The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 73

JUNIPER

As the days ticked on, it became impossible to imagine leaving. Axel and I spent nearly every moment together that we could. I kept my promise and went to class. I even caught up on all of the classwork I missed during the week I took off.

Part of me wondered if any of the school work would matter in just a few days. There were only two days left until Ethan's week to find a witch was up. If he didn't find someone who could help, I told myself that I would leave as soon as the week came and went. If I left, I'd lose all of my school credits, and the time I spent on homework would become void.

However, I didn't want to leave, so I kept hoping Ethan would find someone who could help.

Even if he didn't, I wasn't sure I could pull myself away from Axel. Time with him was blissful. He made me laugh and smile and feel things I had never before. I couldn't get enough of him, and it was like he was a drug. I knew it'd be too painful to go cold turkey. I still hadn't told him about the possibility of leaving. I didn't know how. I didn't want secrets between us, but every time I thought about telling him about the curse or about the deal I made with Ethan, my throat closed, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew the moment I told Axel everything, we would break out of the perfect bubble we were currently in.

Axel's warmth surrounded me as our naked bodies lay intertwined with one another on my bed. It was late, and we had just had s*x. Three times. It was ridiculous, and my entire body was thoroughly exhausted.

I was starting to drift off when Axel's body stiffened, putting me on high alert. My eyes snapped open, and when I looked at him, I saw his eyes had the icy glaze that meant he was currently linking someone. I waited for him to finish, knowing he wouldn't be able to respond in that state anyway.

When Axel's eyes cleared, a frown slowly etched into his face. "We need to get dressed."

"But it's late." My voice was still groggy with the sleep my body had been preparing for.

"I know, but Ethan asked us to come over. He said it was urgent." Axel rolled out of the bed and started looking for his pants.

The mention of Ethan made any lingering tiredness completely disappear. "Did he say what he wanted?"

"No, and he wouldn't tell me. He said he needed both of us there immediately." Axel pulled up his pants, sliding the belt through the loops on his pants.

I didn't move right away, too mesmerized by Axel's muscles to feel the urgency I knew I should have. However, everything about Axel was beautiful. The way his skin curved over his muscles, the color of his skin, the messiness of his dark hair. It was all mine, as long as I wanted him. As long as I didn't choose Ethan.

I hadn't seen Ethan since the kiss, not even in class. Another lecturer took over for him because the duty to his pack took too much of his time to properly give us the instruction we deserved-at least that was the information the guest lecturer fed us. I knew Ethan was delving into the research on the location of a witch for my sake.

"How did Ethan know I was with you?" I asked. My voice caught, and I knew Axel noticed the nerves behind my question. I could see his interpretation in his eyes. Does Ethan know what we've been up to?

"He asked, so I told him we were hanging out," Axel said. He sounded normal, but I couldn't push past the paranoia, wondering if he was still worried I would fall into Ethan's arms.

I wished I could tell him that there was no possibility of that happening. However, I hadn't been able to get the kiss with Ethan out of my head, so I couldn't say Ethan wasn't a possibility with confidence.

Neither Axel nor I brought up the topic of his brothers. It would ruin the illusion that had been created over the past few days.

I crawled out of bed and started looking for the clothes that had been strewn about the room. "We should probably get going."

***

Axel and I stood in front of Ethan's apartment hand in hand, waiting for him to answer the door.

Ethan opened the door only a moment later, and other voices floated out of his room. I glanced at Axel, and he shrugged his shoulders, clearly unaware of the other invited guests.

"Come in," Ethan said. There were bags under his eyes, and I wondered if he had gotten any sleep at all since I last saw him. His hair was disheveled and unwashed, and there were wrinkles in his clothes. Even when he was in casual clothes, he had a primped look about him. He looked anything but like that now.

Axel entered the apartment first, leading me behind him. Asher and Nathan sat on the couch. Nathan was talking, but the most response he got was a grunt from his brother. Asher didn't look much better than Ethan.

My heart raced at the sight of him. Last I had seen him was when he was on top of Axel, hitting him repeatedly. Axel never told me exactly what was said in that conversation, and I didn't ask, either. I already knew Asher took the sight of Axel and I together roughly, and I was able to fill in the blanks. I didn't care to hear what kind of hurtful things came out of Asher's mouth that time.

Asher glanced my way, and when we made eye contact, I nearly stopped walking. Axel squeezed my hand to reassure me and kept pulling me to the other side of the room. I tore my gaze away from Asher, knowing whatever pain he felt at the sight of me with someone else was no longer my problem.

Even if part of me still cared about him, despite every horrible thing he said, I couldn't waste any more energy on someone who had their own issues to work through.

"Are you going to tell us why you ordered us here so late?" Nathan asked, stifling a yawn. "I have practice first thing in the morning. I don't appreciate being jolted awake like this. This had better be important."

Ethan clicked the lock on his front door before crossing the room. He stood in front of all of us, but his body didn't stop moving. It looked like he was filled to the brim with caffeine, and his body didn't know what to do with it.

"You all know our father put a block on Juniper's memory after James died," Ethan started, and the entire energy of the room changed. Nathan and Axel sat on the edge of their chairs, eager to hear the next part. Asher's entire body stiffened, making him look like a statue. I held my breath, hoping this was the news I desperately needed to hear.

"Well, I've been looking for a witch who could help reverse the spell on her. That way, Juniper can truly remember us-not just what we've been telling her. I've been searching for this witch since we came to this school, but I wasn't having any luck. Witches aren't exactly eager to work with werewolves because of our history, as I'm sure you all know." Ethan was speaking too quickly, but it felt like nothing was coming out of his mouth. He wasn't giving us any new information-other than admitting he'd been looking for this witch for longer than I realized.

"Did you find one?" Axel prompted, trying to get Ethan on the right track.

"Yes! At least I'm pretty sure I did. I have multiple sources talking about a witch who has taken up residence in Atheham city. I don't have any proof, but she has to be there. There are too many sources with aligning information. Apparently, she helps anyone who needs help; vampires, werewolves, you name it. Her goal is to bridge the tension between the different groups."

"So you think she could help me get my memories back?" I asked. Hope flooded my body like a waterfall.

Ethan locked eyes with me, and for a moment, his demeanor completely calmed. "If everything I have heard is true, she can help you with everything."

Like this possible curse? I wanted to ask, but I still hadn't told anyone else about the curse. The fact that Ethan kept his words vague made it clear he hadn't told anyone else. We never said we were going to keep it a secret, but it became an unspoken truth. "How do we contact her? Can we get her to come here?" Axel asked.

Ethan shook his head. "I have no idea how to contact her."

Nathan's body slumped. "So you dragged us out of bed just to tell us you found a witch who might be able to help, but you don't have a way to ask her to help. Couldn't this have waited until the morning?"

"I don't know how to contact her, but I know where she is. I'm going to send Juniper to go get her help," Ethan declared. He still watched me, as if he was unable to tear his eyes away from me. "I want to send her tomorrow on the earliest flight possible."

Axel jumped up, dropping my hand. "You can't possibly send her there by herself, not with that hunter still out there. What if he follows her? He could attack her, and she'd be defenseless."

"Hey," I protested, not appreciating the assumption. While I wasn't the best at fighting, I didn't like being called defenseless. My objection to the wording seemed to get lost in the conversation, though.

"That's why I called you all here. Axel, Asher, I want you both to accompany Juniper across the country to see this witch," Ethan said, finally turning his attention away from me and towards his brothers instead. "No!" Asher and Axel both shouted at the same time.