Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Theodore:

"See? This is because of you."

The minute I stepped out, I started arguing with my brother.

It was honestly so annoying that I had to share a mate with none other than Jaguar.

And perhaps no one besides the two of us had realized it yet. No one had spoken about it either.

But Jaguar and I had always been competitive.

First for Ragnar’s attention, then Gigi, and now Verity.

I could tolerate the first two.

Ragnar was blood to both of us, so of course he had every right to love us both equally.

And with Gigi, it had all been playful.

But Verity?

That was too much.

I wouldn’t let him have her.

Why was I always the one expected to compromise and sacrifice? I hadn’t done anything wrong.

"It’s your fault. You stepped between us."

Jaguar had the nerve to argue with me, looking furious as though it were somehow my fault that she felt the mate bond with both of us.

"Huh? That’s rich coming from you. The truth is, she felt the mate bond with me. She had feelings for me long before she had any for you," I shot back, planting my hands on my waist.

The look on his face was priceless.

Oh, he was angry.

"Oh, really? And how exactly do you know that?" Jaguar challenged. "We don’t even know when she started developing feelings. Besides, she felt the mate bond with the both of us at the same full moon. She could have started feeling something for both of us at the same time."

His words made me scoff.

"That’s exactly what someone who knows he doesn’t deserve her would say," I snapped, raising my voice.

"What the heck is going on here? Why are you two standing outside that child’s door?"

A voice came from the side, making both Jaguar and me step away from Verity’s door.

We turned toward the person who had just entered her wing.

"Grandma," we both said almost in unison.

She approached us, looking utterly confused.

"Why are you two just standing out here arguing?" she questioned.

Jaguar and I exchanged a grim look before turning back to her.

The moment we did, our expressions changed, and our gazes softened.

"Actually, Jaguar said something very offensive to Miss Verity. He suggested that since she had already done the job she was called here for, she should start packing and leave. So now Miss Verity is packing to go."

I was so angry that I said it all in one breath.

With every word that left my lips, I watched my brother go through a whole range of emotions.

Or maybe it was simpler than that.

At any moment, he looked ready to fucking kill me.

"That is so rude, child. Why would you do that?"

Lady Lucille had clearly taken a liking to Verity, and why wouldn’t she?

Verity had been nothing but competent and sweet toward everyone.

So, of course, Grandma was upset with Jaguar.

"I didn’t say anything like that," my brother argued, clearing his throat as he narrowed his eyes at me. "You should ask Theodore what he said to her that made her decide to leave. He kept pestering her about not doing an impeccable job until she got so upset that she decided to go."

Grandma turned toward me while I rolled my eyes at Jaguar.

"Well, I don’t care who said what. My problem is that both of you need to apologize to Miss Verity and convince her not to leave."

The moment Grandma said that, we both nodded.

For once, this was something Jaguar and I were completely on board with.

"What is going on?"

Well, if it wasn’t Ragnar arriving at exactly the wrong time.

He walked in with his hands at his sides, his head tilted slightly.

"Miss Verity is leaving, and these two are arguing over which one of them disrespected her," Grandma explained openly.

Of course she did.

Ragnar looked from Jaguar to me.

Well, it seemed the conversation I still needed to have with Ragnar about Verity was about to become even more awkward.

And this time, Jaguar was definitely going to be involved, though for entirely different reasons.

But as I thought about it, something suddenly struck me as odd.

I remembered that when Ragnar had asked to speak with me, he had also said it was important for Jaguar to be part of the conversation.

Could it be that, just as I had confided in Ragnar that I liked Verity, Jaguar had done the same?

Was that why Ragnar wanted the three of us to sit down together?

So we could find out that both of us were falling for the same woman?

It had to be.

"Yeah, well, it’s okay. She won’t leave," Ragnar said.

A small smile tugged at my lips.

Jaguar smiled too, which immediately annoyed me.

But before either of us could enjoy that relief for long, Ragnar explained why Verity couldn’t leave.

"I mean, who will plan my engagement ceremony if she leaves?"

Honestly, Ragnar could not have been more mysterious.

The moment he said that, both Jaguar’s eyes and mine widened for very obvious reasons.

"You’re getting engaged already? I mean, shouldn’t you spend more time together first and get to know each other better?"

Grandma Lucille had never been particularly subtle about her dislike for Gigi.

Ragnar gave her the same kind of smile that told all of us she wasn’t going to change his mind.

"I’ve known her long enough. Anyway, I’ll speak with Miss Verity and convince her to stay. This is an important event for me, and she has already proven how competent she is when it comes to planning and hosting events."

Ragnar had barely finished speaking when the door opened and Verity stepped outside.

"What’s going on? Why is everyone gathered out here?" she asked, looking confused.

Well, it seemed that even if she wanted to leave, we weren’t going to let her anymore.

"You can’t leave," Jaguar and I said in unison.

Her eyebrows drew together.

"Ragnar is getting engaged, and he wants you to plan the event," I explained.

Deep down, I was smiling, grateful that I had been given another chance to prove to her that I wasn’t really the way I had come across over the last two days.