The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 76

JUNIPER

By the time the second plane landed, I felt like I was walking in some sort of strange dream. I had hardly been able to sleep, since I was in the middle seat of both flights, so I had been up for nearly thirty-six hours.

Axel and Asher met me outside of the plane, and the three of us didn't say a word as we made our way out of the airport. The lack of sleep was deep within all of us, but we kept moving, because there was nowhere to properly rest there.

When we stepped outside of the airport, a wave of cold splashed our faces. This side of the country was significantly colder than where CUW was located, and even while wearing a jacket, I felt the chill start to sink into my bones. It wasn't even dark yet, and I didn't want to know how cold it got once the sun went down.

"Our hotel is only ten minutes away from here, but I suggest we take a cab. We're all too tired to figure out the transportation system right now," Asher announced.

"Won't that cost a lot?" I asked.

Asher pulled out a shiny black credit card and smirked. "Sure, but this trip is on Ethan, remember?"

Axel smiled back. "Such a kind brother."

For a moment, there was no animosity between the twins, and it made me wish I had seen them together before I came along. I wanted to see them laugh and mess around each other, like friends did. I knew they were friends once upon a time; I felt the remnants of their friendship in the shared smiles, but I also felt the pain and distance that had come between them since I had come between them.

"Oh, that reminds me. Ethan asked me to give you this, June." Asher pulled an envelope out of his backpack and handed it to me.

I opened it, and inside there was cash and a black credit card that matched the one Axel and Asher's. There was also a note from Ethan, but I didn't want to read it in front of the brothers. I looked up at Asher with a frown. "What's this?" "He wanted to make sure you were covered in case of an emergency," he explained. "Take it. It's okay."

It was as if Asher knew I was about to tell him it was too much, and I couldn't accept it. I didn't want them paying for me, but I also knew there wasn't much in my bank account, and I wanted to save every cent in case this trip didn't produce the results I desperately needed.

It took several minutes to hail a cab, since it was during rush hour, and then it took another thirty minutes to actually make it to our hotel. Asher checked in on our behalf, and then we all dragged ourselves to the room.

The hotel room was fancier than any room I had ever stayed in before. The beds looked like they were made of clouds, fluffy and enticing. Snacks and drinks lined a minibar, free for the taking, except I was sure each item was insanely overpriced.

"You two can take whichever bed you want. I'm going to shower," Asher said. He dropped his stuff by the wall and sauntered into the bathroom.

Asher's statement surprised me. I had expected him to fight us about Axel sleeping in the same bed as me, and based on the way Axel stared after Asher, he felt the same way.

When the bathroom door shut, Axel said, "Asher's acting weird."

I shrugged my shoulders. Axel wasn't wrong, but Asher's suggestion also showed that he heard what I told him on the plane. It was the first time that he actually acted like he understood my side and didn't press things. Maybe this was his way of trying to be happy for me.

"Yeah, a bit," I agreed. It was only strange based off the way Asher had been acting recently, but it wasn't strange for the version of Asher I fell for.

I set my stuff on the bed farthest from the bathroom, and then I sat down. The muscles in my body ached, crying for proper rest.

Axel joined me, setting his bag on the floor next to us. "Do you think it has anything to do with the conversation you two had on the plane?"

I waited for the shower to turn on, not wanting Asher to accidentally hear us talking. "I hope that's the case, but I don't know." I leaned my head on Axel's shoulder and closed my eyes. "I didn't realize you saw him come talk to me."

He pressed a soft kiss against the top of my head. "Even when you're not with me, I'm always looking for you. It's become a bit of a habit. I saw him approach you, and I was prepared to drag him back to his seat if it looked like he was harassing you. He wasn't, was he?"

"No," I quickly said, feeling protective of Asher. There was no reason to protect him-not after everything he had done, but my instincts kicked in. "He apologized, actually. It felt genuine for the first time in all of his apologies. I think he's finally realized just how badly he messed up."

Axel scoffed. "For a nerd, it took him too long to realize he was wrong." He didn't seem relieved to hear Asher had apologized.

"Sometimes the smartest people are the ones who don't understand when they're wrong." I interlaced my fingers with Axel. "He also has his own demons to battle, just like the rest of us." I was unable to stifle my yawn.

Axel took a few deep breaths, and I could tell there was something going on in his head, but I was too tired to ask about it. After a moment, he stood up and picked me up bridal-style. "You need sleep. You're beyond exhausted."

