The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 87

JUNIPER

"What's going on with Nathan?" Asher asked, clamoring to his feet.

My heart was going out of control. I couldn't believe I almost kissed Asher again after everything he had said and done to me.

But he seemed different now. I didn't know when the shift had happened. Perhaps it was because of the conversation we had on the plane, or maybe it was something else entirely, but I didn't feel his overbearing jealousy anymore. He had been next to me the entire trip, but he also kept his space, allowing Axel to take the place he once held.

Or perhaps I was the one that was different. Seeing James die the way he did showed me how easy it was to lose someone you love. Then, feeling the bond between the others kick into place reminded me that there were others who loved me just as deeply as James had. Asher had made mistakes, ones I normally wouldn't forgive so easily, but if the Moon Goddess blessed him as one of my mates, there was a reason for it. Maybe I could find a way to give him another chance.

"Ethan was on the phone with Nathan when the line suddenly went dead. Apparently he heard a crash right before it happened," Axel explained.

"Did he try calling Nathan back?" Asher asked.

"Yes, but he couldn't get ahold of him." Axel ran his fingers through his hair. "Ethan is worried, and rightfully so. It'd be faster for us to go see what happened than him, so he's sending us there. He wants us on the next flight if possible." "Maybe Nathan just dropped his phone, and it broke or something. Does Ethan really think something happened to him?" Asher asked.

"Nathan had found something right before Ethan lost the connection," Axel said. His eyes shifted to me, and the corner of his lips tugged down. "Apparently he found a contract our father has with an assassin to kill Juniper. The incident with the hunter in the forest wasn't a simple accident."

The blood drained from Asher's face as he heard the news. It was as if his entire world had been turned upside down. "I don't understand. Why would he do that? I know he doesn't approve of Juniper, but I didn't think he'd go as far as to hire an assassin." "I don't know why," Axel said. "He's obsessed with his perfect image. Maybe he's more obsessed than we ever realized."

"I still can't believe he would do that," Asher said. "Maybe Nathan didn't understand what he was looking at."

"No," I said, finally speaking up. There was a chilling calm running through my veins. My memories gave me the missing pieces to the puzzle, and everything made sense. "This isn't the first time your father sent an assassin after me. He hired the hunter who killed James."

Axel and Asher looked at each other as they tried to understand what I was saying. They were both silent for several beats.

Axel was the first to speak. "Why?"

I swallowed, closing my eyes. My head hurt as I tried to sort through the flashes of memories that rushed back to me. There were still missing pieces, but there was enough that I understood what happened.

"James discovered that Beta Burrell was planning on killing Alpha Williams and his bloodline, so your family could take over as head of the werewolves. James went through your father's office to find proof, and he found all of the proof to incriminate Beta Burrell, including an obscene amount of wolfsbane. We were going to warn Alpha Williams about it together, but your father must've found out we knew about his plan."

"He sent an assassin after his own son?" Asher choked out. He didn't want to believe it, but he did.

"No, I don't think so," I quickly said. "The hunter only wanted to kill me that day, so I think your father thought I was the only one who knew the truth. James wasn't the target, but he sacrificed his life to save mine."

"Father was worried about you remembering the past," Asher said. He covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head. "This all makes sense now. I never understood why he was so worried about you getting your memories back. I never understood why he wanted us to stay away from you."

"If he hired an assassin to kill you as a child, why didn't he finish the job when you were in the hospital? It would've been easy to make it look like an accident," Axel said.

"Your mother begged him not to," I said. "She convinced him to spare me after losing James. He compromised by erasing my memories and sending me away."

"All of this time I thought he did that as a punishment. I thought he blamed you for James' death, so he sent you and your family away with no memories of us to punish you," Asher said. He ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't want to believe the new reality I was describing, but he wasn't arguing with me about it. "All along, he knew it was his fault his own son died, and then he erased your memories to cover up his treachery."

The truth hung in the silent air, making it feel thick in my mouth. I knew Asher and Axel had a strained relationship with their father, but I couldn't imagine what they were feeling. It was one thing to think your father was overly strict, causing a strained relationship. It was a completely different thing to learn your father was responsible for the death of your older brother and was trying to kill the woman you loved.

"If all of this is true, it means that Nathan could be in serious danger," Axel said. "If he discovered the truth, there's no telling what Father will do to him."

"Would he intentionally hurt his own son?" I asked, suddenly feeling terrified for Nathan.

Axel shook his head. "I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past him. He was willing to kill you when you were just a child to protect himself. He never acted like James' death even mattered to him, even though it was his fault. Apparently, the guilt of knowing all of that led our mother to take her own life, and still, he never seemed to care."

