Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

I’d been wondering why Gigi, of all people, was being so kind to me.

Why she felt so sorry for me that she was willing to let me stay in the mansion she considered her own.

"Anything, Gigi. Oh my Goddess, anything. Please tell me what you need, and I’ll do it for you."

I played my part perfectly.

I dropped my purse onto the bed and immediately walked over to her, taking her hands in mine and making it look as though I was desperate for redemption.

It worked.

The tension left her face.

"It’s just that–" she began.

"The doctor said Ragnar’s pain was related to his fated mate."

Gigi had sat down beside me on the couch, holding my hand.

"Oh."

The sound slipped from my lips because I still wasn’t ready to comment.

"I’ve been worried because the doctor said Ragnar had only recently come across his fated mate. The only thing I could think of was that journey— that trip he went on."

She continued, anxiously rubbing her hands together, clearly trying to convince me how worried she was.

"So—"

She paused.

"I wanted to know from someone what happened during that trip."

As she asked me, I realised this was far more serious than Ragnar supposedly having a heart attack.

At least, it was to Gigi.

That was why I’d been so confused when I heard he was having a heart attack.

There was no way an Alpha King like him could have a heart attack.

He was so ridiculously powerful that, even if his heart were ripped out, I bet his stupid fucking body would keep moving for days.

Then she told me the doctor believed Ragnar must have come across his fated mate somehow, and that she had chosen someone else, which was why he had felt that pain.

After hearing all of that, I was happy.

Watching Gigi go through those emotions reminded me of my brother.

He had felt the same way.

After all, she was his fucking mate.

I wanted to tell her, ’This is what you get for hurting your fated mate.’

"Oh."

I touched my chin thoughtfully.

For the first time, Gigi was dependent on me.

Whatever I did next, I had to think it through very carefully.

"So, you were with him, right?" she asked.

"I just want to know—did anything happen there? I mean, did he meet anyone? Anything at all?"

She pleaded with her eyes, looking so desperate.

It was satisfying to watch.

"Actually—"

I paused and bit my bottom lip dramatically.

The longer I took, the more anxious she became.

"There was actually a mate ball at one of the packs."

As soon as I said that, I watched the colour drain from her face.

"A mate ball?" she echoed. "Did you all attend it?"

The question rushed out of her mouth.

"Well, yeah, we did. Not for very long, but we stayed long enough to greet a few people. Alpha King Ragnar met a lot of women there. I mean, he greeted them, and many of them were introducing their daughters to him."

"Oh, Goddess–," she gasped.

I pressed my fingers to my temples.

"What? What is it?" she pressed, her voice filled with anxiety.

"After that— um—after that exact moment, I remember he became so anxious. I was really confused because I couldn’t figure out what had happened to him. He was so restless."

The look of utter shock on her face was incredibly satisfying.

"He was worried?" she asked.

"He was so restless. But if you want, I can get you the names of the people who introduced their daughters to him. It’ll take me some time, though."

I offered the help on my own.

She accepted immediately.

She grabbed my hand and gave it a grateful squeeze.

"Please do. But please don’t let anyone know. You know how scared I get when people talk about me. Ever since what happened with your brother—"

She trailed off.

"After that, I’m really cautious about what people think of me. I hope you understand, right? You wouldn’t hurt me the way your brother did—would you?"

She used such a manipulative tone, blinking innocently as though she actually believed she could fool me.

"Of course, Gigi. I’ll do anything to restore your trust in people. And, of course, to make up for my brother’s mistake."

Naturally, I had to play my part, so I said those words with a heavy heart.

At least everything was finally coming together.

On one hand, I had managed to move into the mansion.

On the other, Gigi was now fully dependent on me.

She was ready to trust me with her dirty work.

So she wasn’t as secure as she’d always pretended to be.

"Thank you so much. If you need anything, just let me know," Gigi said as she quickly got up from the couch.

I watched her let out a deep sigh of relief.

She was relieved because she believed I would soon find the name of the woman Ragnar had met.

As she walked away, I found myself wondering the same thing.

Who could it be?

A lot of people had introduced their daughters to him.

Could it have been one of them?

Had he felt the mate bond?

Wow.

What a complete mess.

He had hidden it from everyone.

Even Gigi.

So now I had to play the game very carefully.

At the same time, I had to get Jaguar and Theodore to visit my room more often.

So often that they eventually stopped worrying about anyone catching them.

Well, it seemed my plan was already working.

I’d barely turned around to look at the room when I heard the door close.

When I turned back, Theodore was standing inside, watching me as he took slow, deep breaths.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

He immediately started walking towards me, and I already knew why.

He was looking for intimacy.

The moment he reached me, he cupped my face in his hands and crashed his lips against mine.