The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 94

JUNIPER

"He's going to be at CUW?" I said in disbelief.

Ethan nodded. "According to my contact, the hunter's attack close to school caught his attention. He wants to check out the school to make sure everything is okay."

"That makes it easier, doesn't it?" I asked. I thought Ethan would be relieved that Alpha Williams would be heading to the school, but the creases in his forehead said otherwise.

"If Principal Clandestine is involved with everything, he might try to get in our way," Ethan said. "It'll be more dangerous that way."

I nodded, understanding his hesitation. "We'll just have to be careful then." I tried to reassure him with a smile, but it didn't work.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here?" Ethan asked.

"In the pack house of the parents of my former best friend turned bully?" I laughed just thinking about it. "No. I'd rather help you take down the man who has tried to take everything from me."

***

AXEL

I looked for the source of the arrow, but I didn't see or smell anyone. That only made me more suspicious.

It could be the hunter, I linked Asher. I didn't want to risk speaking out loud in case we were being watched.

There's a note on the arrow, Asher announced, walking over to it. He carefully unwrapped the paper from the arrow, leaving the rest stuck in the tree. I looked over his shoulder to read with him.

If you want your brother back, bring all of the evidence you found to the warehouse on Calypso Street by midnight. Otherwise, don't expect to get him back alive.

This only made Ethan's theory make more sense. Whoever took Nathan stuck around to see if we could find anything else. They were making sure to clean out any evidence of the crimes our father committed.

We can't give them the evidence, Asher linked.

We can't just leave Nathan in their hands, either.

Asher and I shared a look, and we knew whoever took Nathan was forcing our hands. As much as we needed what was in this box, we couldn't risk Nathan's life either. There was no real choice between the options, and whoever sent the note knew that was the case. Asher stared at the note, as if he was looking for the answer to our problem on it, but I knew he wouldn't find it.

"Ahhh!" A man screamed as he charged Asher. The man swung one of the shovels we had been using at Asher's head.

"Watch out!" I dove forward, tackling Asher out of the way just in time to avoid him getting a blow in the head. Instead, the shovel came down on my back, sending a sharp pain radiating throughout my body.

The man swung down at me again, but I couldn't move fast enough this time, since I was still trying to bounce back after the hit. Luckily, Asher was on his feet in seconds. He grabbed the shovel before it could hit me. He tussled with the man, struggling to gain control over the makeshift weapon.

I forced myself to my feet and elbowed the man in the face. He let go of the shovel and reeled backwards, holding his face. Asher used the opportunity to jam the handle of the shovel into the man's stomach, and I put my foot out behind him. The man fell backwards and started coughing from the impact.

I jumped on top of him, pressing my forearm into his throat to keep him pinned down. "Who sent you?" I demanded. I was fairly certain I already knew the answer, but I wanted him to confirm. I wanted him to say just how far our father was willing to go to get what he wanted.

"You think I'd just tell you that?" the man said with a wild grin.

I grabbed his shirt and slammed his torso into the ground. "Answer me or I'll kill you," I snarled.

"You're going to have to kill me, because I'm not going to say anything." He spit into my face, and I slammed him against the ground again.

"Was it Beta Burrell who hired you?" I let my rage show as I slammed him against the ground. I wasn't in the mood to play games.

The man only laughed in my face. "Better hurry up and kill me. Your brother only has so much time."

I slammed him against the ground again, growling in frustration. I just wanted one thing to go right, because it felt like everything was falling apart at the seams, and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I lifted the man up again, ready to slam him down harder than the last time, but Asher put his hand on my shoulder, stopping me in the process.

"We should keep him alive for now. We might be able to use him as a bargaining chip," Asher pointed out.

My instincts were to continue beating this man. I wanted him to pay for what he did to Nathan and anything else he might be associated with. However, Asher was right. This man would be more useful alive than dead. I released my grip on him and started standing up.

