The Four Beta Brothers

Chapter 14 - One Coin, Two Sides

JUNIPER

	I felt like I was walking on air as Asher walked me back to my dorm. I hadn’t laughed and smiled that much in a single day in a really long time. My cheeks ached from overusing the muscles, but I didn’t care. It felt like the date was ending much too soon.

	When we reached my door, neither of us made a move to separate. 

	“I had a wonderful time tonight,” I said.

	“I’m glad.” He lifted my hand up, keeping his fingers intertwined with mine, and kissed the back of it. “I’m not ready for it to end.”

	“Me neither,” I admitted. I knew once I went back into my dorm, reality would return. It was late, but there was a chance Moira would still be awake, and I would much rather spend my time laughing with Asher than dealing with the snake that my former best friend was.

	“I’d invite you in but…” I started to say, but there were multiple reasons I didn’t want to invite Asher in. The biggest reason was I didn’t want Moira around him after what she said to me. The other reason was inviting Asher in would imply things would go further, and I wasn’t ready to take that step with him yet.

	“No, it’s okay. It’s late, and we both need our sleep. I have to get up early to clean that popcorn out of the car before my brothers see it and scold me.”

	I frowned, forgetting he shared the car with his brothers. “Will the others get mad?”

	Asher shrugged. “Nathan will probably complain that the car smells like butter, saying something like, ‘How do you expect me to pick up girls when our car smells like that?’ Ethan has his own car, and Axel doesn’t really use the car, since he has a motorcycle.”

	“He has a motorcycle?” I said, a little too interested. I cleared my throat, trying to hide the sudden burst. “I’m surprised your father would allow him to drive such a dangerous vehicle.”

	“Axel doesn’t really follow our father’s wishes. He’s kind of the black sheep of the family.” Asher scratched the back of his head.

	“Nathan did tell me to stay away from him…” I said. I could see why Axel was considered the black sheep of the family based on the few interactions we had. However, there was a tugging sensation inside that was telling me there was more to him beneath the surface.

	“Axel isn’t a bad guy,” Asher quickly defended. “He actually has a good heart. He just doesn’t agree with how our family handles things, so he rebels in every way he can. He skips school, never attends the meetings our father requests. He rides motorcycles and gets into fights, but I think that’s just his way of coping.”

	This was a different opinion about Axel than I had expected. “You sound very fond of Axel.”

	“He’s a pain, especially the past few years, but he has always been my best friend. Even though we’re not as close as we once were, I know he’d always have my back. He is my twin after all.”

	“You’re twins?” I saw the resemblance between them, but they didn’t look like twins from my first impression.

	“Fraternal twins, but yes. We’ve always been a little closer to each other than the rest of our brothers, but when we lost—” Asher suddenly cut himself off. “He chose to live a different life than me, but Axel is still my brother. The others don’t understand his choices quite like I do.”

	I stepped closer to Asher. Something about the way he talked about Axel warmed my body. It was completely different from the way he talked about Ethan. With his older brother, Asher was bitter and jealous, but with Axel, Asher was soft and concerned.

	I hooked my arms around Asher’s neck. “You’re a good brother.”

	Asher slid his arms around my waist, pulling me into him like it was what he was meant to do. “I’m good at a lot of things. I’m a good boyfriend, too, you know?”

	“Don’t push it,” I laughed. One date was not enough to consider being serious with someone, but after tonight, I could tell Asher was already worming his way into my heart.

	“You’ll see reason soon enough,” he said with a cocky smile. 

	I wanted to wipe that smile off of his face. I hated when he acted like he knew he would get what he wanted, even if he was probably right.

	“Just kiss me goodnight,” I ordered.

	He leaned down, but he stopped before he fulfilled my request. “If I kiss you now, I’m not sure I can stop myself, and I’m a gentleman.”

	I hummed, trying to hide my disappointment. “Such a shame.”

	He laughed, and then he kissed my forehead. “Good night, June. Sweet dreams.”

	I let go, backing into the door. I wanted to look at him for a moment longer, wondering how someone like him walked into my life. “Good night.”

	I entered our dorm, feeling like I could walk on water. Even Moira couldn’t ruin this mood, not that there was any sign of her. I went straight to my room, eager to change into something more comfortable. The moment I opened my door, my feet hit the ground, shocking me back into reality.

	The roses Asher gave me were completely destroyed. The petals were shredded and strewn about my room, which was also in tatters. The sheets on my bed were ripped off and thrown to the ground. The picture frame that held my parents inside lay face down on the ground, glass shattered beneath it.

	My space had been invaded. My personal space where I was supposed to feel safe was no longer my own.

	I dropped to my knees and picked up the frame. The picture inside was unharmed, but the frame was destroyed. I peeled out the photo, cutting my finger on a jagged piece of glass in the process. I dropped the frame out of reflex and looked at my finger. It was a small cut, but a drop of blood oozed out of my finger.

	Gritting my teeth, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a paper towel, wrapping it around the wound to stop the bleeding. My finger stung, but that sense of pain was the only thing I could feel. Moira destroyed my room, my roses, my photo, and I was numb to it. I didn’t know how to react. Rumors were one thing, but this was a different level of malice. 



	***



	ASHER

	I couldn’t get myself to go back to my dorm. I should’ve kissed Juniper—properly kissed her. She was looking up at me with those big, amber eyes, waiting for a kiss. She wanted it just as much as me—well, maybe not just as much. She wanted to kiss me though, and I had to be a stupid gentleman.

