.

The ground was uncomfortable, and once the sun had set, the bite in the air made it difficult to fall asleep.

I relished in the pain it caused. It was better than staying in a motel where Axel and Juniper had shared a room together. When she told us that part of the story, something inside of me broke.

Ethan had linked me, warning me not to interrupt her. I had ignored his link, but I didn't ignore his caution.

There was no way for me to know what transpired between Juniper and Axel in that room all alone-at least not without directly confronting one of them. Throwing around accusations was what made me lose Juniper in the first place. Besides, there wasn't any reason for me to accuse her.

We weren't together. Even if Axel and her slept together, she made it clear it wasn't any of my business anymore.

I didn't want to confront her about it, because then she might confirm my suspicions. At least there was plausible deniability without proof. I could pretend like there was nothing going on between Axel and Juniper, even though I feared there was.

My stomach felt queasy as I thought about the possibility. While I knew Juniper had no obligation to stay loyal to me, it still stung thinking about her jumping into bed with my brother so soon after breaking up with me.

It made me feel like my fears were valid. She openly admitted to having feelings for Axel, and I couldn't stop thinking about her leaving me for Axel.

Part of me knew that my jealousy was what hurt her and pushed her away. It didn't make it sting any less when I wondered if she even let my body cool before jumping to the next brother.

Not that I knew if she had even done that.

I wanted this investigation to be over. Or I wanted something interesting to happen. I needed to do something that didn't give me this much time to think myself in circles. Running around a forest with nothing but time was eating away at my sanity. I paused, catching a glint of something in the reflection of the light. I changed directions, looking for the source of the reflection. A shotgun shell was half buried in the dirt. I shifted out of my wolf form and picked it up. I dropped it immediately, the silver coating causing my fingers to burn.

I picked it up again with a leaf as a protective barrier, and I saw two initials carved into the lip of the shell. CC.