Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Gigi:

My heart had already been carrying such a heavy burden ever since I’d heard Ragnar was having a heart attack.

My mind had stopped working.

A strange ache had settled in my chest, and then my body simply gave out.

When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital.

For a while, I waited for the doctor to let me leave my bed.

The moment I was allowed to, I went to check on Ragnar.

There was no way I could calm down until I knew he was completely fine.

Then I heard something I’d never even imagined.

Standing right in front of me, the doctor calmly explained that the man I loved more than anything, the man for whom I forgot about my own fated mate, needed one.

The moment I heard those words, it felt as though my heart had been ripped out and placed in my hands.

It was as if everything had been taken away from me in a single instant.

I just stood there, staring at them, tears streaming down my face.

Theodore and Jaguar must have realised what was happening because they immediately rushed over to me.

"Come on, calm down," Throdore urged before I could even say a word.

"The doctor doesn’t know everything," Jaguar said, almost in a whisper because the doctor was still standing behind them.

Even the doctor’s face had gone pale.

He knew he hadn’t meant to say something that would hurt me.

Everyone in the fucking world knew how important I was to those three fucking brothers.

And yet he’d just said it.

"The Alpha King needs his fated mate. So no matter how much love I give him—it’s never going to be enough."

My voice broke as the words left my mouth.

There was another harsh reality I had to face.

Until this moment, I’d genuinely believed that one day I would feel a mate bond with Ragnar.

I will be his fated mate and he will be my second chance mate.

In fact, I’d been completely certain of it.

I’d told practically everyone in my circle that Ragnar and I occasionally shared each other’s pain and taken it as proof that we were mated to each other.

Now everyone was going to laugh in my face.

"Come on, Gigi. Don’t think like that."

Theodore instantly took my hand and began rubbing the back of it.

"As for fated mates, we don’t need them. Ragnar doesn’t need a fated mate. Has he ever even mentioned one in front of you?" Jaguar asked.

My anxiety eased slightly.

A broken smile found its way onto my face as I looked at them.

They were both so worried about me.

"And think about it," Theodore continued. "He’s been living happily all this time. It’s not like he’s ever wanted to find his fated mate."

I responded with nothing more than a few small nods until the doctor cleared his throat, drawing our attention back to him.

"Actually, the severity of this pain suggests that he came very close to his fated mate— and then she chose someone else."

I had no idea why the doctor thought that was something he needed to say.

The moment those words left his mouth, my heart seemed to stop.

"What do you mean by she came very close to him?" I asked, my lips quivering.

"Maybe he saw her, met her, or unknowingly interacted with her. Then, when they parted ways, she chose someone else. I’m not entirely sure how it happened. Perhaps they simply crossed paths."

The doctor paused before continuing.

"But this usually only happens in the beginning. Don’t expect him to experience that kind of pain or go through the same torture again."

By the time the doctor finished explaining, I wasn’t sure whether I felt better or worse.

"He’s just exhausted. He’ll be fine. He’s going to live," Theodore assured me, gently pinching my cheek. "Trust me, he’ll be very happy when he wakes up and sees your face."

He paused.

"You know, Jaguar, the first thing he said through all that pain was that he didn’t want Gigi to see him like this," Theodore told Jaguar, making me smile despite the ache in my heart.

But the doctor’s words refused to leave my mind.

Ragnar had come into contact with his fated mate.

The pain in his heart wouldn’t have been the only thing he felt.

What if he’d seen her and she was so beautiful that he couldn’t stop staring at her?

What if he woke up and started thinking about every woman he’d come across during his trip, trying to figure out who had triggered that pain?

It had to be someone new.

Otherwise, the pain would’ve started long ago.

I didn’t know why my thoughts went there.

Maybe it was because he’d spent time with Verity.

It definitely wasn’t Verity.

He’d known her for a long time. If she had been his fated mate, the pain would’ve started long ago.

With that in mind, I knew exactly who I needed to talk to.

I couldn’t ask Ragnar without revealing what the doctor had told us.

The only other person who would know what had happened during the trip was Verity.

I needed to find her and ask if Ragnar had met anyone during the trip, someone who could’ve stirred such intense longing and pain simply by leaving.

"Of course," I replied with a smile, though not a very convincing one. "I trust Ragnar. It’s just— his pain really confused me. I started wondering if I should find her and bring her to him so he wouldn’t have to suffer anymore."

I slipped back into pretending that all I cared about was Ragnar’s well-being.

Theodore and Jaguar, however, stared at me in disbelief.

"No. Don’t think like that," Jaguar warned firmly. "Don’t ever think like that."

I sniffled and pouted at him, giving him a helpless look.

What else could I do?

I was hopelessly in love.

A nurse walked over to the doctor with a smile on her face, glancing at Jaguar and Theodore as she approached. I was instantly on alert.