My chest tightened when Axel mentioned their mother. I knew she had passed away when they were young, but I never knew how it had happened. The death count just kept going up when it came to Beta Burrell.

"Then we need to find Nathan now," I said. I wasn't as close to Nathan as I was to the others, but I had always felt protective over him. The idea of anything happening to him still made it hard to breathe.

"No," Axel said. "Asher and I will go. You should go back to school with Ethan. He'll keep you safe, and then you'll be able to go into details about everything you remember."

I grabbed Axel's wrist. "I want to go with you."

Axel stepped closer and cupped my cheek. "Nathan could be in serious danger. If our father sent that hunter after him, I want you nowhere near there. Now that your memories are back, you'll be in even more danger."

"And what about you? If it's dangerous, then you could get hurt or worse." I hated everything about this. Part of me wished I could go back to the moments where I didn't have memories back. I thought remembering the past would make everything easier, but it only made it a million times more complicated.

"Nathan is my brother. I have to go after him," Axel said.

I looked at Asher, pleading with him instead. "Then I want to go with you."

"Axel's right. It'll be safer for you to return to Ethan. We'll go to the airport together, and Ethan can pick you up from there. As long as you're surrounded by people, you should be safe-much safer than if you came with us." Asher's response was firm, and I knew there was no arguing with them.

I knew they were right, too. I didn't want to leave them, especially knowing they were potentially walking into a dangerous situation. However, I also knew being there wouldn't do anyone any good. I didn't know how to fight, and if I had a target on my back, it would only hinder their investigation to find Nathan.

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly. "But you both have to promise to come home safe."

***

"I'm sorry we have to leave in such a rush," I said to Remy, giving her a hug.

"No, I understand. Just promise me you won't be a stranger," she said with a smile.

"I won't. I don't know how I'll ever thank you for what you did for me," I said. Part of me still couldn't believe that Remy had helped me out of the kindness of her heart. Asher had even offered them money, and they quickly declined, saying they were happy to help. "How about you just return the favor one day when I come knocking on your door for help?" Remy suggested with a smile.

"I think I can do that," I agreed before hugging her again. As hard as it was to have my memories back, I was grateful for it. I just hoped I had remembered in time to make a difference.

I said goodbye to Remy and Blade one last time, and Blade only grunted in response. He wasn't as pleased about everything as Remy was. Then Axel, Asher, and I were on our way to the airport. Asher used the ride to fill Ethan in on everything we knew, but the rest of the cab ride was filled with unspoken fear of what had happened to Nathan and what these new discoveries meant for the future.

I sat in between Asher and Axel, and both of them stared out the window during the entire drive. I wanted to hold both of their hands to comfort them, but after fighting with Axel and then nearly kissing Asher, I felt confused. Touching them at the same time didn't help anything, either. Their scents filled my nose, and I just wanted both of them even closer, but now was not the time for such thoughts-not when Nathan's life could be in danger.

Even still, I couldn't help but wonder what having multiple mates meant for the future.

We made it to the airport without a word spoken to each other. Asher bought tickets for the three of us, their tickets for the next flight to their hometown, while mine sent me back to CUW.

As I stared at my ticket, knowing we didn't have much time until we parted, all I wanted to do was beg them to let me go with them, but I knew that was a futile plea. Instead, I bit my tongue, hoping our time apart would be limited.

Instead of thinking about the brothers, I scoured through the recovered memories, trying to remember every detail before it started to fade. There were still missing memories, like what I did with the evidence James stole from his father's office and why all of the blame had been placed on me. Then there was something else bothering me.

“|

I guess this is where we part," Asher said after we made it through security. Their flight was in a different part of the airport.

"Why would Beta Burrell hire an assassin to kill me all of these years later, even before I got my memories back?" I asked suddenly, unable to keep my thoughts to myself any longer.

This question made Asher and Axel pause.

"He was worried that your memories would come back," Asher said.

"I know, but why is he worried now of all times? Why would he send all of you to this school when he did? Surely he knew I was here. I'm sure he's been keeping an eye on me my entire life, if he was worried one day I'd reveal his secrets," I said. Even though he erased my memories and made my parents take me away, Beta Burrell was an overly cautious man when it came to his affairs. He wouldn't have carelessly sent his sons-the few people who could trigger my memories to return-to the school I was at without a

reason.

"Maybe he didn't know you were here," Asher offered.

"No," Axel protested. "He knew Juniper was here."

"Then why would he risk it? He didn't have to send Ethan to deal with those rumors. He could've sent anyone else," Asher said.

I licked my lips, hoping I wouldn't sound ridiculous. "What if he's planning on trying to take out Alpha Williams again so he wanted to make sure I couldn't get in his way again?"