The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 78

JUNIPER

"I'm Juniper. This is Axel and Asher."

"Do you want coffee or tea?" Remy asked as we took our seats. She insisted we wait to do any business until we were comfortable, since we had traveled such a long way. I didn't ask how she knew that. She seemed to know a lot about us for three people who just showed up on her doorstep.

"I'm okay. I think caffeine would make me more nervous than I already am," I admitted.

Remy looked at Asher and Axel, waiting for their answer.

"Do you have sugar to add to the coffee?" Asher asked.

"I have most options," Remy said.

"Then I'll have coffee with extra sugar, please."

"Anyone else want anything?" she asked.

"No, thank you," Axel said. His eyes glazed over, and I glanced at Asher, and his eyes were also glazed, making me wonder what they were discussing in private.

Axel squeezed my hand as his eyes returned to normal, and he smiled. We were all nervous, but the tension wasn't as bad after meeting Remy. She seemed nice enough.

Remy handed Asher the cup of coffee and then said, "Let me know if it needs any adjustment."

The coffee scent hit my nose, but then another scent washed it out. My eyes widened as I looked at Remy. She smelled strangely familiar and unknown at the same time. It took a minute for my brain to process what was going on with her scent. When I realized it, I gasped, and suddenly everyone in the room was looking at me.

"You're a werewolf," I concluded.

Remy's eyes sparkled as the corner of her lip tugged up. "Part werewolf at least. I'm also part sorcerer. That's why I'm here, in this city."

"I didn't know that was even possible," Asher said, staring at her with the eyes of a scholar.

"You must be awfully closed-minded if you didn't think it was possible," Remy said.

Asher's body tensed next to me. He didn't appreciate being called closed-minded, but he also didn't argue against it.

"We just haven't interacted much with others that aren't human," I said, trying to take the pressure off Axel.

Remy simply smiled. If she was offended, she was good at hiding it. "That's why Blade and I are here. We're trying to bridge the gap between vampires, sorcerers, and werewolves. Although, I'll admit, it's harder to do than I thought it might be. Not many werewolves are trusting of a werewolf sorcerer and her vampire mate."

We all must have given Remy the reaction she was looking for, because as all of us looked at Blade suddenly, Remy giggled.

"Mate?" Asher and Axel said simultaneously.

"How is that possible?" Asher asked.

"We don't know each other well enough for me to divulge my life story yet," Remy said. "Besides, you came here for her, not me."

I felt all eyes shift towards me. While Asher and Axel were here for support, this was my battle. I licked my lips, trying to decide where to start. While I wanted desperately to know if the curse Beta Burrell mentioned was real, I wanted to try to get a moment alone with Remy before asking about that. That left only the partial mate situation or my memory loss.

With Asher and Axel both watching me closely, there was only one question I wanted to ask.

"I've been told that a witch-a sorcerer-was asked to place a spell on me when I was a child to block my memories. Is that something you'd be able to remove?" I asked, my heart thrumming in anticipation of her answer.

Remy hummed while sipping her own cup of coffee. "It would depend on the skill level of the sorcerer. If it was someone who only had basic training, then it should be no issue. However, if it's the work of an extremely talented sorcerer, then I may not be strong enough to remove the spell."

"How can we find that out?" Axel asked, shifting to the edge of his seat.

"We will do nothing. If this is something you truly want, Juniper, then with your permission, I can do a preliminary search with my magic. I will have to touch you to make sure I get an accurate read," Remy explained.

"You have my permission," I said too eagerly.

"Before you actually give me your permission, you should know the warnings about what you're asking me to do," Remy said.

"What kind of warnings?" Axel asked. Both Asher and Axel had tensed next to me.

"It'll depend on what I find out when I look at the magic placed on her. If the magic was done by a powerful sorcerer, there may be some pain involved. It shouldn't be anything serious, though." "Shouldn't be?" This time it was Asher questioning Remy. It felt like I had two bodyguards surrounding me, ready to fight on my behalf.

Remy simply smiled, not taking the twin's comments to heart. "There is always the possibility of the unexpected outcome. If I were to sense any serious danger to your... to Juniper, I would stop immediately.

"But there are other concerns. With the years that were erased from your mind, it might be difficult for your brain to process the flood of information. Because of this, you may not get all of your memories back; you may not even get any of them back. There's also the chance that they all come back at once and overwhelm you, too."

Axel grabbed my hand. "Maybe you shouldn't do this, J.J. They're just memories after all. If there's a chance this can hurt you, I don't think it's worth it."

"I agree, June. We don't need you to remember us from back then. Knowing you now is enough," Asher said.

It was a little strange hearing them agree over me, since I had been the one to cause a rift in their relationship.

"No, I have to do this. I understand you are both worried about me, but I'll be fine." If it was just lost memories, I might have been willing to let this subject go. I had lived this long without remembering my early childhood. Plus, those were the years most memories were often forgotten.

However, Ethan thought getting my memory back would give us some answers about the attack James and I faced and maybe even the attack against Axel and me. Part of me wondered if he was just desperate for reasons why his brother died in such a tragic way. If there was a reason I was attacked and James died to protect me, if there was a person who ordered the attack, then there would be someone to be angry with. If I could remember that day, maybe I could give him the answers he wanted.

It was also so much more than that, though. I needed answers about whether or not James was my mate, or if the rest of the brothers were somehow partial mates with me.

"Besides, we came all of this way. It'd be a shame to go home empty handed," I added when I felt the worry from the brothers increase.

"Wonderful!" Remy clapped her hands together and stood up. "I have some preparations to make, so make yourselves comfortable. I'll let you know when I'm ready for Juniper."

***

AXEL

I felt queasy knowing Juniper wanted to go through with this despite knowing there were dangers involved. I'm sure she felt pressure with everything going on and how hard Ethan worked to find this woman in the first place, but it was difficult to be fully on board. I wanted answers about that day at the river. I wanted Juniper to remember who she was when we chased each other through the forest laughing and giggling before there was a worry in the world. If all of that came at the expense of harm to Juniper, I didn't want any of it.

The three of us hadn't spoken to each other since Remy and Blade left the room. I could tell Asher was trying to bite his tongue. As my twin, I could feel his emotions. He hated this just as much as I did, but he was afraid to speak his mind. He was on thin ice with Juniper, and he had lost the right to comment on her decisions.

We're not going to change her mind, I linked Asher. As much as I wanted to protect Juniper, I knew she didn't need me to protect her from this. She liked knowing the truth, and now that it was sitting at her fingertips, she wasn't going to let it out of her reach. Maybe I can't, but you can. Asher closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

Even if that was true, what right do I have to try to control her? If Juniper wants to try whatever this sorcerer wants to do, then that's up to her.

It took a moment for Asher to respond. What if this hurts her?

This time I didn't respond. Juniper getting hurt was my biggest fear, but I wasn't going to let my fear get in Juniper's way. This was her life, and I hoped by the end of all of this, Juniper would still want me.