The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 86

ETHAN

"Ethan! I think I found what you're looking for." Nathan's voice was ragged and distressed, and my chest tightened.

My instincts told me something was wrong. "What is it?"

"I found a contract Father made with an assassin," Nathan announced. "It was hidden really well. It was in the back of a locked filing cabinet. I almost missed it, but I made sure to be thorough."

"Nathan, slow down," I said, trying to get him to calm down. He was speaking a mile a minute. "What did the contract say?"

"He put a hit on Juniper," Nathan said. "I know he has never liked her, but I don't understand why he would do that."

I gritted my teeth. I knew my father was up to something, but I didn't think he'd go to such a low level to get rid of Juniper. It also confirmed my suspicions that Juniper was being targeted before. It still felt like there were pieces missing to the story.

"I think there's a lot about Father that we don't understand or know," I said, unsure of what to do with this information. "Is there anything else you found?"

"Just the contract, but I'll keep looking. Maybe there's a clue as to why he would do this, but Ethan, there's something else you should know," Nathan said. "What is it?"

"The contract was made to Craig Clandestine." His voice was heavy as he said. "That's not-" "Principal Clandestine's brother. Yes, it is," I said.

Not many people knew about Craig in the Clandestine family. Charles was the eldest, so he was always meant to take over as alpha of the pack and principal of CUW. Craig was several years younger than him, and from the rumors I had heard, there was something a little off about him. His parents kept him hidden from society, so he wouldn't put a stain on their family name.

I had only heard the rumor because of a conversation I overheard my father having with the former alpha of the Clandestine pack, but now I wondered if the rumors I had heard were true. I no longer thought he was kept away from public knowledge to keep the family name in good standing. He was kept hidden so the Clandestines had a personal assassin.

Craig Clandestine. C.C. He was definitely the man who attacked Axel and Juniper, and if he had a contract with my father, he would go after Juniper again.

"Do you think Principal Clandestine knows about all of this?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. I think the corruption goes deeper than we realize," I said. "Nathan, I want you to come back to school. We don't need to know why Father wants Juniper dead. That part doesn't matter right now. I don't want you there a moment longer than you have to be. Make a copy of that contract and get on the first flight back here. We'll make a plan on how to handle this together."

"Are you sure? I can look for a little longer. Father is still there with you, right?" Nathan asked.

"I'm sure. Come home."

"Okay. I'll let you know when-" Nathan's voice cut out, and then I heard a crash.

"Nathan?" I called out. There was no response. "Nathan!" Still nothing.

There were some muffled noises, and then the line cut off. I called him back, but his phone went straight to voicemail.

***

ASHER

Axel paced back and forth in the room. Juniper had left a few minutes ago to get some fresh air. I didn't really like the idea of her going off on her own, but I saw how hard the process of regaining her memories had been on her. The way she had called out James' name in sheer pain told me she had relived the moment of his death.

That day was still a vague memory for me. I remembered hearing the gunshot in the distance, running with Axel as fast as we could to find the others, and then seeing Ethan, Juniper, and James covered in blood. Ethan told me to run and get help, and I did as told, unable to stomach all of the blood. I had been too afraid to face the horrors of that day, so I ran until my legs gave out.

Help had already been on the way, and I hadn't done anything useful to help my brother or Juniper. It haunted me for years, slowly fading into the background.

If Juniper had just relived that moment, I couldn't imagine how she was feeling. She was there for the moment of his death. She saw everything happen.

I decided I'd give her some space, and then I'd check on her.

I sat in the chair, watching Axel wear a path in the carpet. "She's not leaving you," I said. I knew Axel was angry and scared all at the same time when he found out about the curse, because that was how I had felt. "She was going to," he said, his voice still bitter.

"Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing in her position," I said. "You jumped in front of a bullet for her. Don't even try to say you wouldn't have walked away from her if you thought it would keep her safe."

Axel stopped pacing. He leaned against the wall and let his body slide to the floor. "I know you're right, but it doesn't make it feel better. It has felt like she's about to slip through my fingers ever since the hunter attacked us, and it terrifies me. I don't want to lose her."

I sat next to Axel. "I know the feeling all too well, and I'm telling you this now. Don't let your fear of losing her push her away. That's how I lost her, and I don't want to see you make the same mistake."

"I just don't understand how it was so easy for her to keep that curse a secret, or how she was willing to leave without a word." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

"Maybe it wasn't easy for her. Maybe it was the hardest decision she has ever made, but you won't know that if you don't talk to her about it. Don't fight. Don't accuse. Just talk to her," I said, wishing I had taken my own advice. If I had just talked to Juniper instead of jumping to conclusions, things would have been different between us. Since I couldn't change the past, I hoped I could change Axel's future and help him keep her.