He set me in the bed and tucked me into the blankets properly. I waited for him to slide into bed next to me, but he just leaned over and kissed my forehead.

I grabbed his hand before he could pull away. "You need sleep, too."

Axel sat next to me, but he didn't move closer. "I know. I'm just going to go get some water. I'll be back soon."

"Don't take too long." My eyes fluttered shut as sleep became too difficult to battle.

"I won't." Axel's voice sounded far off and distant.

I didn't hear him when he left the room or when he came back.

***

AXEL

Despite the exhaustion set deep within my muscles, I knew I couldn't fall asleep just yet. I wanted to case the hotel in case something happened. I wanted to know every exit strategy possible. I wanted to know where we could hide or run in case the hunter followed us all the way across the country.

I had been looking over my shoulder during the entire trip, and I hadn't sensed anyone following us or anything strange, but I wasn't about to let my guard down just because we left the city. If the hunter was the same one from the attack James and Juniper faced, he wasn't going to give up just because we fled the town.

"How many exits have you noted?" Asher asked, approaching me. His hair was still wet from the shower, but he was wearing a different set of clothes.

"There are two obvious ones, the stairs and the elevators for guests. There's also a service elevator for maids through the laundry room. The door was locked, but it was easy enough to get into," I said.

Axel stopped and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "Impressive."

I flicked my eyes in his direction before rolling them. "I know Ethan doesn't think of me as a warrior because I skipped out on so many lessons, but I'm smarter than he gives me credit for."

"I know. Who do you think covered for you when you snuck out of the house in high school?" There was no fight in his voice, which was a little strange. It almost felt like the brother I knew before Juniper had come back into our lives.

Despite being twins, we grew apart over the years and lived very different lifestyles. However, no matter what, we always had the other's back. Asher was the one person I knew I could trust with anything, which was why I was okay trusting him with Juniper, even when I ached to touch her. When he hurt her, it felt like a betrayal of my trust, too.

"I didn't know you covered for me." I leaned against the other side of the hallway.

"Father was already furious with the things he knew about. He may have kicked you out of the house if he knew how many times you snuck out of that place. Whenever you snuck out, I could sense you leaving, and I knew I had to protect you," Asher said. I grunted in response, unsure of how else to respond. While I knew Asher had my back over the years, I didn't realize it went to that extent.

After a moment of silence, Asher said, "Look, I'm sorry for being such an a*s to you recently. I felt like I was losing her, and I couldn't stop the jealousy from taking over. I just wanted her so badly."

"You still want her," I said. I hated it, especially because I knew Juniper still cared about my brother. However, the pain and regret was written all over his face.

"I... I'm done pursuing her. I've hurt her too much, and she deserves better. She deserves someone who isn't going to get jealous."

I huffed at his statement. "You don't think I get jealous? Of course I do. How can I not? When I saw you talking to her on the plane, I wanted to run to you and drag you away from her. When she told me she kissed Ethan, I wanted to punch him. I understand your jealousy better than you realize. The difference is, I have never made my jealousy Juniper's problem."

Asher visibly flinched when I mentioned Ethan kissing Juniper. "I don't know how you do it. I don't know how you're okay with her kissing Ethan."

"Has Ethan told his theory about Juniper's mate?" I asked.

"I know James was her mate. No one can prove it, but it felt so obvious," he said.

"No, not that." I paused, making sure I had Asher's full attention. I thought Ethan would've told my twin his theory about the mate bond splitting between us to ease the pain of their breakup, but clearly, Asher was in the dark. "He thinks that when James died, the bond with Juniper broke and transferred to you, me, and him because we were there when it happened. He thinks we are essentially her partial mates."

Asher's eyes narrowed as he processed this information. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because that's how I handle her attraction to you and Ethan. If we are all partially mated to her, it's only natural for her to be drawn to all of us. It reminds me that even though she kissed Ethan, it doesn't mean she cares about me any less. It makes me feel better, so I thought maybe it'd make you feel better."

Part of me didn't want to tell Asher all of that, because it felt like I was giving him a reason to not give up.

In the end, Asher was still my brother, and no matter how badly he hurt Juniper, there was a part of me that still cared about him.

I placed my hand on Asher's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm going to try to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. Hopefully, by the end of it, Juniper will have her memories back, and we can go home."