Chasing His Scentless Mate-Chapter 316 Digging Myself Deeper

Joseph’s POV

I headed straight to my pack house.

As Alpha of the Nightbane Pack, I normally projected strength and control, but today I felt like my world was crumbling.

"Joseph!" Flora exclaimed when she saw me, immediately pulling me into a tight embrace. Her eyes were puffy and red. "I wasn’t sure you’d come."

"How are you holding up, sis?" I asked, patting her back gently.

"Like shit." She released me with a bitter laugh. "Come in. Scott and Antonio are waiting in the living room."

I followed her into the spacious living room where Scott and Antonio sat wearing grim expressions.

Flora handed me a mug of coffee, and I took a seat across from Scott.

"So, tell us what happened," Flora asked, settling beside her husband.

I exhaled deeply before recounting everything—the harassment incidents at the social club, the potential complaints against Steward, what he’d done to Ava, my colossal mistake with Sophia, and how he’d been tracking Ava.

By the end of it all, I completely broke down, collapsing against my sister’s shoulder and sobbing like a child. Dean was howling mournfully inside me, equally devastated by our actions.

"Joseph, you idiot," Flora whispered, stroking my hair with affection. "Stop wasting time. Go find Ava and beg her forgiveness."

Even Scott spoke up, "Joseph, sometimes an Alpha needs to put aside his pride. When it comes to your mate, there’s no room for ego."

Antonio cut in, clearly disapproving."Ava is special, Uncle. How could you hurt her like this?"

"Antonio," Flora cautioned, "watch how you speak to your Alpha."

"Alpha or not, he deserves it!" Antonio stood, hands on his hips. "If we weren’t blood, I’d challenge you right now for how you’ve treated her!"

The kid was right. My wolf and I both knew it.

I stood, wiping my face. "I need to find her."

"Now?" Flora asked.

"Yes, now. If she’s not home, I’ll wait until she returns," I said, determined."I won’t lose her."

The doorman informed me Ava was home, and my access card still worked—a small mercy. I rushed up the stairs, my heart pounding with every step. Dean was restless, pushing me forward, desperate to see her.

When Ava opened the door, I nearly lost my nerve. She wasn’t just angry; she was furious. If looks could kill, I’d have died eight hundred times over.

She was on the phone, and seeing me only intensified the fire in her eyes.

I stepped inside, waiting for her to finish her call. After she hung up, she crossed her arms and stood before me. I quickly held up a finger, asking her to wait, then called Antonio.

"Antonio, you big mouth, what did you tell her?" I demanded.

"Uncle, I didn’t mean to say anything, but—"

"What exactly did you tell her?"

"Everything!" He sighed heavily on the other end. "Including how you cried like a newborn pup in mom’s arms."

"Antonio! I’ll deal with you later."

Before I could hang up, Ava was in front of me, her finger pointed directly at my nose.

"You lay one finger on Antonio, and I’ll skin you alive," she threatened with the kind of calm that usually preceded someone’s funeral. Mine, specifically.

She turned and walked to the living room, sitting down.

Great. The little snitch had found himself a protector.

I took a deep breath and followed, sitting beside her.

"Why, Joseph?" Ava’s voice was laced with exhaustion and pain. "Why couldn’t you just talk to me instead of believing that bitch’s photos?"

"I could ask you the same question. Why didn’t you tell me what Steward was doing? Why keep his harassment a secret?"

"Kyle would have told you eventually."

"She only told me because she was worried about you."

"You already had enough pressure after your father’s visit. I didn’t want to make things worse."

"Goddess, Ava!" I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. "You should have told me immediately. He’s a total creep! I would have shut him down fast. You don’t know Steward—he’s like some twisted villain straight out of a soap opera. You can’t deal with that snake alone."

"I can take care of myself, Joseph," she insisted, her chin lifting defiantly.

"No, Ava, you can’t handle Steward," my voice rose with intensity. "If you had told me sooner, I would have filed a complaint with the club. Those five other women might have been spared his advances."

"I regret not filing a formal complaint. Maybe it could have stopped him from hurting those girls."

"As a member, I could have demanded his immediate expulsion from the club if you’d told me."

"Fine. I should have told you," she conceded, then her eyes narrowed. "Now spill it, Joseph. Why did you hook up with that bitch while we were still together?"

"Because I’m a goddamn idiot!"

"That much I already knew," she retorted sharply.

"Ouch. Fair enough," I grimaced.

Dean growled in my head. "You deserve much worse than her sharp words, you fool."

"I know," I responded silently.

Aloud, I continued, "I was blinded by rage! My father brings out the darkest parts of me. He has this uncanny ability to manipulate everyone around him. I believed Sophia, that lying bitch, because every time Steward appears in my life, something gets destroyed."

"Your relationship with him is toxic. Why keep someone like that in your life?"

"Because of my mother. She never let us take sides. She said what happened between them was their business, but he was still our father. She’s deeply religious and believes in honoring your parents, no matter who they are or what they’ve done."

"So many people romanticize family even when it’s dysfunctional," Ava said bitterly. "Family should be built on love and understanding, not just blood. Sometimes the people closest to you hurt you the deepest."

"I agree. That’s why I’ve tried to appease my father while keeping my distance—to avoid dealing with him directly without upsetting my mother." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Even so, Joseph, that doesn’t excuse what you did," Ava’s voice cracked. "You didn’t even have the decency to break up with me first. Is that how you treat women? Did you ever see me as a person with feelings, or was I just another conquest?"

"Ava, I—"

"No! Let me finish! You had your struggles and pain, but you were completely selfish! Did you ever think about what your cold-ass treatment was doing to me? I was going through hell, Joseph. You get that? I was in hell!"

Her words tore right through me.

"You’re a coward," she screamed, wiping angrily at the tears streaming down her face. "What a goddamn hypocrite. Your brilliant solution to being hurt was to screw someone else? How incredibly noble of you!"

"Ava, I was a coward," I admitted. " I wanted you gone so I wouldn’t have to deal with facing you. I slept with Sophia trying to prove I could go back to the life I had before you, but I couldn’t. Every time I was with her, I felt worse. I can’t live without you."

"Wait," she held up her hand, her eyes widening. "Are you telling me it wasn’t just that one time I walked in on you two? How many goddamn times did you fuck her, Joseph?"

The fury in Ava’s eyes reignited like a wildfire, and I realized Antonio hadn’t told her everything after all.

I was instantly thrown off and had no clue what to say.

Ava’s face went from hurt to absolutely livid.

"Answer the fucking question, Joseph!"

"Damn it!" I covered my face, closing my eyes. "Several times."

"You son of a bitch!" Ava backed away from me, her hand pressed against her chest in pain, tears of disbelief rolling down her cheeks. "You fucked that whore in your house, in our bed! And not just once!"

I stood to touch her, but she pulled away from me.

"Ava, please... let me fix this..."

"Joseph, get out!" she shouted, her hands trembling with rage. "Get out now, or I swear to the Goddess I’ll scratch your damn eyes out!"

"Ava, please just hear me out—"

"You had plenty of fucking time to talk to me, but you were too busy banging that slut. Now go talk to her instead."

Ava yanked the door open, practically shoving me toward it.

Dean was howling in distress in my mind. "Look what you’ve done. Look at the pain in her eyes."

I decided giving her space was best for tonight. Tomorrow I would try again. But I wouldn’t give up. Not ever.

As I left her apartment, I immediately called Eleanor. I needed allies, and her friendship with Ava might be my only hope now.