Ava’s POV
"That’s why we’re here today, to talk. You promised to listen, and I’ll clear all your doubts," he said calmly.
"I thought we ca here to have sex?" I teased him.
"Oh, Ava, I would love to get lost in your curves, but I won’t do that until we talk and resolve everything," Joseph sighed. "Ava, you excite beyond words, but I won’t touch you intimately until you forgive . The next ti I undress you, we won’t have sex—we’ll make love."
This bastard knew how to use his words, almost persuading . But I needed to be strong. No matter how much I wanted this man, how much I loved him, I needed to understand everything that had happened and figure out if I could forgive him.
"Why did you believe those rumors, Joseph? Why didn’t you talk to ?" I asked, feeling the pain still burning in my heart.
"Because my father ssed with my head and my life. That’s what he does," Joseph sighed. "Ava, it’s always easier to believe the worst. He always manages to get to . I can’t count how many tis he’s mocked , how many tis he’s created trouble for , made doubt myself..."
Joseph’s eyes were filled with tears, and I couldn’t help but stroke his hair. His father was an open wound in his heart, and despite not showing it, he suffered because of his father.
"I never had a father," I began speaking without realizing what I was saying, just venting. "When I was a child, I fantasized that all fathers loved their children. I thought it was nature. But hearing about what your father did, I realize not everyone deserves to be a father."
"Mmm..." Joseph expressed his discontent. "We’re taught to romanticize family."
"Your father doesn’t deserve to be a proper father, much less an Alpha of a pack. A true Alpha should protect and support their children, not hurt them." I looked into his eyes as I spoke.
"My father is garbage, Ava! I don’t want to be like him. Help ." Joseph looked at , a tear rolling down his handso face.
"I’m not your saving grace, Joseph. I can’t be. But I can be by your side, holding your hand whenever he sses with your head. More importantly, you need to rember that you’re already so much better than him. You’re what he could never be. But to achieve that, you need to trust more than you trust his destructive ways." I looked into his eyes as I spoke.
"I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t make the sa mistake twice." Joseph assured so firmly that I couldn’t help but believe him.
"Why did you sleep with Sophia?" I needed to know everything.
"Ava, Sophia is like one of those annoying won, a pest that appears everywhere. We’ve known each other for a long ti, and before I t you, she would show up, and sotis I’d sleep with her, but I always made it clear it was just sex, never giving her more hope." Joseph had already told this.
"I know that already, but why did you sleep with her after we started seeing each other?" I sighed.
"Because I’m an idiot. I was malicious and hurt. She showed up, and I just thought maybe going back to my old habits would be better than suffering for a woman. I guess I was trying to protect my feelings." Joseph was being honest; I had no doubt about that.
"Were you suffering then?"
"I am suffering," he emphasized the present tense. "From the mont I started pursuing you until we started dating, I completely fell in love. I can’t even explain when or describe what I feel, but it’s a feeling that burns like fire inside . I love you, Ava. That’s why the outside interference hurt so much, why I was an idiot and malicious, why I didn’t have the courage to face you."
"That was my next question—why didn’t you break up with before sleeping with her?"
"Because I didn’t have enough courage to hear you tell he was better than , because I couldn’t bear the pain of thinking I’d lost you, and I didn’t want to hear the breakup words." Joseph was shedding large tears.
"No one is better than you!" I assured him.
"But the outside voices always tell otherwise, and I believed them." Joseph had a lost look in his eyes, perhaps trapped in so painful mories.
I pulled him into my embrace, feeling his tears dampen my shoulder. This tall, strong Alpha, the master of his own pack, was in that mont just a little boy who needed comfort.
We stayed like that, embracing, and I lost track of ti. He was lost in his thoughts, and I was lost in my doubts. Would I be able to forgive him and heal the pain of betrayal in my chest? Could I be as honest with him about all my secrets as he was being with ?
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