Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

He immediately went quiet, as though realizing he’d accidentally called it my mansion.

Then he quickly corrected himself.

"She’s staying here with our permission. We asked her to come and help us with the mate ball and the other events. How can you throw her out?"

He continued speaking without even acknowledging Gigi’s complaint.

"Wow. Really, Theodore?" Gigi breathed in disbelief.

Theodore lowered his gaze and scratched the back of his neck.

"You are not going to say anything, Jaguar?" Then she turned to her other support.

"And what am I supposed to say?" Jaguar finally spoke.

Gigi was clever enough to confront them in front of everyone, forcing them to choose their words carefully.

"Gigi, I care about you, and I promised to protect you," Jaguar continued. "But your mother can’t treat other victims like this."

I stared at him in surprise.

"At this point, it’s almost like we’re doing the same thing all over again. First, we allowed the abusers of these two women into this house, and now we’re continuing to let your mother come here while she’s mistreating them. She’s deeply worried about you, but at the same time, she hasn’t even stopped to consider what the other victims are going through."

Hearing those words from Jaguar genuinely surprised me.

I hadn’t expected either of the brothers to defend me. I’d been almost certain they would take Gigi’s side.

"There’s no need to create a scene," Ragnar cut in firmly. "Everyone, go back to your rooms."

Then his attention shifted to Stella.

"And you," he continued, his voice full of command, "please go home. Don’t come back here until you’re ready to apologize to the victims."

The expressions on Gigi’s and her mother’s faces were worth watching.

"If my mother leaves, then I’m leaving too," Gigi declared.

Ragnar slowly stretched his neck before straightening his posture.

There was something about the way he looked at her.

I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed it, but I did.

There was a strange glint in his eyes, subtle enough that most people probably wouldn’t catch it.

But unlike everyone else, I was paying close attention to every change in the brothers’ behavior toward Gigi.

"Well, then I think that would be the best option," Ragnar replied. "Your mother can take better care of you, and you’ll probably feel more at home there."

It was as though Ragnar had pulled the ground out from beneath everyone.

I watched Gigi’s entire body tense.

Her fists slowly curled at her sides, and silent tears began gathering in her eyes.

Then Ragnar turned toward me.

"Go back to your room."

Ragnar straightened his posture and held my gaze.

"And next time someone tries to drag you out of your room or throw you out of this mansion, defend yourself," he ordered. "You defended yourself against a Lycan. Don’t let anyone abuse you just because you feel guilty. You are not going to be punished for someone else’s sins. Enough is enough."

It felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath my feet.

The authority in Ragnar’s voice sent chills across my skin.

I could only stare at him.

"Go to your room and rest," he added before walking away.

I remained rooted to the spot, feeling as though I’d forgotten how to breathe.

I hadn’t expected Ragnar to say any of that.

I hadn’t expected him to defend me or tell me that I didn’t have to remain this innocent, frightened, miserable, vulnerable woman.

He wanted me to be fierce, the way I’d been when I killed the Lycan, or at least the way I’d described myself when I’d told him about killing it.

I finally released the breath I’d been holding and pressed a hand to my chest.

"Are you okay?"

Theodore and Jaguar both rushed toward me as though something terrible had happened.

"Yeah, I’m fine," I replied, stepping away and raising my palm to keep them from coming any closer.

I focused on steadying my breathing.

Then I looked up.

Gigi was staring at me with her mouth slightly open.

Her expression slowly hardened.

She looked between the brothers and me, her disbelief becoming more obvious with every second.

These were the same men who had always hovered around her, always checking on her, always putting her first.

Now both of them had rushed toward me without even thinking.

"I’ll be in my room," I announced, mostly because I had to say something.

The silence was becoming awkward.

Neither brother looked away from me.

Their attention remained fixed on my face, as though they were both waiting for the slightest sign that I might collapse so they could catch me.

And judging by their expressions, neither of them seemed willing to back down.

Gigi and her mother were watching us just as carefully, reading far too much into every glance and reaction.

I walked past Gigi with my head lowered.

As I passed her mother, however, I briefly glanced back at her before hurrying into my room and shutting the door.

I didn’t move away from it.

I needed to hear what happened next.

"Oh, I understand now," I heard Gigi say. "I think my time here is up. I’ll leave."

Disbelief filled her voice.

The brothers said nothing.

A moment later, I heard the door to her room slam shut.

Then silence.

Nearly five minutes passed before the door swung open again.

From the sound of it, Gigi had returned with her bags.

"Let’s go, Mom," she told her mother.

"Gigi," Jaguar finally called after her and she stopped.

"So, you are going to stop me now?" she asked him.

The pain in her voice was impossible to miss.

She sounded as though she wanted to drop to her knees and cry harder than she ever had before.

"I’m not stopping you because I know you’re not happy here," Jaguar replied. "There’s too much happening right now, especially with your brother and his victim staying under the same roof. It won’t be easy for you. But trust me, if you call us, we’ll be there."

Wow.

They really weren’t going to stop her.

A smile slowly spread across my face.

I could only imagine what a wonderful moment that must have been for Gigi.

Then I heard her footsteps fading down the hallway.

She was probably gone.