Chasing His Scentless Mate (Caroline) novel Chapter 366

Chapter 366: Chapter 366 The Price of Pride

Joseph’s POV

I couldn’t believe what Ava had done—she’d actually put an aphrodisiac in my juice. Something felt off immediately; my body was burning up, my heart racing, and I had an inexplicable, painful erection. After she went upstairs, I searched the trash and found the pill package barely hidden at the bottom. My blood boiled with anger.

But what really cut me to the core was that she was leaving again! I loved her so much, but I was exhausted by these games, tired of her keeping me on a string with "I haven’t forgiven you yet, but I’m getting there." Damn it, if she couldn’t forgive me, she should just let me go instead of torturing me like this!

I had apologized countless times, explained myself over and over, and yet she was just toying with me. It hurt more than I could express. That’s why I gave her an ultimatum and left, my pride wounded and my body betraying me.

I drove aimlessly through the city, Dean growling in my head the entire time.

"She’s the one, Joseph," my wolf insisted. "You can’t just walk away from Ava like this."

"She drugged me, Dean! She wanted to punish me. I’m done being her emotional punching bag."

"You love her," Dean persisted. "And she loves you. You’re making a mistake you’ll regret for the rest of your life."

"Enough!" I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. "I’ve had enough."

I ended up checking into a five-star hotel downtown. I needed space, needed to think. I’d considered going to my yacht but quickly dismissed the idea, too many beautiful memories with Ava there. Just thinking about them made my chest ache even more.

I spent a sleepless night in that hotel room, tossing and turning, my body gradually overcoming the effects of the drug but my mind still in turmoil. By morning, I was exhausted but functional. I showered, ordered room service, and decided I needed to get back to work—the one constant in my life that never disappointed me.

When I arrived at the office around ten, I immediately noticed I couldn’t find my phone. I must have lost it or left it somewhere during my emotional exit. No matter, I’d already bought a new one. The fewer messages from Ava I had to ignore, the better.

"Joseph, I’ve been trying to reach you since—" Eleanor began the moment I stepped off the elevator. I stopped dead in front of her.

"If you finish that sentence, you’re fired. Don’t test me today." There wasn’t a hint of humor in my voice. Then I walked into my office.

It wasn’t long before she followed me in.

"Joseph, you—"

"Eleanor, not today! If you don’t have anything work-related to tell me, go back to your desk. Actually, if you do have something work-related, send me an email or a message. I don’t want to talk to you today."

She left looking deflated. I sighed heavily. I was hurting, and she was partly to blame. She’d been filling Ava’s head with too many ideas and making my life more difficult.

As I worked, I received a message from Jared, my Beta. Alpha Kenneth was interested in a business partnership, and the figures he proposed were very tempting. Although something about the Alpha gave me an uneasy feeling, business was business, and money talked.

"I’ll consider it," I replied to Jared, then remembered the file on Kenneth that Jared had compiled in the pack house study.

I decided to head to the pack house to review Kenneth’s background. The information was interesting—his pack wasn’t ancient but had somehow grown rapidly in the last few decades to become one of the major packs on the West Coast.

The strangest thing was that Alpha, now in his fifties, had no children or Luna, which was practically unheard of. Pack traditions placed enormous value on bloodlines and succession. How had he managed to maintain his position without the elders pushing for him to step down?

Overall, though, there didn’t seem to be anything that would make him a problematic business partner. I messaged Jared that I would consider the collaboration, and he informed me that it would require a business trip of about two weeks. I’d need to visit the partner company on-site to assess their scale and operations firsthand.

Perfect timing—I needed to get away, clear my head. I agreed immediately.

I’d barely finished making travel arrangements when my phone rang. It was Ryan.

"Dude, where have you been? Everyone’s worried sick." Ryan sounded genuinely concerned.

"Ryan, just around..." was all I offered in response.

"Mom, I’m already planning a business trip. I need to meet with some clients. But as for the other thing, that’s not happening. It’s over. Ava and I are done, period."

My mother sighed.

"Son, take your trip. We’ll talk when you get back."

After saying goodbye to my mother, I threw myself into preparing for the trip. I would leave tomorrow. But later that afternoon, Draven’s call caught my attention. I was certain Ryan had told everyone not to call me, so if Draven was calling anyway, something must be wrong. I answered quickly.

"Draven, is everything okay?"

"Joseph, Nate was found unconscious in an alley. Looks like he was beaten pretty badly. I’m heading over now to tell Eleanor in person. Can you arrange for her and Luke to meet me?"

"What a mess! Yes, I’ll have them wait in my office."

Draven shared a few more details, then we hung up. I called Luke, and he arrived with Draven. They went to my office to break the news to Eleanor, who was devastated. Ava was with them too, but she didn’t even look my way. Not that it was the time for us to talk anyway.

"Come on, Eleanor, we’ll go to the hospital," I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. "You’re on leave until Nate recovers."

"Thank you." She looked into my eyes with a forced smile. "You’re still angry with me."

"Elle, I couldn’t be angry with you if I tried. Focus on Nate now." I said, and she nodded.

We went to the hospital, and it was agonizing. After leaving Nate in intensive care, we went to Draven’s pack house to meet with the investigators and learn what had happened. We developed a safety plan for everyone, and Ava would stay at Ryan’s house, which gave me some peace of mind.

The next morning, after hearing that Nate would recover, I boarded a flight. I would be gone for fifteen days. I needed this time away more than anyone could understand.