The Four Beta Brothers

Chapter 5 - The Challenge

JUNIPER

I excused myself from the conversation with Ethan, my head swimming with confusion. I had always thought Professor Harrison was an excellent teacher. He cared about his students to a different level that other teachers didn’t. Looking back at his subtle touches on my arms now made me shiver.

I may have been innocent in whatever happened with Professor Harrison, but Ethan’s words implied that multiple other students had been involved in what I was being accused of, and that made my stomach roil. I could understand how a student would get desperate enough to sleep with the teacher—not that I would ever do something like that myself. However, Professor Harrison had no excuses. He took advantage of those students in a completely unprofessional and grotesque way. They were victims, but if the student body ever found out their names, they would be treated like pariahs.

A shoulder hit my side, making me lose balance. “Watch where you’re going, slut,” the passersby said.

I glanced over my shoulder, and the figure disappeared into the distance. She was sniggering with her friends, and I knew she had bumped into me on purpose. I shook it off and kept walking, knowing it would be pointless to say anything. It would only escalate the situation, and I didn’t want to bring any extra attention to myself.

The school was investigating the situation already. They would find out the truth and clear my name. Ethan believing me made me feel confident in that. My hard work would prove myself innocent, and until then, I couldn’t risk making things worse. It was my last year in school, and I planned to continue getting perfect grades. I refused to let petty drama distract me.

Although, I still wanted to know why Moira turned on me so suddenly. If she didn’t like me enough to spread that kind of rumor, why pretend to keep the friendship going for as long as she did? She could have asked for a different roommate. She could have told me to leave her alone. She never even tried to talk to me. Instead, she just stabbed me in the back. That was a completely different level of bitterness, even for her.

“Careful there.” A hand grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

I looked around, quickly realizing I was about to walk into the street. A car swept by at a speed that was too fast for the road that weaved through the school. If I hadn’t been stopped, I would have been hit by the car. The realization made my body tense.

I looked at the person who had stopped me. His dark hair was on the longer side, threatening to cover his eyes. It looked easy to get my hands tangled in his hair. He wore a black button-up shirt with the top couple of buttons undone. A leather jacket covered his torso, and his jeans were tight around his thighs. He looked at me, and it looked like there was a storm brewing in an ocean.

“Oh, thank you.”

“You almost got yourself killed.” He stared down at me, gripping my arm so tightly I knew I wouldn’t be able to break free from his grasp, even if I tried. His jaw was tight, and he seemed irritated.

“I must have spaced out.” My heart raced as I watched him watch me. It felt like I was the most annoying person in the world to this guy, but we had just met a moment ago. I didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t do that.” He said this like an order. “It would ruin a lot of people’s days if you got killed by a car.”

“I’m pretty sure most students would cheer if they heard a car hit me. They might even throw a party in the honor of the driver.” My words were bitter, and my own response surprised me. I usually wanted to believe the best in people, but with everything else falling apart, that seemed impossible to do right now.

He tilted his head and then looked me up and down. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“Excuse me?” I tried to pull my arm away, but he didn’t let go.

“You said it first. I was just agreeing with you. Did you only say it to make me contradict you and make you feel better?” He raised an eyebrow, challenging me.

“Well, no…” I was at a loss for words. “I just… Actually, nevermind. It’s none of your business. If you’d kindly let go of my arm, I have places to go.”

“You’re too nice for your own good.” He kept his grip firm. “It’s why you let everyone walk all over you.”

“I don’t let people walk over me.”

“Then tell me to let go of you. Don’t ask kindly.” He smirked, enjoying his taunt. I saw the doubt in his eyes. He didn’t think I would push back against him.

“Let go of me. Now.” I didn’t dare blink, wanting to show him I could stand up for myself.

He let go, but he continued to hover over me. “It could use some work, but that was better at least.” He turned and started walking across the street I had just tried to cross.

I stared after him, confused about how the conversation had just ended. I expected at least a goodbye or something, but he just walked away. I didn’t even know his name.

I looked both ways and then ran after him. “That’s it? You’re going to tell me to be more forceful and then you’re just going to walk away.”

He looked down at me and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you’re still here.”

“You just saved my life and tried to coach me. Shouldn’t we at least exchange names?” I asked. The interaction felt strange and incomplete, and even though this guy wasn’t charming, smart, or sweet like the other guys I had met recently, there was something about him that made me want to know more. I wanted to know what created that storm I saw brewing in his eyes.

“I know your name, Juniper,” he said. “From what I hear, you’re smart. I’m sure you can figure out my name.”

“And who told you about me? Because those rumors on campus are just petty revenge. They aren’t true.” I hated that everyone likely knew who I was already and had decided what kind of person I was without even knowing me.

“I don’t listen to petty rumors. I make sure my sources are reliable—and no, I won’t disclose my sources. It’s bad for business.” He stopped suddenly, making me stumble to a stop as well. He leaned down and said in a hushed tone, “Tell you what. If you can figure out my name without me telling you, I’ll give you a kiss as a reward.”

His breath hit my face, and his scent fogged my mind, but there was also something strangely familiar about him. It almost felt like I had had this exact interaction before, which only made everything confusing.

But I also knew who he was. His dark hair was the same as his brothers, and while his eyes were unique, he shared the same jawline as Asher. In fact, he shared more features with Asher than the others, especially now that I was really looking at his face. The biggest difference was that the Burrell brother standing in front of me had stubble sketched across his jaw, giving him a much more rugged look than Asher. It was a subtle difference, but it also resulted in a starkly different appearance.

“You’re Axel, aren’t you?”

