Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Chapter 154: 154-Every Attempt Counts

Verity:

It reminded me of how she used to behave with my brother, because that was exactly who she used to be.

I remembered that whenever she came over and my brother was working, she would do everything, literally everything possible, to get his attention or keep him from focusing on work so he would give her his undivided attention.

I remembered that this had been such a huge issue in their relationship.

Gigi’s father was a royal beta.

She never had to earn a living for herself, but my brother had to earn for both of us.

Even I had started earning at a very young age.

But she didn’t understand that.

She wanted him to spend all his time with her, give her his full attention, and focus only on her.

At the same time, she expected him to spend money on her so she could show off to her friends how much her boyfriend spent on her.

"There seem to be a lot of people who have witnessed the entire monster incident in the woods," I said very softly.

As I looked through the files and witness statements, I realized the project had been requested by several alphas from the island.

The island itself was massive.

There were several smaller islands nearby that Ragnar was trying to explore so he could populate them with werewolves.

Of course, that wasn’t easy because where there were no packs, there were usually rogues.

So those areas were filled with rogues.

That was why the stalking cases, kidnappings, and assaults were so difficult to handle.

But the three small packs in the south of the island were facing the worst of it.

"It says here that this person was driving home from work, traveling from one pack to another, when they spotted a huge monster-like creature lurking in the woods," I said.

"They claimed the creature ran alongside their car for a while. They also shared some blurred images from their dashcam."

I knew Ragnar had already seen everything.

I was simply thinking out loud.

These alphas were trying to form an alliance with Ragnar and launch a project to create a safer environment for their people because much of their business required traveling between the packs.

Those three packs constantly interacted with one another, but the route between them had become increasingly dangerous because whatever was lurking in the shadows seemed to know that people regularly traveled back and forth.

"There have been many murders as well," Ragnar added as he pulled out an envelope filled with photographs of the victims.

The way he casually tossed the photographs onto the table, and the way they slid over one another and spread out, made my heart stop.

They weren’t just a few victims.

There were so many.

At that point, it wasn’t merely concerning anymore.

It was terrifying.

"There’s one more thing I’m noticing about the alleged monster’s pattern," I commented as I arranged the papers so that a few details stood out.

"The timing." I took a dramatic pause.

"If you notice, there’s a specific time when people claim they’ve seen the monster."

Ragnar immediately pulled the papers toward himself and began nodding.

"It was always right after midnight. Never before that."

Ragnar started rubbing his chin.

I had a few more questions to ask him, but I needed Gigi to leave first because I knew Ragnar could become very rude at any moment.

From the way we had been talking, I could tell she was already a little bothered simply because her boyfriend was listening to me.

Knowing Gigi, she would rather have him listen to her nonstop.

"So, just be prepared for the day after tomorrow. I’ll let you know what we’re going to do," he finished.

I nodded and slowly picked up my purse.

"Then I’ll head home now," I voiced.

Before he could respond, I quickly added, "And I’ll keep an eye on my emails."

I laughed as though we shared that kind of closeness.

Ragnar didn’t laugh back.

He simply tapped a pen against the table before lowering his head and returning to work.

Gigi, however, scoffed, lifting one shoulder slightly as if she were about to laugh at my attempt to be friendly with him.

"Anyway, have a good rest of the day," I said in a calm, collected voice before walking out of the mansion.

The minute I stepped outside, my mood soured because Oliver was walking straight toward me.

Harsh memories came flooding back.

But I forced myself to keep a calm expression.

Halfway through, I realized he wasn’t smirking or acting cocky, which reminded me of our last interaction.

It was when I found him beaten to a pulp in the street.

"Oliver, how are you?"

This time, I was the one who called out to him.

Why not?

He slowed down, took off his glasses, and looked at me with a sour expression.

It seemed like he had finally transitioned and was doing better.

His wounds were gone, but I was pretty sure the pain lingered.

The humiliation did too.

I knew his siblings.

They took everything as a blow to their pride, which worked in my favor because I knew exactly where to hit.

"You seem to care," he finally said with a forced smirk, trying to make it seem as though he was still the same bastard he had been before getting beaten up.

"I was wondering where I’d find you. I mean, you told me to come to your house, but guess what? I found you in the street instead. You know, I was so worried about you," I mumbled with a pout.

I could tell he understood that I was taunting him.

Mocking him, in fact.

Then he forced a smile and shook his head.

"Well, then you must have heard who attacked me. It was Gigi’s stalker, the one who attacked you too," he said, tilting his head.

"Right," I lied with a nod.

"Anyway, I would’ve beaten the fuck out of him if he hadn’t been using magic to slow down my movements."

The moment he said that, I really wanted to laugh.

But I didn’t.