Chapter 486-So It Is War Then

Chapter 486: 486-So It Is War Then

Jaguar:

Facing my brother with so much weighing on my mind was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do.

I could argue with Theodore because I was used to fighting with him, but confronting Ragnar was an entirely different matter.

Every time I looked at him, tears threatened to spill from my eyes, and I struggled to find the words I so desperately wanted to say.

Because Ragnar had betrayed me in a way I never could have imagined.

"Say something," I demanded, my clenched fist beginning to tremble.

"What you’re thinking isn’t going to happen," Ragnar finally spoke up after I demanded an answer.

"And what makes you think you know what’s on my mind?" I challenged.

He gave me a gentle smile as he reached out and patted my back.

"You’re my brother. I know everything about you. I know exactly what you’re thinking."

I clenched my jaw and slowly removed his hand from my shoulder.

"Well, you couldn’t be more wrong if you think you have me all figured out."

Before I could finish, he wagged his finger at me.

"You have no idea how well I know you, inside and out."

Then he gave me a faint smile.

"Jaguar, you’re not marrying Verity. That’s what I’m saying."

The way Ragnar uttered those words made my heart skip a beat.

I immediately pulled my hands out of my pants pockets and stared at him, stunned by what I’d just heard.

Theodore moved to the side to face me.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Theodore demanded.

"Did she call you to complain about me?"

Tears of anger welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t believe she’d even come to that conclusion.

"Wait, what the hell is going on? Who’s getting married?" Theodore yelled, making me turn toward him with a broken smile.

"It seems our mate has been complaining to our brother about how close we’ve become. I told her I would marry her, and she went running to him to complain," I explained, pointing a finger at Ragnar.

"She didn’t tell me anything. One of your warriors called me and told me everything. That’s how I found out you were looking for a council leader to officiate your wedding vows because you wanted to marry her privately before announcing it to us."

Ragnar’s tone had suddenly turned stern, but strangely enough, it didn’t seem as though my decision to marry Verity was what bothered him.

Instead, he appeared more upset that I’d brought her name into the argument and accused her of complaining about me.

It was almost as if he couldn’t stand the thought of me blaming Verity for any of this.

"Wait, wait. So does that mean Verity actually agreed to this bullshit? Did she choose you without telling me?"

As expected, Theodore was the first to complain.

"Don’t worry. As I said, it’s not happening," Ragnar repeated, his voice loud but surprisingly composed.

"You don’t get to make decisions for us anymore, brother," I finally declared. "I’ll be the one to decide that."

"Well, have it your way, then. You can try all you want. I’m just letting you know where I stand. And before you start calling me shameless or whatever else comes to mind, let me make one thing clear. I don’t give a damn what you think."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing as Ragnar started walking past me.

Neither Theodore nor I had anything left to say.

The sheer audacity with which Ragnar spoke had left us both utterly speechless.

Then, all of a sudden, Ragnar stopped, turned around, and headed straight back out through the same door he’d entered.

He hadn’t even bothered to ask about Grandma.

"Where the hell is he going now?" I complained, pointing after him.

That was when I noticed Theodore was already fuming, his furious gaze fixed on me.

"Seriously? You were planning to cut me out?" he demanded.

I merely rolled my eyes, dismissing his concerns.

They hardly mattered to me, especially when he was failing to see the bigger picture as clearly as I did.

"You do realize our elder brother has become a fraud, right?" I reminded him, carefully resting my hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "If we don’t force Verity to choose one of us, we might as well forget about her."

He immediately shoved my hand off his shoulder.

"I’m telling you the truth. Ragnar is up to something."

This time, my brother seemed to take my warning seriously.

I watched him swallow hard as the realization began to sink in.

Deep down, we both feared the same thing. If Verity had to choose between all three of us, what if she picked Ragnar?

After all, I had only just discovered that the two of them had been having an affair for a long time.

And the fact that neither of them had put a stop to it even after sensing our mate bond made the whole thing feel like a bitter betrayal.

"So you thought you could keep her all to yourself? Marry her right away?" Theodore shook his head at me in disbelief.

"Tell me one thing," he continued, his jaw tightening as he turned his attention back to me. "Have you discussed this with Verity? I mean, how did she react?"

There was fear in my brother’s eyes, genuine terror, and I knew exactly how to use it to my advantage.

"The only thing troubling her," I mumbled, "was figuring out how to convince you to go along with it."

I had barely finished speaking when Theodore stumbled backward, looking as though he had lost his footing.

I mean, I loved my brothers. At least I loved Theodore.

But it wasn’t as though his mate marrying her other mate was going to kill him.

He could get over the pain and move on with his life.

And he damn well better, because I was the one going to have Verity.