Chasing His Scentless Mate (Caroline) novel Chapter 335

Chapter 335: Chapter 335 Pretending Everything’s Normal

Ava’s POV

I followed the tracks with my eyes. They came from the forest, circled the cottage, and disappeared back into the trees. And there wasn’t just one set—there were multiple tracks, at least three or four different wolves.

"This doesn’t make sense," I whispered to myself. "Silver Creek has always been neutral territory. Grandma never had problems with the Silvercrest Pack."

Why would werewolves come here? And was my grandmother taken against her will, or did she flee? The cottage showed no signs of violence, no blood or broken windows.

I stood in the garden until the light faded completely, trying to make sense of it all. Should I call my mother? After last night’s fight, the thought made my stomach clench. But if Grandma was in danger...

"No," I decided. "I’m not running back to Mom after one day. She’ll just say ’I told you so’ and use this as another reason why I should leave Harbor Bay."

Besides, maybe Grandma would return. Maybe she just went to gather herbs in the forest or visit a friend in town.

I went back inside and found a piece of paper and pen. After hesitating a moment, I wrote,

"Grandma,It’s Ava. I had a fight with Mom and came to talk to you about what’s happening to me. If you see this note, please call me. I’m worried about you."

I added my number and, after thinking for a moment, the address of Thorne Enterprises.

With one last look around the cottage, I stepped outside, locking the door behind me. The forest seemed darker now, more menacing. Every rustle in the bushes made me jump.

As I walked back to my car, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and that strange warmth I’d felt last night flickered briefly in my chest before fading away.

I started my car and turned around, my headlights cutting through the growing darkness. As I drove away, I kept glancing in my rearview mirror.

"Why is everyone acting strange all at once?" I muttered to myself.

First my mother with her desperate attempt to make me leave town, and now my grandmother vanishing with werewolf tracks around her cottage.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

As I drove through the winding forest road, a chilling thought struck me. What if Mom’s panic wasn’t just about Joseph? What if she knew something like this might happen?

What if whatever was awakening inside me had put my family in danger?

I dragged myself up the stairs to Nina’s apartment late that night, feeling like my limbs were made of lead. The drive back from Silver Creek had been long and tense, my mind replaying those massive wolf tracks around Grandma’s cottage over and over.

Nina was sprawled on the couch watching some reality show when I walked in. She immediately sat up, muting the TV.

"There you are! I was starting to worry," she said. "How was your grandma? "

I forced my lips into what I hoped was a convincing smile.

"She wasn’t home." The words nearly tumbled out before I caught myself. That would lead to too many questions I couldn’t answer.

"I mean, yeah." I lied. "Grandma said it’s just normal family drama. You know how mothers and daughters can get."

Nina nodded sagely. "And? What else did she say?"

"That Mom’s just being overprotective." I stared at the ceiling, improvising. "She thinks Mom is worried about me dealing with life’s disappointments and all that."

"Did she have any advice?"

"She said I should talk to Mom when I’m ready. "

Nina reached over to squeeze my hand. "Hey, that’s actually good advice. Families fight, but blood is blood, right?"

If only she knew how literally that statement applied to my situation.

His jaw tightened. "This is—"

Then his mother Luna Hedi appeared. I didn’t have the energy to pay much attention to her arrival.

By lunchtime, Joseph cornered me in the stairwell to continue talking. Even though I was still attracted to him, I was honestly exhausted.

After escaping from him, I couldn’t focus on work that afternoon. My thoughts kept drifting to my missing grandmother.

I stared at my phone, debating.

Finally, I opened my messages and typed.

[Mom, I went to Grandma’s yesterday but she wasn’t there. The cottage looked like she left in a hurry. I’m worried about her.] 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

I hit send before I could change my mind. Three minutes later, my phone buzzed with her reply.

[Don’t concern yourself with this. I’ll handle Grandma. Focus on your work.]

The coldness of her response stung, but I could sense something else beneath the words—fear. My mother was afraid.

[What’s going on? Please tell me the truth. Is Grandma in danger?] I typed back.

After five minutes with no response, I tried calling. It went straight to voicemail.

"Dammit," I muttered, dropping my phone on my desk. "She definitely knows something."

Why wouldn’t she tell me what was happening? This was my family too. And if something was coming for my grandmother, was I next? Was that why Mom had been so desperate for me to leave Harbor Bay?