The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 77

NATHAN

I pressed the phone against my ear as I looked through the paperwork on my dad's desk. "So tell me again what it is you think Dad is hiding from us?" So far nothing seemed out of the norm. There were receipts for training supplies, including food and weapons, pack transfer requests, complaints from packs. Everything I found seemed to line up to the duties of the beta.

"I don't know exactly, but I know he has ulterior motives with everything regarding Juniper. Things just aren't making sense. There is something I'm missing," Ethan said over the phone.

My neck was starting to get a cramp from the way I had to hold the phone. I wished I could link him instead, but we were too far away to communicate like that.

"That's not exactly helpful."

"Just look for anything that could be related to Juniper or anything about James' death. It's not just going to be out in the open, so you're going to have to dig a bit."

I dropped the papers I was looking through and glanced around my dad's office. There were rows and rows of filing cabinets. This was going to be more difficult than I originally anticipated, but Ethan was counting on me.

It was a little strange thinking that Ethan was suspicious of our dad. I thought he looked up to him all of this time. When our dad said, "Jump," Ethan jumped. There was no doubt he was the favorite, but now I wondered how long Ethan had been suspicious of him. The declaration that he thought our dad had been lying for years didn't come from an irrational place. Ethan had been thinking about it a lot.

It made me wonder what else I had been blind to over the years.

"And you're sure father isn't just going to walk in on me spying in his office?" I asked again. I didn't know what I'd do if I was caught snooping like this, but I knew our dad would be furious.

"I'm having lunch with him today, so you're okay. The earliest he'll be back is tonight, but I'll try to delay him as long as possible," Ethan said.

"Okay," I said, still unsure about everything. All I knew was I wanted to prove to Ethan I could be useful.

"Let me know as soon as you find anything," Ethan said.

"It'd be faster if you told me exactly what you wanted me to find," I said. "Like are you looking for correspondence or some sort of receipt?" Ethan sighed. "I wish I knew. I don't know what he would even have. I just have this feeling that there's more going on that I don't know about." "Feelings. Great, great. I'll do my best to go off that."

"Sorry," Ethan said.

I rolled my eyes, knowing he couldn't see it. "I'll let you know if I find something that feels suspicious."

"You're the best."

"I know. It's about time you saw that."

Ethan chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose it is."

***

JUNIPER

"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked.

We stood in an alley that was in the middle of the dregs of society. The walls of the buildings on either side of us were completely covered in filth, and it wasn't just dirt. It was a variety of browns, blacks, and burnt reds, and the smell wasn't much better. "According to the directions Ethan gave us, this is the place" Asher said.

My nose twitched as I debated if I wanted to breathe through my mouth to limit the scent, but then I didn't want to inhale whatever was causing the rancid scent.

"We're going to get murdered, aren't we?" I muttered. If there wasn't so much at stake, I'd turn around and never look back.

"It's possible," Axel said, a smile tugging at his lips.

"At least it'll be an interesting story to tell," Asher added.

There was something different about the twins today. They seemed lighter than yesterday, like there wasn't this constant tension pulling them down. I wanted to ask if something happened between the two of them, but now wasn't the time. Axel held out his hand. "Shall we?"

I took his hand and took a deep breath. "We shall."

Asher stepped up and knocked on the door, positioning his body between me and the door in the process. There wasn't an answer, so Asher glanced at us. He went to knock on the door again, but right before he touched the metal, a click from inside stopped him. The door cracked open with a whoosh, but no one said anything from inside. "Hello?" Asher called out. There was no answer.

He pushed the door, and it opened with no resistance. Inside, there was a set of stairs that were dimly lit. There was nobody on the other side of the door, making my heart race.

Axel squeezed my hand. "It's not too late to turn around. You don't have to do this. Whether or not you get your memories back doesn't change how much we care about you."

Only if it was that simple. "No, it's okay. There are answers I need. Let's go." I started to walk forward, but Asher stopped me.

He slid in front of me, leading the way. Axel walked behind me, and I knew they lined themselves up like this intentionally. It made me nervous to know that if anything happened, they would be the first ones to face an attack. However, I also knew they were more skilled at fighting than me, and it would be impossible to convince them to get out of my way.

The door snapped shut behind Axel without anyone touching it, making me jump in the process. Axel pressed his hand against my back to reassure me, and his touch calmed my nerves a little, but there were too many unknown factors for him to calm me completely.

With the door shut, there was hardly any light in the halls, and if it weren't for my enhanced werewolf sight, I wouldn't have been able to see the steps in front of me. We climbed down at least two flights of stairs before we reached flat ground. The hall was empty, but it led in a straight line. Wherever we were going, it'd be impossible to get lost.

I just wished we knew where we were going.

"How did that door open and close on its own like that?" I asked, wondering where the people were.

"Well, we are supposedly in the den of a witch. My best guess would be magic," Asher whispered back.

Even in a whisper, our voices echoed against the barren, concrete walls.

"It's unnerving," I said. I had never met a witch before, at least not that I was aware of. I knew they existed, just like vampires existed, but they lived in different areas than werewolves typically, so it was rare to see them unless you specifically went looking for them or they came looking for you. "You get used to it," a new voice said, making me jump.

A door at the end of the hallway opened, and this time a woman stood in the doorway. Light flooded in from behind her, making her face a mere silhouette. Asher stopped midstep, and I nearly ran into him.

"Who are you?" Asher asked, his hand hovering at his side. He had a weapon concealed in case we got into any trouble.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the reason you came here. I should be asking you who you are."

"You're the witch?" Asher asked.

The woman clicked her tongue. "I really hate that term. I much prefer sorcerer or sorceress. Come on in. We'll make proper introductions inside. It's much less grungy inside. I promise."

We followed her inside the door, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light. The room was more modern looking than I anticipated. The walls were painted a medium gray, and white lights lined the walls. There was a black desk at the far end of the wall, but based on the piles of papers stacked on top of it, it was used for little more than storage.

A couch and several arm chairs were placed in a circle on the other side of the room. A glass coffee table sat in the center of all of the chairs, and there was a single candle burning in the center of it.

"Please have a seat," she said, gesturing to the chairs. In the light, her fire-red hair shone brightly. It emphasized the paleness of her skin and seemed to make her blue eyes even brighter.

No one moved right away. "So you're the wi-the sorcerer Remoria?" I asked to make sure this was the person we were actually looking for.

She smiled, making her eyes soften. Nothing about the woman in front of us seemed threatening, but that only put me more on edge. Sometimes the person you suspected the least was the one to turn around and stab you in the back.

"You can just call me Remy," she corrected. "I have always thought Remoria was too proper, but I suppose Remy the sorcerer sounds less impressive. And you can relax. I know we don't know each other, but I promise I don't bite." "What about him?" Axel asked, staring at the corner of the room.

I followed his eyes, and the hair on my arms rose when I saw a man with yellow eyes and dark hair. He had been so silent, I hadn't realized there was another person in the room. Just by looking at him, I could sense his inhuman nature. My skin prickled, as if telling me to get away from him.

"Blade is harmless as long as you don't try to harm me," Remy said simply. "If you decide to attack me, I can't promise you'll walk out of here alive, but you three have no intention of harming me. You're here because you have some questions, and you think I may have the answers you seek. Now, why don't you introduce yourselves, so we can solve your problems?"