Chasing His Scentless Mate Chapter 341 No Trace

Ava’s POV

My chest tightened painfully as I stared at my phone.

Indefinite leave? Without telling ? Without answering my calls?

I couldn’t breathe as I leaned against the wall in the hallway. My lungs felt like they were shrinking, refusing to take in enough air.

I’d been avoiding the obvious conclusion for days, trying to convince myself there was so innocent explanation for my mother’s disappearance. A broken phone. A busy work schedule. Maybe she was angry with .

But I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. My mother, like my grandmother, had vanished.

I was alone now.

"Ava?" Caroline’s voice ca from down the hall. "Are you okay?"

I quickly wiped away the tears and forced a smile. "Actually, I’m not feeling great. I think I might need to head ho and rest."

Caroline frowned, approaching with concern. "What’s wrong? You look really pale."

"Just a migraine," I lied, unable to burden her with my problems. Not when she was days away from her wedding. "I took so dicine, but I think I need to lie down."

"Of course," Caroline said, touching my arm gently. "Do you want Nina to drive you ho?"

I shook my head. "She’s busy with the seating arrangents. I’ll grab a rideshare."

"I’m sure," I insisted, forcing another smile. "This is your big week. I just need a few hours of rest, and I’ll be back to help tomorrow."

Caroline hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. But text when you get ho, and don’t worry about tomorrow morning. Co when you’re feeling better."

I hugged her quickly, feeling terrible for lying to her. "Thanks, Caroline. Everything’s going to be beautiful."

I wasn’t heading to Nina’s apartnt. Instead, I directed the driver to my mother’s house.

As the car pulled up to the apartnt building, I felt my anxiety spike. The last ti I’d left was when my mother had tried to use a magical spell to force to leave Harbor Bay with her.

I paid the driver and walked up the familiar path, fishing out my spare key from my purse.

"Mom?" I called out as I pushed the door open. My voice sounded small in the silent house. "Mom, are you ho?"

Nothing.

I moved through the entryway, noticing imdiately that sothing felt off. The house was clean – too clean. No mail piled on the side table. No coffee mug in the sink.

"Mom?" I called again, louder this ti, though I already knew I wouldn’t get an answer.

I checked every room. Everything was clean and organized, but no signs of her.

When I reached her bedroom, I hesitated before pushing the door open.

Her clothes were all there. Her suitcase was on the top shelf.

I sank onto her bed, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. There were no signs of a struggle. No indication of a hasty departure. Everything was in its place, except for my mother.

I picked up her frad photo from the nightstand – the one of her holding as a baby, my grandmother standing proudly beside us. Three generations of won with the sa secrets.

"Where are you?" I whispered to the image of my mother.

My heart sank. She wouldn’t just disappear like this. Sothing terrible had happened to her. Had soone discovered their magical abilities? Had they been taken by hunters? Or worse, had they been found by the mysterious wolves who had hunted us years ago?

I needed help, but who could I turn to? My friends didn’t know the truth about my family. About .

Joseph’s face flashed in my mind. As an Alpha, he had resources, connections. But going to him ant explaining things I wasn’t ready to reveal.

"I can’t go to him," I murmured. "Not like this. Not yet."

The police were the logical first step. Even if I couldn’t tell them everything, they could at least start looking.

With determination, I left my mother’s house and called another rideshare to take to the Harbor Bay Police Departnt.

The police station was busy. I told the desk officer I needed to report my mother missing.

Detective Morris led to a small interview room and took out a notepad.

"When did you last see your mother, Miss Flynn?" she asked after taking down my basic information.

"About two weeks ago."

"And when did you realize sothing might be wrong?"

I explained about the unanswered calls and texts, the silence from both my mother and grandmother, and finally calling my mother’s workplace to discover she’d taken an indefinite leave.

Detective Morris wrote everything down, her expression expressionless. "Is it possible your mother decided to take an impromptu vacation? Perhaps with your grandmother?"

"Without telling ? Without packing her clothes?" I shook my head. "No way. She wouldn’t do that."

"Has your mother been stressed lately? Work problems? Money trouble?"

"No, nothing like that." At least nothing she told about.

The detective continued with her questions. Had my mother ntioned any enemies? Any strange occurrences? Any changes in behavior?

I answered as honestly as I could without ntioning anything supernatural. No, my mother didn’t have enemies. No, she hadn’t ntioned feeling threatened. Yes, she was a private person who kept to herself.

After nearly an hour of questions, Detective Morris closed her notebook. "We’ll open a missing persons case for Odelia Trollpoe. I recomnd you reach out to any other family mbers or friends who might have heard from her. Sotis people just need space."

"She wouldn’t just disappear," I insisted, frustration building in my chest. "Sothing happened to her."

"We’ll investigate thoroughly, Miss Flynn," Detective Morris said, like she thought I was making a big deal out of nothing. "In the anti, here’s my card. Call if you think of anything else that might help."

I took the card, knowing the detective didn’t believe there was real danger. To her, my mother was just another adult who had chosen to take so ti away.

By the ti I left the police station, it was past eight o’clock. My stomach growled, reminding I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. There was a small diner across the street – nothing fancy, just a place where I could sit and think about my next steps.

The diner was nearly empty. I slid into a booth in the corner and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and coffee. When the food arrived, I just stared at it, pushing it around with my fork.

"My mom used to say playing with food ans you’re either not hungry or too hungry for your brain to work right."

I looked up, startled by the familiar voice.

It was Alpha Kenneth.

"I’m sorry to intrude," Kenneth said with a gentle smile. "But you look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. I couldn’t help but notice."