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 exclaid when she saw , imdiately pulling into a tight embrace. Her eyes were puffy and red. "I wasn’t sure you’d co."
"How are you holding up, sis?" I asked, patting her back gently.
"Like shit." She released with a bitter laugh. "Co 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 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 harassnt 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 , equally devastated by our actions.
"Joseph, you idiot," Flora whispered, stroking my hair with affection. "Stop wasting ti. Go find Ava and beg her forgiveness."
Even Scott spoke up, "Joseph, sotis an Alpha needs to put aside his pride. When it cos 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 ho, I’ll wait until she returns," I said, determined."I won’t lose her."
The doorman inford Ava was ho, and my access card still worked—a small rcy. I rushed up the stairs, my heart pounding with every step. Dean was restless, pushing 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 tis over.
She was on the phone, and seeing 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 . 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 an 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 , 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 soone’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 instead of believing that bitch’s photos?"
"I could ask you the sa question. Why didn’t you tell what Steward was doing? Why keep his harassnt a secret?"
"Kyle would have told you eventually."
"She only told 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 imdiately. He’s a total creep! I would have shut him down fast. You don’t know Steward—he’s like so 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 sooner, I would have filed a complaint with the club. Those five other won 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 mber, I could have demanded his imdiate expulsion from the club if you’d told ."
"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 . He has this uncanny ability to manipulate everyone around him. I believed Sophia, that lying bitch, because every ti Steward appears in my life, sothing gets destroyed."
"Your relationship with him is toxic. Why keep soone 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. Sotis 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."
"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 first. Is that how you treat won? Did you ever see as a person with feelings, or was I just another conquest?"
"Ava, I—"
"No! Let finish! You had your struggles and pain, but you were completely selfish! Did you ever think about what your cold-ass treatnt was doing to ? I was going through hell, Joseph. You get that? I was in hell!"
Her words tore right through .
"You’re a coward," she scread, wiping angrily at the tears streaming down her face. "What a goddamn hypocrite. Your brilliant solution to being hurt was to screw soone 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 ti 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 it wasn’t just that one ti I walked in on you two? How many goddamn tis 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 tis."
"You son of a bitch!" Ava backed away from , 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 .
"Ava, please... let 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 out—"
"You had plenty of fucking ti to talk to , but you were too busy banging that slut. Now go talk to her instead."
Ava yanked the door open, practically shoving 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 apartnt, I imdiately called Eleanor. I needed allies, and her friendship with Ava might be my only hope now.
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