The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 67

JUNIPER

"You do realize that if you drop out now, you won't receive any credits for this semester?" Principal Clandestine asked.

I kept my hands in my lap, remembering the last time I was in this office. It was clear back then that he didn't like me very much, which was why I was surprised I was able to get an appointment as quickly as I did. I received the notice that the principal would meet me only a few days after I made the request. I was prepared to wait for weeks.

"I just want to take a year off," I said. "I'm not dropping out."

Principal Clandestine's upper lip twitched. "My statement still stands true. You will lose all credit for this semester, and we can't refund you any of the money you paid for classes, since it's past the official drop out period."

I wanted to tell him again that I wasn't dropping out, but I knew it'd be a waste of breath. The man in front of me didn't care much about what I said.

"That also means my grades won't count, correct?" I hated the idea of leaving school. School had been my life, my priority for such a long time that it felt like I was abandoning everything I knew. I knew that there were more important things in life than school. The Burrell brothers showed me that.

"That is correct. If you are sure about this decision, then I can get the paperwork started."

I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting back the urge to tell him I had changed my mind. I had to tell myself this wasn't a forever decision. I planned on coming back to school one day, hopefully sooner rather than later.

I had to figure out if the curse Beta Burrell talked about was real or not. If it was real, then I had to find a witch to break the curse. Then I could go back to Axel and the others, knowing they were safe. If I found out the curse didn't exist in the first place, then I'd be able to return to the others sooner.

The last possibility was that I learned the curse was real, but I wouldn't be able to find a witch to break the curse. If that happened, I knew I couldn't ever return to the brothers. I'd have to wait for them to leave the school before I came back-if I ever decided returning was worth the risk.

"Please start the paperwork." I felt numb as the words came out of my mouth.

I was giving up the future I worked so hard to protect guys who I had only known for a few months. There was still so much I didn't know about them. I felt like I could trust Axel and Ethan, but there was a point where I felt like I could trust Asher.

For all I knew, I was making the biggest mistake of my life, but it was a risk I was willing to take. If it meant Axel could stay safe, stay alive, then I would risk everything.

"It'll take about a week to process the paperwork. You won't be able to stay in the school dorm if you drop out," he said.

"I'm not dropping out. I'm just taking a hiatus." I ground my teeth together

Principal Clandestine took a deliberate breath. "If you say so. Either way, you will not be allowed to stay on campus."

I stood up and adjusted my clothes. "I understand. Thank you for your time."

I didn't want to thank him. I never wanted to talk to the principal again. There was something about him that made me uncomfortable, and it wasn't just the way he spoke to me last time I was in this office. There was something selfish about him, as if he cared nothing about the students. He only cared about having power.

"I will have my assistant call you back into the office to sign the final paperwork once it's done," he said.

I nodded my head and slipped out of the office.

The moment I was out of his office, the air was easier to breathe. I had officially set things in motion, and now I had a week to say my goodbyes without letting anyone know what was going on.

I wanted to tell Axel that I had to leave. It was hard seeing him every day, knowing our time was limited. I wanted to tell him why I was leaving. I wanted to explain everything so he'd hate me a little less when I walked out of his life, disappearing for the second time. However, I knew that the moment I told him what was happening, one of two things would happen. Either he would beg me to stay, and I would listen, because no part of me actually wanted to leave. Or he would tell me to stay, and I'd leave anyway, but he would follow me. Both options would put him at risk, so leaving without a word was the only option.

I wanted to talk to Ethan about everything going on in my head. He was like a sensible older brother. He would understand why I had to leave, and he'd even help me do it.

At least that was what I told myself...

I desperately wanted that to be true, because then I'd have someone to talk all of this through with. However, I couldn't bring myself to say anything to Ethan, because deep down I knew he would convince me to stay.

I pushed through the door of the administrative building, trying to figure out how I should spend my last week with Axel and what I was going to do when this week was over.

"What are you doing here?"

I froze, knowing that voice all too well. I looked up, noticing Ethan for the first time. His casual look was gone, and he was back to his TA appearance. His hair had gel running through it to keep it in place, and glasses covered his eyes, hiding the softness I had come to know. He looked strict and cold and incredibly handsome, just like the day we first met.

"I'm heading back to my dorm," I said with a smile. I couldn't tell him the truth, even though every part of me was dying to tell him exactly what I was doing. Part of me even wanted him to try to stop me, because I didn't want to leave.

But then I remembered the blood on Axel's chest and how it felt to see him unconscious on the floor.

Ethan stared at me without blinking. "I wasn't expecting to see you at the administrative building."

My heart thundered. He knew something was up, and even though he wasn't directly asking me, I knew he wasn't going to let me out of this conversation easily.

"I had a meeting with the principal, but it wasn't a big deal, so don't worry about it." I hoped half truths would make me sound believable. I hated lying, and I felt breathless, hoping that was enough for Ethan to let it go. Ethan's jaw tightened, and when he spoke, his voice was strained. "Why would Principal Clandestine want to meet with you?"

"It's about valedictorian," I blurted, knowing I had lost my cool. I knew I had blown it, and I needed to leave before Ethan managed to get the truth out of me. "Anyway, I have to get to class. I'll see you later!"

***

ETHAN

Juniper practically ran away from me. She was a bad liar. Her voice was high pitched as she spoke, and I could practically hear her heart pounding. She was nervous about something, and for whatever reason, she didn't want me to know.

I almost grabbed her arm and dragged her away to force the truth out of her. I needed to know if Principal Clandestine had harassed her again. If he crossed the line for a second time, I wouldn't hesitate to request to remove him from his position. However, there was a reason Juniper didn't tell me what was going on. As much as I wanted her to tell me, I didn't want to force her to do anything she didn't want to.

There was another way to find out what happened.

I strode into Principal Clandestine's office with ease. His assistant looked like she wanted to say something to stop me, but she had learned the hard way that she couldn't stop me from doing what I wanted. "Charles," I greeted, shutting the door behind me.

"Hello, Ethan." He was smiling unusually brightly, as if something wonderful had just happened. His face didn't fall the way it normally did when he saw me, making it clear he was in a particularly pleasant mood that even I couldn't ruin.

"I thought I made it clear that you wouldn't have a meeting with Miss Johnson without my presence." I stayed standing, wanting to keep the height difference between us evident. Principal Clandestine liked to undermine my authority every chance he got, and I didn't know how to make him realize who was in charge without resorting to violence.

"She's the one who requested the meeting." His smirk told me he was confident he had found a loophole in my order.

"And why didn't you inform me of this meeting?" I hated not knowing what was going on with Juniper. She had been through too much with everything going on with Asher and Axel. The last thing I wanted was for her to deal with more trouble from the school. "You of all people should understand that I cannot discuss the private matters of students with just anyone. There are laws that protect their privacy." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. He was drunk on power.

I wanted to smack that smile off his face. "I'm not asking. I'm telling you to tell me." I didn't hesitate to let my werewolf strength fill the air. He needed to understand what kind of power I held.

He tilted his head, enjoying the frustration this conversation was causing me. "If you want to know so badly, why don't you ask her? You two have grown close, haven't you?"

I slammed my hands on his desk. "Look-"

I paused, seeing the papers lying on his desk. I picked up the form and scanned it. "Leave of absence? Why would Juniper need these?"