Chapter 354-He Wants Me To Stay Away From Him

Jaguar:

"What kind of theories?" I asked as we sat down on the living room couch.

"That someone might have..." Ragnar trailed off before clearing his throat. "You know Oliver had too many victims, right?"

When he gestured toward the bottle, I quickly rose from the couch and went to the small bar, grabbing two wine glasses, one for him and one for me.

"Yes," I replied, letting him know I was listening and that he could continue.

"A lot of their family members, especially brothers, fiancés, mates, boyfriends, and fathers, have been angry with Oliver. Some even suggested that we should hand him over to them so they could punish him. The warriors think maybe one of them got their hands on his sister for revenge."

I heard the slight crack in Ragnar’s voice and realized how much the possibility was hurting him.

"That would be terrible. It’s not her fault what happened," I murmured as I walked over and handed him a glass of wine.

Ragnar nodded, staring down at the glass while his fingers curled tightly around it.

"We don’t know what’s going on. All I know is that Gigi is gone, it’s been days, and there hasn’t been a single piece of information about her. Her family is getting agitated as well."

He looked completely distraught.

"Well, if someone had her, wouldn’t they have already contacted us for..." I stopped when Ragnar shook his head.

"Nobody has her for money. They didn’t abduct her so they could demand a ransom." His expression hardened. "They abducted her so they could punish her for her brother’s actions."

Ragnar’s words made my heart skip a beat.

It was entirely possible, and that was what made it so terrifying.

"Anyway, I just wanted to come home and talk to you. I have to leave again. Theodore is there alone." Ragnar slowly got to his feet and walked toward the table. "Keep your phone nearby because we don’t know what might happen or when, okay?"

He turned around and looked at me.

"Try to keep your distance from Miss Verity. At least for now."

My heart skipped a beat, and my head snapped up at his request.

Ragnar didn’t wait for an answer.

He simply walked away.

"What was that all about?"

Of course, my wolf woke up the second he heard it.

My brother clearly had some kind of problem with me spending time with Verity.

"Did you not hear what he said? At least for now. That’s what he said," I reminded my wolf, rolling my eyes at how dramatic he was being.

"Because it would be inappropriate for a lot of reasons," I muttered, finishing my drink in one gulp.

"And how exactly is that?" my wolf complained.

"Well, for starters..." I cleared my throat. "Verity has been traumatized. She definitely hasn’t healed from everything she’s been through yet."

I paused before continuing.

"Second, Ragnar’s girlfriend is missing. If anyone finds out I’m sleeping with the secretary while my brothers are out there searching for Gigi, it’s not exactly going to make us look good."

Even saying it aloud made the situation sound worse.

"And if Gigi is out there somewhere on her own and somehow finds out about this, even she might be upset. So there you go."

I hoped that would be enough to stop my wolf from asking any more questions.

"Well, if you say so," he remarked.

I rolled my eyes.

"That’s it. Trust me."

Getting to my feet, I decided I might as well go out and help Ragnar search for Gigi.

I had barely stepped outside the mansion when I noticed a car pulling up and parking nearby.

The person inside looked familiar.

I had seen her before.

That was the strange part. I didn’t actually know her, but I recognized her.

What confused me most was why she was here at this hour.

"Rochelle?" I asked in confusion, watching her approach me with an anxious expression.

She looked unusually dull. I mean, I had seen her before.

It wasn’t that she was unattractive. She just wasn’t my type.

And, of course, my standards were ridiculously high now that I was with Verity. Nobody could come close to her.

So, in other words, Rochelle didn’t stand a chance, even though I knew she kind of liked me. She was always dropping hints.

"I need to speak with you, Alpha Jaguar," she said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Okay. Come inside. Is everything all right?" I asked, leading her into the mansion.

She kept rubbing her hands together, looking genuinely devastated.

The moment we entered the living room, she broke down without even sitting.

"Someone is doing something to my sister. She’s going through a lot, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get her to tell me what’s wrong. She just won’t speak. She won’t tell me anything."

Her knees gave way under her, but thankfully, someone was there to catch her.

I wasn’t sure when Verity had woken up, but she rushed out of her wing the moment she saw Rochelle sinking to the floor.

Wrapping an arm around her, she helped her back to her feet.

"Come on. Have a seat," Verity urged, guiding her toward the couch and helping her sit down.

"I’ll get her some water," Verity told me before giving me a stern look. "Listen to her properly."

I was going to, of course, but something about Verity taking control, making decisions, and ordering me around felt strangely right.

It was crazy.

Someone was sitting in front of me crying, yet the moment Verity appeared, I became more attentive, more capable, more responsible.

I settled onto the couch across from Rochelle and straightened my coat while Verity returned with a box of tissues and a glass of water.

It took her a while to calm Rochelle down enough for her to explain what was happening.

"My sister is only nineteen. She’s a student, and she’s been trying to get admission for further studies. She wanted to attend this academy. It’s a whole thing, but that’s not the point." Rochelle wiped at her cheeks. "The point is that she’s suddenly changed. I’ve noticed for the past few days that something is wrong with her, and then I couldn’t help but..."

She stopped abruptly.