He leaned forward, and my heart raced, thinking he was about to steal a kiss, and I was fully ready to let him. Instead, he poked my nose and smirked.

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Guess you are as smart as they say. I’m curious, how did you figure it out?”

Even though he was complimenting me, there was something about his tone that made me feel otherwise. “Nathan told me you are the brother to avoid. I’m starting to think he was right.”

Axel snorted and pulled back, clearing the air around me. “Believe Nathan if you want, but he’s too naive to see the truth. He’ll understand one day, but I hope that day doesn’t come anytime soon.” His eyes glazed over in the familiar way werewolf eyes did when they were linking someone. When his eyes cleared, he started walking again without a word.

My jaw clenched. How difficult was it to say a simple goodbye? I skipped after him again. “Where are you going?”

He glanced at me without turning his head. “Oh, do you want your reward now? Tell me, what kind of a kiss are you looking for? A peck? A smooch? Tongue?”

My cheeks heated at the suggestion. It had been a while since I kissed someone. I hadn’t dated anyone since my sophomore year at CUW. The harder the classes got, the more I realized I couldn’t afford the distractions dating provided.

“I’m not interested in kissing someone I don’t know,” I said. This had been true most of my life, but right now, there was also another part of me that wanted Axel to close the gap between us in a moment of passion. It didn’t make any sense. He was irritating and rude, but I still wanted to touch him.

“That would only be a problem if you didn’t know me.”

“I don’t know you,” I said slowly. I knew his name and everything I had heard about the Burrell family, but I didn’t know anything about Axel personally.

“Suit yourself. Just let me know if you change your mind about that kiss. See you around, J.J.” Axel walked away, and this time I didn’t follow him.

No one had called me J.J. since my mom died. It was her pet name for me, and I loved it. Hearing it come out of Axel’s mouth turned my feet into stone. I couldn’t move. I felt like I was thrown into the past.

It was only a coincidence that Axel chose that specific nickname for me, but somehow it felt right to hear him say it. My head felt even more fogged as I watched Axel disappear into the distance. The interactions with him were like a whirlwind, and now that it was over, I didn’t know where I was.

What I did know was that there was a part of me that ached for Axel’s kiss.

***

ASHER

I looked at my phone, debating if it was too soon to message Juniper. We had just had coffee this morning, and I didn’t want to seem eager. Except I was eager. Coffee wasn’t enough time. I wanted to spend the entire day with her.

Are you free for coffee tomorrow? I have some ideas I want to discuss with you.

I hit send on my phone and held my breath, waiting for typing bubbles to appear.

“What are you doing?”

I threw my phone at the sudden voice in my ear. I had been too absorbed in the inner debate about messaging Juniper that I forgot to pay attention to my surroundings.

Ethan took my phone and scanned the screen. His signature frown carved his face into the familiar disapproving look I was used to. He often felt more like another parent than an actual brother.

“What are you doing?”

“Give me my phone back.” I reached for my device, but he kept it just out of reach.

“When did you meet Juniper?” Ethan asked. He glanced at the screen one more time before handing my phone back to me.

I snatched it from his hands in a way that made me feel childish. Ethan always had that effect on me, and it drove me crazy. Around almost anyone else, I felt like the independent adult I was, but my older brother had a way that made me revert to my old ways.

“I ran into her this morning at the housing department—not that it’s any of your business.”

I knew Ethan had run into Juniper yesterday. He made sure to warn us all to avoid her if possible. I ignored him, because who I spent my time with was none of his business.

“You blatantly ignored me. Don’t you understand how this could affect her?” Ethan clutched his bag in his hand, looking down in his disapproving way.

“When you scowl like that, it makes you look ten years older.” I stood up and started gathering my stuff. The dorm room would be ready soon, and I needed the excuse to get away from my brother.

“Asher, I’m serious. If we all start to swarm her, it could be more harmful than helpful.”

I rolled my eyes, making sure he could see. “What’s the worst that could happen? Her memories come back, and she actually remembers who we all are? Because that sounds like a good thing to me.”

“If her memories come back, it will be painful for her. If she discovers the truth, it’ll cause more problems for everyone. She’s moved on, and she has built a new life for herself. We should just leave her alone before we drag her into more trouble.”

“The entire school hates her because of a stupid rumor that isn’t even true. I know you know just how bad these rumors are. Don’t tell me you’re not worried about her. Don’t tell me you don’t miss her. We all do. She’s alone here. She doesn’t even have her parents anymore, and you really want me to leave her to suffer alone? Or maybe you just want to keep her to yourself.” I stood up and glared at Ethan. I knew it was a challenge. When I was younger, I was too terrified to challenge my older brother, but things were different now.

We were getting a second chance I never thought we would get, and I wasn’t about to squander it because Ethan was trying to be the good servant our father trained us to be.

“You know that’s not true. If she finds out the truth—”

“Then she’ll finally learn what she should have known a long time ago,” I interrupted.

Ethan sighed, and his exhaustion filled his entire body. “You can’t tell her what happened. You know that.”

I put my hands in the air. “Scouts honor, I won’t tell her. I know the oath we took, and I wouldn’t dare cross that line. But I’m not going to stay away from her, either. She deserves a friend, and even if you don’t think it’s smart, just try stopping me.”

He took a deep breath, and his body seemed to relax. “Just don’t do anything stupid. I can only do so much to protect all of you.”

“I’m not Axel. I would put more effort into worrying about him if I were you. I’ve got to go. See you around, I guess.”

I walked away, and my phone buzzed. New message from Juniper I’m free after my last class tomorrow.

I smiled, and all of the stress from Ethan completely disappeared. This was my second chance with Juniper, and I wasn’t about to squander it because of my stupid brothers.