Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Theodore:

When I left the hospital, I felt really good. I had spent time with Verity, taken care of her, and maybe she had realized that I was someone she could truly rely on.

But then I headed home, and that’s when it started to sink in that I had disappointed someone. Not just anyone, but someone very important to me.

Sadly, during all of this, I had forgotten that Gigi had been waiting for me.

By the time I got home, I was extremely anxious. The moment I saw everyone sitting there, I knew I had messed up.

Ragnar told me to sit down, and I already knew what the first question would be.

”What’s going on between you and Verity?” he asked without saying anything else.

I straightened my posture and forced a smile.

”Nothing,” I replied.

The moment I said it, I watched both Jaguar and Ragnar look at me.

”I will not accept a lie.”

Ragnar’s voice turned even harsher, and my heart skipped a beat.

”Brother, why would you think there is anything going on between me and your secretary?” I asked, trying to sound convincing.

”Because you were carrying her through the rain. Because you knew she was sick. Because you took her to the hospital and stayed the entire night with her.”

Jaguar spoke up instead of Ragnar, and I hissed inwardly.

I didn’t want Jaguar questioning me.

There was barely any age difference between us, so why the heck was he acting like he was our eldest brother?

He was always doing his own thing anyway, so it wasn’t really his business.

Still, I kept my mouth shut.

”I found her near the road,” I said, deciding to tell the truth. ”She had just been attacked by a thief. He robbed her and left her in a terrible state.”

I continued speaking while rubbing my thumb against my palm, keeping my gaze lowered instead of looking at them.

”And instead of taking her to the warrior station to file a report, you decided to carry her in your arms?” Jaguar questioned.

Ragnar started smoking as he sat on the single sofa, taking puff after puff while watching me intently.

”No, I...” I paused. ”She was in a bad state, and I thought maybe her sugar was low, so I offered her some food.”

This time, I sounded a little too defensive.

”Actually, she asked for macarons. I got her macaroons. It was a big mishap, a huge misstep. I didn’t know she was allergic to coconut. She had an allergic reaction, and my car wasn’t starting, so I took her to the hospital. I stayed there because, at the end of the day, it was my fuckup. She could have lost her life.”

Once I was done talking, I noticed Jaguar starting to understand because his expression relaxed considerably.

”And she couldn’t tell the difference between macarons and what you bought, even when she specifically asked for them?” Ragnar asked, tilting his head. His lips puckered slightly.

”No, it’s not that. She did ask me why the macarons looked like that, and I didn’t know they were two different things. So I told her they always looked like that. She probably thought that was just how that bakery made them.”

I tried to make excuses for her because why would she eat them if she knew they were different? There was no logic in that.

Of course, Ragnar questioned everything.

”And I am so sorry that I skipped Gigi’s meal. I was going to text her. I was going to plan the trip with her. But then this whole thing happened, and I was scared and worried. Otherwise, who cares if a secretary is...” I grunted in frustration. ”Otherwise, I would have just left her at the hospital.”

At least Jaguar seemed pleased with my answers, and I could tell why.

Verity’s brother had caused a lot of damage in Gigi’s life. They didn’t want Verity around her, and the thought of me spending time with Verity had probably led them to assume that we were dating.

I mean, I wanted to.

But now that I saw how much it had upset everyone, I began to wonder.

If Verity was unintentionally becoming the reason I was hurting Gigi, I would never want that.

I would choose Gigi, our friendship, and everything that came with it.

”Well then, I hope you’ve learned a lesson from this. Next time you find her by the side of a road, or anywhere else, call the cops. Help her if you need to, and then call the cops. Do anything, but don’t carry her around in your arms,” Ragnar responded coldly.

I had at least expected them to be confused or shocked, but it seemed like they didn’t really give a damn.

That must have meant Gigi had been really upset.

”Yeah, I understand. I’ll go speak with Gigi,” I said to my brother before quickly getting up and walking away.

”This can’t keep happening,” I said to my wolf as I entered my room and shut the door behind me.

I rubbed my face with both hands.

”I don’t understand why you’re so anxious. You enjoyed your time with Verity, didn’t you?” my wolf complained and I nodded.

”Yeah, it was good and all, but— I mean, I can definitely control my urges. Besides, if her presence is upsetting so many of my family members, I’m not going to pursue her anymore,” I told my wolf, shaking my head at the idea of getting closer to Verity.

Because at the end of the day, if they asked me to choose between Verity and Gigi’s peace of mind, I would choose Gigi.

I had known Gigi for a very long time. I wasn’t going to become the second person to ruin her peace of mind.

So there it was.

I was going to hold myself back from Verity.

And what better way was there to do that?

I picked up my phone and decided to call for a one night stand. Maybe the satisfaction of sex would stop me from going after Verity.

At the same time, I had to fix things with Gigi.

I sounded like a hypocrite. I had scolded Jaguar for bailing on her, and then I had done the exact same thing.

It seemed that, at this point, we were taking her for granted.

Back-to-back, two people had hurt her.

And we had upset her brother too.

I wasn’t ready for that.