Just before I was fully standing upright, the man extended his claws and slashed at me. I jumped back, but not before his claws tore through my jeans, slashing my thighs in the process. Asher lunged forward and slammed the shovel against the man's head. There was blood on the end of the shovel when he pulled it back.

I raised my eyebrows at my brother. "I thought he was more useful alive?"

"I didn't hit him that hard. He might still be alive, but I don't think he ever planned on returning home. I'm pretty sure he intended on having us kill him." Asher tossed the shovel to the ground and took a deep breath. His eyes were hard and cold, as if hitting that man over the head meant nothing to him.

This wasn't a side of Asher I was used to. In my head, he was the smart, nerdy one. I knew he had plenty of warrior training-more than me even-but he had never fought anyone other than me, as far as I knew. I had always thought he was a peacemaker. I never thought he would be a proper fighter.

The brother I stared at was anything but a pacifist. He was someone ready to kill to protect those he loved.

"How do you figure?" I asked.

An arrow flew through the air, landing in the chest of the man who attacked us, hitting him directly in the heart. If he wasn't dead before, he was now.

"That's how," Asher said. He gestured in the direction the arrow came flying from, and there was a slight movement in the trees.

I hadn't noticed the other person watching us. Even as I stared in his direction, he blended in with the environment, and there was no scent to him. I would've noticed a regular werewolf or human watching us, but it was clear we were dealing with something we were not familiar with. Somehow, these werewolves had figured out a way to mask their scents.

If that person watching us had wanted to shoot an arrow through my heart, they could have without me even noticing.

Asher knelt next to the man on the ground and inspected the arrow. I couldn't take my eyes off the area I had seen the movement. I hadn't seen any more, and I couldn't tell if that person was there or not anymore, and that only worried me. "There's another note," Asher announced, but I still couldn't tear my eyes away from the spot in the forest. "Try something stupid, and next time this arrow will be through one of your hearts."

***

ETHAN

Juniper's head hit my shoulder as she fell asleep on the plane ride back to CUW. I wasn't surprised she was exhausted by how much traveling she had done in such a short time. She hadn't even had time to properly rest after getting all of her memories back. Even though there were a few moments I had nearly lost my mind when she wasn't at the airport for me to pick her up, I thought she was absolutely incredible for going back to her hometown to look through her own stuff for any clues. It was brave and brilliant, and it made me love her even more. Every time I thought it was impossible to love Juniper more than I already did, she did something that proved me wrong.

Ever since I lost control and kissed her, my feelings had been out of control. It was easier to keep my distance when I hadn't tasted her amazing flavor. I had no doubt she was my mate. It was the only explanation for my insane need to hold her in my arms. She still hadn't told me if she learned anything about whether the mate bond was transferred from James to the rest of us. Asher skipped over that topic while filling me in on everything. I had been tempted to ask, but that was a conversation I wanted to have with Juniper.

I wanted to talk to her about what she wanted-or more like who she wanted, but the timing never felt right. How could I focus on something like that when my brother was missing and my father was a murderous traitor? It felt wrong, yet she consumed my every waking moment. As soon as we were alone, I decided I would ask her if she learned anything more than the mate bond. Hopefully, I would be able to focus better once I knew.

I leaned down and kissed the top of Juniper's head. I knew now more than ever that I needed Juniper in my life in whatever way, shape, or form she was willing. I just hoped she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

"Excuse me, sir?" the flight attendant whispered. "Does your-" She paused, looking down at my hand. "Does your girlfriend want anything to drink?" Girlfriend. I liked the sound of that.

"Just some water would be good," I said in a whisper, being careful not to wake Juniper. I wanted her to rest as much as possible while she could.

Alpha Williams was supposed to be on campus tomorrow, which didn't give us much time to prepare. Hopefully, Axel and Asher would make it back to campus in time to bring the evidence, so we could show the alpha proof that our father was a traitor to all werewolves.