The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 91

JUNIPER

When my room came into focus again, there were tears staining the letter I wrote to myself all those years ago. I had done what I could to remind myself of what Beta Burrell caused, so that he wouldn't get away with his crimes and hurt anyone else, but it hadn't been enough. For whatever reason, I had never found the note that I wrote to myself.

My grip on the paper tightened as a vague memory tugged at my head. I set the letter to the side and grabbed my stuffed bunny again. I looked at the back of it, and there was a clear stitch where it had been ripped open and then sewn together with care. Even though I never found the letter, someone had.

That realization sparked another memory, but it was one from years after the magic was placed on me to block the memories, so it wasn't as vivid or clear. I closed my eyes to help my brain remember all of the details, but it was like wading through murky water. Then it came back to me. I remembered my parents arguing about some letter. The only reason I remembered it was because at the time, it was rare for my parents to fight. Even when they disagreed with each other, they never raised their voices. They talked it through until they understood the other better.

But that time my mother was in hysterics. She talked about how finding the letter changed everything, that they had made some sort of mistake. My father talked about correcting their mistake, because it was their duty. My mother told him that their duty was to me, and she didn't want to fail me again.

None of it made any sense, but the distress in their voices made the memory stand out among all of the muted memories. It was also one of the last memories I had of my parents, because they left to go on a road trip for "work" the day after that argument. Now, their words made sense. They must have found the letter I wrote to myself. They were arguing about whether to do something about the information they found or if they should stay with me. It was clear they decided to go after Beta Burrell, and because of that they ended up dead. There was no way my parents died in a simple car accident.

It felt impossible to breathe as the realization washed over me. I needed to get out of this room, because it felt like it was getting smaller and smaller. I stumbled to my feet, clutching my chest. I hurried out of the house, not caring if someone saw me or not. I swore I heard my name being called, but it was just background noise.

Out of all of the discoveries I had made, this one felt like too much. My parents died because they found my letter and felt obligated to do something to stop Beta Burrell. Logically, I knew it was Beta Burrell's fault that they were dead, but it felt like it was my fault. If I had never written that letter, they would have never found it and gone after such a powerful man.

They were just betas. What were they thinking? They should've stayed home with me. Then I wouldn't have grown up feeling so alone.

***

ETHAN

It was a little strange walking up to Alpha Miller's pack house without a formal invite. I had visited plenty of pack houses, since my father wanted me to get acquainted with as many packs as possible before I took over. However, they were always arranged ahead of time. Either the pack leader invited me directly, or my father sent word to the alphas to let them know I'd be visiting.

It was always a grand spectacle. Attendants waited for me to arrive, and usually some sort of basket filled with food or other gifts was shoved into my hands. It all felt like too much, but wolf packs always wanted to impress their future leader. I accepted the gifts with a smile, but it made no difference to me. Gifts never curried favor with me. What mattered was that the alphas looked out for their pack members the way they were supposed to.

As I approached the door, I knew no one was expecting me. There was a level of relief that filled my chest, knowing no one would be waiting to try to impress me. I knocked on the door, but there wasn't any response. The pack house seemed rather quiet, which was a little strange.

I tried the door handle, and it opened up, which wasn't surprising. Pack houses were meant to be places pack members could come and go as needed, so it was rare a pack house was locked. As I stepped inside, it was just as quiet as it seemed. I looked around, unsure of where to go.

"Juniper?" I called out, hoping she'd respond.

Footsteps rang out from the second story, so I made my way up the stairs. I followed the sound, but as I turned the corner, I saw a young girl who only looked sixteen or seventeen. She jumped when she saw me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I quickly said. "I'm looking for Juniper Johnson's room. Can you point me in the right direction?"

She stared at me with her big, brown eyes, not saying anything. Something about her seemed familiar, but I knew I hadn't seen her before.

"Juniper's room is just three doors down from here on the right side," the girl finally said. She still looked like a deer in the headlights, terrified by the sight of me.

I nodded my head and smiled. "Thank you." I walked away, so the girl couldn't start asking questions. I didn't have the patience to answer some random girl's questions. I had been going crazy being away from Juniper for as long as I had been already, and I was eager to pull her into my arms.

The door the girl had indicated was left wide open, and there was a box in the middle of the floor with things spread all over it. Juniper wasn't in the room, and my heart sank. I felt silly about how excited I had been to see her face again. Knowing she wasn't in her room made the fear creep in again. She told me to meet her at the pack house, and if she wasn't here, I feared something had happened to her.

I knelt next to all of the items splayed on the floor, keeping my breath calm and steady. There was no reason to panic yet. She could just be somewhere else in the pack house. I picked through the items to distract my mind from jumping to worst-case scenarios. I was surprised by how old and stiff all of the objects were, as if they had been sitting in that box for years. They all had the faint scent of Juniper on them, and I carefully put the items back in the back, knowing she would want them.

When I picked up the piece of paper on the floor, I paused. I had expected it to be just some scrap of paper, but when my eyes glazed over the words "James," I knew it was so much more than that.

I read the letter carefully. It was obvious it had been written by a child, but the information put down seemed like something that someone much older would have written. Axel and Asher had told me the highlights of what Juniper remembered, but it was different reading her letter.

Fresh tears smeared some of the words on the paper, and my heart ached imagining Juniper reading this letter and crying. I wanted to hold her and make her pain go away, but I knew that wouldn't be possible until I found her. "Are you Beta Burrell's son?" the girl asked, standing in the doorway, watching me closely.

I folded the letter and put it in my pocket before standing up. "Yes," I answered, suddenly understanding why this girl had such a surprised look on her face when she saw me. She recognized who I was, which I should've expected. "You're the one who's going to be the next beta, right? The eldest Burrell son?"

"Yes. I'm Ethan," I said, realizing that while she recognized me, she didn't seem to remember my name. "Who are you?"

"I'm Megan. Is Juniper in trouble?" she asked.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, keeping my voice calm. I was suddenly grateful for all of the years of practice I had keeping a neutral face in front of my father. Megan seemed to know something about Juniper, and I wanted to demand she tell me everything. I knew that would only scare her, though, so I kept my face relaxed.

"She ran out of here crying, and then a son of the Beta Burrell showed up shortly after looking for her. It just seems strange." Megan crossed her arms and leaned against the door.

"She's not in any trouble," I said carefully. "I just want to make sure she's okay. Do you know where she might have gone?"

"She might be going to her parents' grave site," Megan answered. "She usually goes there when she's feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Is this about the rumors Moira started? Because Juniper's innocent. She would never do any of those things my sister said." Sister. That made sense. Megan shared the same eyes and bone structure as Moira. Her hair was brown compared to Moira's blonde, which was why I didn't put it together sooner.

"I know she is," I said.

"Good. She needs someone on her side. You'll be on her side, right?" Megan asked. She was nothing like her older sister, which made me smile.

"I will always be on her side."

"Good. She deserves that," Megan said. "Well, I have something I have to do. Don't wait too long before you go after her, 'kay?

"I won't," I said, already counting the seconds before I ran after Juniper.

Megan gave a quick nod before disappearing into the hallway. The moment she was out of sight, I started gathering the box, knowing I needed to take it with me. As I left Juniper's room, my phone buzzed. When I checked my messages, it was a message from Juniper, confirming where she had gone, just like Megan had said. Juniper was at her parents' graveyard.