	I turned around and went right back to her dorm. I knocked on the door. This was even more foolish than not kissing her good night, but I couldn’t stop myself. Juniper made me want to do foolish things, like have a food fight in a car, run around declaring my love for her, and making a complete fool of myself.

	I couldn’t declare my love for her. It was too much too fast. She didn’t remember all of the times we spent together as children. To her, I was just a guy who met her not that long ago. I would seem overly attached, and I wouldn’t risk scaring her away.

	However, I could kiss her good night. Give her a proper goodbye like any good date deserved.

	I knocked on the door and instantly thought about running away. It was late, and Juniper could be in bed already. What if Moira answered the door?

	I was definitely a fool.

	The door opened faster than I expected, taking any chance of escape away.

	Juniper cracked the door open, peeking outside. When she saw it was me, she opened the door completely. The mood around her didn’t feel right. She was happy and smiling when I left her, but now her face was as cool as stone. There was no color in her skin, and her eyes seemed far away.

	A paper towel was wrapped around her finger, blood soaked into the wrap.

	“Are you okay?” I didn’t know what had happened in the few moments between when I left her and when I returned.

	“It’s just a small cut. I’ll be fine.” Even her voice sounded void of emotion.

	“What happened? Did Moira do this to you?” From the brief interaction with Moira, I already knew I didn’t like her. She was snobby and fake. The moment she saw me, she smiled like she was the sweetest person on earth, but I knew her kind well enough. She was the type of person who only got close to people like me to try to get ahead. Even then, I didn’t take her as the type to physically injure anyone.

	“I was picking up broken glass, and I accidentally cut my finger.” She looked down at her hand. She looked steady, but the energy she was giving off felt wrong.

	“Let me take a look at that finger,” I said. I still didn’t know what happened, but I did know Juniper wasn’t okay.

	“Okay.” She held out her hand to me.

	I carefully moved the paper towel. The cut seemed shallow, but it was still bleeding. I pressed the paper towel back over it. “Do you have bandaids?”

	“I think so.”

	“Let me help you dress the wound then.” Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have invited myself into her dorm like this, but I needed to know why her mood dropped so drastically. It couldn’t have been from a simple cut, but I didn’t think she would elaborate at this moment.

	Juniper pushed the door open, giving enough space for me to walk in. I followed her inside, shutting the door behind me.

	“Where do you keep the bandaids?” I asked.

	“This way.”

	I looked around the room for the broken glass, but the common area of the dorm was clean and seemingly untouched. There were no signs of Moira either.

	Juniper opened the bathroom and pulled out a box from beneath the cabinet. She opened it up, revealing a small variety of items used for first aid.

	“This is all we have.”

	I looked through the box, and she had the basic supplies. The cut was small, and it would heal quickly on its own, especially with her werewolf healing abilities, but I still wanted to make sure it was properly cleaned.

	“I’m going to have you hop up onto the counter,” I said.

	She looked and situated herself in front of it, but she seemed hesitant about actually jumping up. I moved in front of her, placing my hands on her hips.

	“Jump on the count of three,” I said, locking my eyes with her. She draped her unharmed hand on my shoulder. “One. Two. Three.” She hopped up, and I used the momentum to lift her onto the counter.

	I took her injured hand and removed the paper towel. I worked quickly, sanitizing the wound before putting a bandaid on her finger. When I was done, I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed the finger softly.

	“There. All better.”

	The corner of her lips twitched up, the first sign of emotions she had shown since I came back. “Thank you.”

	“I’m happy to help any time you need it.” I held onto her hand, feeling the need to fix everything, but I still didn’t know what was wrong. “Are you okay?”

	She shrugged, looking down again. “It’s just stuff.”

	“What is?” 

	She slid off the counter, and I helped her down. She left the bathroom without a word. I followed her to her room. She stood just inside the entrance, and when I peered over her shoulder, my fingers pulled into fists.

	“I came home, and it was like this.”

	Her room was destroyed. There was a broken picture frame on the floor with glass everywhere, and the roses I bought her were nothing more than mulch.

	“Did Moira do this?” My wolf stirred, feeling the same rage I did.

	“I’m guessing so. I must have forgotten to lock my door. I didn’t think she’d…” Her voice fell flat, and her mood made complete sense now.

	“You have to report this. This is harassment and destruction of property. It’s completely unacceptable.” I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures. Evidence of the destruction needed to be documented.

	“I have already tried changing rooms. I don’t know what else I can do.” Juniper was completely defeated. Moira had tried to break her spirit, and the rumors frazzled her, but she still had a determination in her eyes. This was different. Her personal stuff was touched and destroyed. It was a different kind of violation.

	“June, this is unacceptable. The school won’t tolerate bullying. I took pictures, and I’ll even get Ethan involved if I have to.” 

	When I said Ethan’s name, Juniper perked up. “You shouldn’t bother him with this petty drama.”

	As much as I hated going to Ethan for help, he had pull with this school. If anyone could help Juniper get out of this dorm, it was him. “This isn’t petty drama. It’s okay to be upset by this.” I took her hand and turned her towards me. “Why don’t you stay at my dorm tonight? It’s late, and we can clean this up later. You should just rest for tonight.”

Chapter 15 - The Four Beta Brothers