Chapter 369-Back To Normal

Verity:

Turns out Gigi had been abducted.

She was taken to the hospital, where she had a complete meltdown after waking up.

She only managed to tell Ragnar bits and pieces of what had happened before she passed out again.

I learned all of this while Theodore and Jaguar were talking in the living room.

Apparently, Gigi had been tortured in the worst way possible, and honestly, knowing Rocky’s history and the things he had done before, I was scared that this time she might actually be telling the truth.

I didn’t want to think about it, but something in the back of my mind kept telling me that maybe this was her karma.

Maybe this had happened because she’d lied about something similar before, and now that lie had somehow come true.

But someone’s karma couldn’t possibly be this cruel.

I didn’t know.

I’d always imagined karma as something that exposed a person’s lies or forced them to face the consequences of what they’d done.

I never thought of it as something where the exact same horror happened to them or to someone they loved.

A woman’s body has always been a sensitive subject for me.

I could never understand how revenge, hatred, or anger so often seemed to end with someone violating a woman’s body, as if that somehow settled the score.

Even the thought of it disgusted me.

Because of that, I found myself somewhere in the middle.

On one hand, I hated Gigi for what she’d put my brother through.

On the other, I couldn’t stop myself from sympathizing with her.

Eighteen days with someone like Rocky was horrifying enough, but then there were all the things they’d found inside his cabin, including the pleasure toys she claimed he’d used on her.

It was jarring.

Jenna had been unusually quiet ever since the news came out.

Of course, the full story hadn’t been released to the public.

Most of it was still being kept hidden.

People only knew that Gigi had been found and that another serial offender had been killed during the rescue.

"How are you?" Theodore asked, finally breaking the silence and drawing my attention away from my thoughts.

I looked up at him and swallowed, my mind still drifting back to Gigi.

"I’m okay," I replied, cracking my knuckles.

Everyone was gathered in the living room.

"But what about the text that was sent to her mother’s phone?" Jenna suddenly asked.

Almost immediately, she went quiet again.

I could tell she’d realized she couldn’t openly suggest anything suspicious right now.

It would look terrible, and honestly, it would be terrible.

"Once Gigi gets better, she’ll give a full statement," Jaguar replied before turning toward me. "Have you heard from your wolf again?"

I shrugged because, honestly, I hadn’t.

My wolf had given me the worst scare the day before, and then she’d gone silent again.

Since then, no matter how much I’d tried to reach for her or get her attention, I hadn’t been able to get any response.

"Well, at least the asshole is dead," Jenna muttered.

Everyone’s eyes shifted toward her, and I could tell some of them immediately felt guilty.

With all the trauma surrounding Gigi, the condition she’d been found in, and everything happening at the hospital, people had probably forgotten that Rocky hadn’t only hurt Gigi.

Jenna had been one of his victims too.

"Anyway, I’m going to my room to finish filling out these forms," Jenna said as she stood.

Before leaving, she turned toward her grandmother and held out a hand, as if she’d already known Lady Lucille would want to come with her.

Lady Lucille looked more than ready to get away from all the stressful conversation.

"Now that Gigi’s been found, maybe we should start preparing for Jenna’s mate ball," she remarked casually.

That probably shocked everyone more than anything else she could have said.

"I hope Grandmother doesn’t say anything like that in front of Ragnar," Jaguar told Theodore, shaking his head at her.

She was always trying to dismiss anything concerning Gigi.

I didn’t judge her for it, but in this particular moment, I couldn’t take her side.

Something kept telling me that maybe it was karma, but I quickly silenced those thoughts.

"Well, do you want counseling?"

Theodore’s question came out of nowhere. I looked up at him before shifting my gaze to Jaguar.

"For what?" I asked.

"Your wolf. It seems like she’s holding back for a reason. Maybe if we talk about it and get her some help, she’ll be able to move forward."

Normally, his suggestion would have sounded reasonable, but he was part of the problem, and I didn’t trust him.

I didn’t trust anyone with my secrets.

It wasn’t as though I could get help and start talking about my trauma without exposing just how much hatred I carried for these brothers.

"No, I’m fine. I’ll let her open up naturally," I said.

They both nodded before turning toward each other.

I glanced up and noticed the two of them talking quietly to each other.

I hated the way my attention drifted to their hair, then their eyes, their lips, their sharp jawlines, and finally their bodies.

They were incredibly handsome brothers sitting in front of me, both in love with me.

Under different circumstances, I might have considered myself the luckiest woman alive.

Instead, it felt like a curse.

For them, it was love.

For me, it was revenge and nothing more.

"I’ll go and start looking for mate ballideas. We only have a few days, and I don’t want to disappoint Lady Lucille. I mean, that’s the job I was hired for," I stated, not wanting to make excuses for why I was suddenly so willing to plan a mate ball when Gigi still hadn’t healed.

The truth was, Gigi would never have stopped living her life for anyone else.

I didn’t want this full moon to pass without a mate ball for Jenna.

She deserved it, especially after everything she had been through.

Thankfully, neither of them tried to stop me.

They simply nodded, and before long, I was back in my room.

I had barely sat down when my other phone rang.

It was O.