"You're right. I know you're right. I'll talk to her, but I just need a moment."

I patted him on the arm. "I'll go check on her. Take as much time as you need. Don't talk to her if you're not in the headspace to truly hear what she has to say."

Axel took a deep breath, but he didn't respond. I left the room and followed Juniper's lingering scent to find her. She had gone outside of Remy's underground lair. I opened the front door and found Juniper sitting on the ground nearby. "You do realize how dirty that ground is?" I asked, smiling. I was hoping a joke would lighten the mood.

Juniper laughed, but there was no heart behind it. "Yeah. I didn't want to go too far away, and I wasn't ready to go back inside yet."

"Are you ready now? We could go back inside and sit somewhere with less questionable stains."

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm still sorting out everything in my head, and I'm trying to figure out how to tell both of you what I remembered. Plus, Axel is mad at me, rightfully so. I would be mad at myself."

"You were only doing what you thought was best. Whether or not it was the right choice, I don't really know. I don't think Axel knows either. He's just scared of losing you, and finding out you were prepared to just disappear shocked him, I think."

Juniper looked absolutely heartbroken knowing she had hurt Axel. I wanted to reach out and hold her hand to comfort her, but that wasn't my place. I pushed past her boundaries too many times, and I wasn't about to do it again. I decided I would be whatever Juniper needed me to be, even if that meant just being friends.

"I feel like I mess everything up, and I don't know what's wrong with me." She sounded absolutely defeated, making it harder to hold back.

"Nothing is wrong with you. Nothing has ever been wrong with you. You're not perfect, but nobody is. As long as you keep trying to do what is right, then that's what matters."

"Even if I keep messing it up?" she asked.

I couldn't hold back any more. I cupped her face and made her look at me. "You need to give yourself more credit. You are incredible. You were prepared to leave to protect Axel, and I'm sure that wasn't an easy decision."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she did her best to hold them back. "I wanted to protect you, too."

This was dangerous territory. Juniper's scent filled my nose, and all I wanted to do was kiss her. I reminded myself she no longer wanted me that way. "You were prepared to leave your life behind to protect us. Not many people would be willing to do such a selfless thing."

She licked her lips, and I swore I saw her eyes lower to my mouth for a second. I had to have imagined it. "I couldn't lose anyone else, not after losing James." She closed her eyes, pushing the tears over the edge. The droplets rolled down her face, and I just wanted to kiss away her pain. "I saw that moment, you know. I saw the moment James died, and it was horrible. It should've been me, not him. He told me to run, but I froze. Then when the hunter tried to shoot me, James jumped in the way. He saved my life." My chest tightened, thinking about the day my older brother died. James wasn't much older than Axel and me, but he had always been smarter and funnier. He was easier to talk to than Ethan, and it felt like he knew just as much. I often wondered what James would have been like if he had had the chance to grow up with the rest of us.

I rubbed her cheek with my thumb, trying to comfort her as much as I could. "I'm sorry you had to see that again. That must have been difficult."

"I think the worst part was remembering how much I loved him and then losing him right after. I understand now why you all were convinced he was my mate. I think you were right. The connection I felt with him was unbelievably strong, and when he died, it felt like something inside of me completely shattered. For a moment, I wanted to die with him."

My entire body tensed. I hated hearing those words come out of her mouth, but I didn't know what to say. It wasn't uncommon for the pain of losing a mate to be excruciating.

"But then I felt this warmth," she continued to my relief. She opened her eyes, and they seemed different than before. She was still sad, but there was a new glimmer in them. "I felt so much love fill the gap left behind. I don't know how to explain it, but as I watched that memory unfold, I felt the connection being created with all of you."

Juniper reached her hand out and touched my chest, making my heart go wild. I couldn't speak, because I was afraid to find out the truth of what she was saying exactly.

"I don't understand how or why it's possible, but I think when James died, the Moon Goddess gifted me with all of you as my mates. You, Axel, Ethan, and even Nathan. For whatever reason, I think we were all fated to be together. I think we were meant to be there for each other in good and bad times."

"June..." I said. My hands shook, and it took everything in me not to lean forward and close the gap between our lips.

I didn't have to, though.

Juniper started to lean in, but before our lips could touch, the door slammed open, making us jump apart. Axel burst through the door, holding his phone.

"Ethan called. It's Nathan," he said with wide eyes.