The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 92

JUNIPER

Miller.

I stared at the names engraved on my parents' tombstones and felt numb. I knew I should've waited for Ethan to arrive before leaving, but I wasn't thinking. I just had to get out of that house, and this was where I always came when life felt like too much living with Alpha Moira called it creepy that I went to a graveyard so often, but I found it comforting. I talked to my parents, because it made me feel less alone. I had no idea if they could even hear me, but that didn't matter. I liked to pretend they could. I liked to believe they were up with the Moon Goddess, watching over me even now.

"I'm sorry, Mom and Dad," I finally said. The few words broke through the numbness, and the tears started flowing again. "I don't know how to do this. How am I supposed to take down Beta Burrell when the two of you couldn't do it? I just feel so lost and hopeless. I'm terrified that if I try to take him on, I'll only lose more than I already have."

I closed my eyes, and I saw Axel getting shot again. I saw James' blood on my hands. I saw my parents' funeral. If I tried to go after Beta Burrell, what else would I lose in the process? Ethan? Axel? Asher? Nathan might have already been lost, and that thought made my chest clench.

Anger flared through my bones, and I clenched my hands so hard that I felt the blood drip where my nails bite my flesh. I hated how scared Beta Burrell made me. I hated how much I had lost and how much I could lose. Most of all, I hated that he had gotten away with these crimes for years.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, feeling defeated. "How am I supposed to take on such a powerful man when I'm just an omega."

"You are not just an omega," a familiar voice said from behind me. I jumped and looked over my shoulder. Ethan stood only a few feet away.

I jumped to my feet and shouted, "Ethan!" before wrapping my arms around his neck.

He melted into the hug, burying his face into my neck. Goosebumps spread over my body as he inhaled deeply. His scent filled my nose, and I felt safe in his arms. I never wanted to leave him again.

"You're not just an omega," Ethan repeated, this time whispering in my ear. "You are brave and loving. You are willing to risk yourself for the sake of others, and you are absolutely brilliant. Even as a child, you fought against my father. You found out that he was going to take your memories away and wrote a note to yourself, so you wouldn't forget everything. Most adults I know don't dare to even speak against him, let alone do what you did."

"You saw my note?"

Ethan stroked my hair. "I did. I was already at the pack house when I got your message."

I took a deep breath. "I should've never written that letter. Nothing good came out of it. I didn't find it, and I never remembered the things I was supposed to. Then my parents found it instead and went after your father. If I never wrote that letter, my parents would still be alive."

"No," Ethan instantly said. "You are not the reason they died. There is only one person at fault for that, and it's my father."

I bit my lip, forcing myself not to argue with him. I knew he was right, but it didn't make it feel less like my fault. "I still wish I had never written it."

"I know why you feel that way, but I'm glad you did," Ethan said. I looked up at him, and he quickly elaborated. "You wrote down the location of the evidence you and James hid when you were children. With that, we will be able to properly incriminate my father. Even if we don't have proof of his recent crimes, it will be enough to get Alpha Williams' attention."

"We have to hurry before your father tries to stop us. We can't fail this time." My heart raced, knowing that if we couldn't stop Beta Burrell, there likely wouldn't be another chance.

"We're not going to fail. I swear to you that my father will get what's coming to him one way or another." There was something about Ethan's voice that was different. There was an underlying coldness in the way he spoke, and I knew he was serious. It also worried me a little. I was glad Ethan was on my side and not on his father's, but I didn't want this to change Ethan for the worse.

I tightened my grip on him, hoping that I could make sure he didn't lose himself with me by his side.

I knew everything felt less overwhelming with Ethan by my side, so I hoped I could have the same effect on him. I felt stronger already with him here.

While Beta Burrell had taken almost everything from me, I couldn't let that fear stop me. I was smarter and stronger than the last time I decided to stand up to him. I was on track to be valedictorian of a prestigious werewolf college. I may not have had any kind of warrior training, but I had plenty of knowledge.

I also had Ethan on my side, and I felt like with him, we wouldn't fail.

"So where to now?" I asked.

Ethan took a slow breath. His face stayed neutral, but his heart began to pound, and I knew he was nervous. "I can't decide. I don't know where the best place is to keep you safe. Originally, I thought CUW would be the safest place for you, but if the hunter after you is Principal Clandestine's brother, then there is a high possibility he is in on everything."

"That would expla in his desire to get me out of the school," I said bitterly. I had never been a fan of the principal, but I had never been able to point a finger as to why I felt that way, other than his unseemly bias against me. "Which is why I'm unsure if that's the best place for you to go," Ethan said.

