The Three Who Chose Me-Chapter 76: Bruised Loyalties

Kiel

"You don’t get to tell me when to stop talking, Thorne!" I snapped, slamming my hand on the table, the veins in my arms pulsing with fury. "You think I’m just going to stand here and let them blame me for something that Michelle did?"

My voice echoed in the council hall. Elders sat stiffly in their seats, some with narrowed eyes, others watching with veiled judgment. I didn’t care. They could all burn for all I cared right now.

"She drugged me!" I growled, glaring at them. "And yet somehow I’m the one being made to look like the villain?"

Thorne stepped forward, his expression hard. "Kiel. That’s enough. Be quiet."

My head snapped toward him. "No! Don’t tell me to be quiet!" My voice came out harsher than I intended, but the anger boiling in my chest needed release. "You weren’t there! You didn’t see how she—how it—" My words stumbled over themselves as rage took over. "This isn’t my fault!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Varen moving through the crowd, forcefully pushing elders and betas out of the room. Chairs scraped against the stone floor, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t done.

I surged forward and shoved Thorne with everything I had. For once, I wanted him to feel it. To feel even a fraction of what was tearing me apart inside.

To my shock, Thorne actually staggered back.

But then, fury overtook his features.

He grabbed me and shoved me down into the nearest seat like I weighed nothing. I bounced against the wooden armrest with a grunt, but scrambled up, ready to swing again.

"Don’t you dare manhandle me!" I shouted.

Before I could do anything, Varen’s hand clamped around my neck and yanked me back.

"Enough!" he barked, his voice like a whip. "Get a grip, Kiel. You’re losing it."

I struggled in his hold, fury clouding my vision. "Let go of me!"

"You think we’re the reason this happened?" Varen growled, tightening his grip on my neck and slamming me back against the wall. "We’re not the ones who decided to bed Michelle."

"She drugged me!" I choked, then lashed out with a punch, catching him clean across the jaw. "You think I wanted this? You think I would’ve touched her willingly?!"

He stumbled but didn’t falter. His glare deepened, and the air between us turned molten.

"You left the pack," he growled. "In the middle of the night. After Josie had just been attacked—by Michelle, no less. You left when you were vulnerable, when you knew it was dangerous. I told you to stay, but you didn’t listen!"

"Because of you!" I roared. "You forced me out! You kept pushing even when I told you I wasn’t okay!"

"The only person who wasn’t safe was Josie!" he snarled back.

The words hit me like a slap.

"You don’t get it, do you?" Varen continued, voice razor-sharp. "You made her a target. Michelle wanted you. She always did. Josie stood in her way. You being close to Josie—protecting her, caring about her—that made her the enemy."

My breath caught.

"She tried to kill Josie... because of me?" I whispered.

Varen stared me down, his jaw clenched. "Yes. She saw Josie as the obstacle. And you? You fed the fire. You may not have handed Michelle the knife, Kiel, but you sure as hell helped sharpen it."

My knees gave out.

I collapsed to the floor, the weight of his words suffocating me. My palms pressed to the cold ground as horror settled over me like a second skin.

"No... no," I breathed. "I didn’t think... I didn’t know\..."

"You didn’t want to know," Varen snapped.

The words felt like claws dragging through my chest. I clenched my jaw, willing myself not to break. Not here. Not in front of them.

"I could marry her, you know?" Varen said suddenly, his tone chilling. "I could pretend this didn’t happen. Play the perfect mate. Smile for the cameras and give the pack the happy ending they want."

I looked up, heart still thudding.

"But what happens to Josie?" he asked, gaze locked on mine. "Where does she fit in that picture-perfect lie?"

I felt like I’d been gutted.

"I’m not marrying Michelle!" I screamed, voice cracking under the weight of it all. "I hate her! I can’t even look at her without wanting to throw up!"

The room had gone still, everyone frozen in place as I kept shouting.

"I’ve spent every damn day trying to prove to Josie that I’m not the guy everyone thinks I am," I spat. "That I’m not some damn player who doesn’t care! I wanted her to see that I was serious, that she meant something to me! And now?"

I laughed bitterly, wiping a shaking hand down my face. "Now I’ve made everything worse."

The silence was deafening.

"I need to be alone," I whispered.

I turned to leave, but Thorne stepped in front of me, his face unreadable.

"Move," I said.

He didn’t.

"We’re brothers," Thorne said, voice steady. "We can fight like animals, rip each other apart... but that doesn’t change what we are."

I met his gaze, my voice cold. "Then act like one."

His face paled.

I didn’t wait. I walked past him, ignoring the sting in my chest as I did.

Josie’s room wasn’t far, but the weight of every step made it feel like a thousand miles. When I reached the door, I snapped at the guards.

"No one gets in," I ordered. "Not even my brothers."

They nodded stiffly and stepped aside.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

It was too quiet.

The room was dim, sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains. At first, I didn’t see her. Panic clawed at me.

"Josie?" I called out, heart racing.

Then I saw her.

At the edge of the mirror.

A glass shard in her hand.

"No," I breathed.

She didn’t even flinch when I rushed to her. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I yanked the shard from her hand, tossing it across the room. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Let go of me!" she screamed. "Why do you even care?!"

"I care because I—" My throat burned. "Because I can’t lose you."

She scoffed, shaking with rage. "You’ve already lost me, Kiel! You’ve done nothing but feed me lies! You said I could trust you!"

Her voice cracked, and so did something inside me.

"That’s not true!" I shouted back. "I didn’t lie to you!"

She let out a bitter, broken laugh that shattered my soul. "Tell that to the whole pack! Tell it to everyone laughing behind my back! The poor omega who thought she had a chance with a damn alpha!"

My heart split in two.

"Josie—"

"No!" she cut me off, stepping away. "You were supposed to be different."

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to fix this. I only knew that I had ruined everything.

And I might never get her back.