"We could go after the evidence James and I buried," I suggested. James and I had buried a box near our old tree house filled with the documents James stole from our tree house. If we went after the evidence, we would end up joining Asher and Axel. Then we could help look for Nathan if they hadn't found him by then. The thought of seeing all of them made my heart skitter.

Ethan shook his head. "That's too dangerous, too. If the hunter is in our hometown and attacked Nathan, then I would just be delivering you right into his hands. I could leave you here. You should be safe in your pack, but I don't want to leave you here by yourself. If something were to happen, and I wasn't there to protect you, I'd never forgive myself."

I took both of his hands and looked up at him. "You have to stop thinking about what is safest for me. As long as I'm alive, I don't think your father will be satisfied. You could leave me here, or send me across the world, but as long as your father is free, I won't be safe. The only way to guarantee my safety is to take him down. So, instead of thinking about what is safest, let's think about what will be the best way to stop Beta Burrell."

Ethan squeezed my hands and leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. "I know you're right, but I'm terrified of losing you."

"I'm terrified of losing you, too, but I don't want to run or hide. Now that I know he's responsible for taking away so many people that I loved, I can't just sit by and do nothing," I said.

I searched Ethan's face for any signs that he would reject my declaration. I waited for him to beg me to hide while he took care of the problem. Instead, he said, "Okay. I could use your help to convince Alpha Williams of everything anyway." "Have you been able to get a hold of him?"

Ethan took a step back and shook his head. "No. He's been too busy preparing for his son's coronation. Winston is turning twenty-six soon, so they are planning the crowning on his birthday."

"Wait, doesn't that mean you're supposed to take over as the beta soon, too?" I asked, suddenly realizing that the crowning of a new alpha meant the beta title would also switch over to the next generation. I knew Ethan was the son of the beta, but it was strange to think he was next in line for such an important title.

"Yes, it does," Ethan said.

My legs felt a little unsteady as Ethan confirmed this information. Ethan was destined to be my mate-at least one of them-which meant if I accepted the mate bond, it would mean that I would become second to the luna.

"I didn't realize that was happening so soon," I said, fighting back the queasiness.

Ethan pulled his lips tight, as if he could read the hesitation on my face. "I never thought to mention it to you, because I was trying my best to keep my distance from you. I never wanted to get in the way of your happiness, and I thought it'd be better if I just stayed away from you. So much for that."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I thought about what a future with Ethan would look like. I never thought it'd be possible for me to get such a high position as an omega, but the whole point of going to school and working to become valedictorian was to elevate my status among werewolves. I didn't want everyone to just think of me as an orphan omega for the rest of my life.

I also thought about what it would be like to reject Ethan. Life would surely be easier, but the pain in my chest made it clear that that wasn't even an option. If being with Ethan meant taking on the role of second to the luna, then it was a challenge I was willing to take on.

None of that mattered right now, though. None of this would be possible if we didn't stop Beta Burrell from attacking the alpha's family.

"For the record, I'm glad you didn't stay away," I said.

Ethan's face brightened. "Me too."

A moment of silence passed between us. All I wanted to do was reach over and kiss Ethan, but we were standing in front of my parents' graves. I knew the moment my lips touched Ethan's, it would be nearly impossible to stop, and it felt wrong to do here. "So how do we get in contact with Alpha Williams to tell him everything that's going on under his nose?" I asked to get the conversation to a safer place.

"That's a great question. I've tried to set up a meeting with him. Apparently, Alpha Williams isn't accepting any calls that aren't urgent-at least according to his assistant. His priority is preparing for Winston's coronation."

"Isn't the betrayal of his Beta urgent business?" I asked in disbelief.

"I couldn't exactly say the details on the phone. Besides, I don't know who my father has on his side. I couldn't risk giving away what I knew. It would only make everything more dangerous," Ethan explained. "But you're about to be the beta. They should take you more seriously."

"I said that, but I was just told that if the matter was so important, I needed my father to contact the alpha himself," Ethan said. "It has never been this hard for me to contact someone. It doesn't feel normal."

"Do you think your father is behind this?" I asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I made it clear to him recently that I was no longer a pawn in his game. I think I showed my hand too early, and now he's keeping me away from Alpha Williams, so I can't do anything against him." Ethan let out a long sigh, which wasn't like him. He was usually the one who always seemed to know what to do.

"Then we're going to have to go directly to Alpha Williams. We'll make him listen," I said confidently. "Do you know where he's going to be?"

Ethan smirked. "No, but I know how to find out. Have I told you how brilliant you are?"

My heart skipped a beat as Ethan looked at me like that. It took every ounce of willpower to keep my hands off of him. "You've mentioned it once or twice."

"Well, I'll say it again. Juniper Johnson, you are a beautiful and brilliant woman."