Chapter 313

Chapter 313 The Morning After
Ava’s POV

Using magic always takes its toll on the body. Throughout the entire evening, I had been drawing on my magical abilities to resist that mysterious pull I felt toward Joseph. When I finally crawled into bed, complete exhaustion washed over me, and I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I woke with a start to find myself pressed against the very man who’d shattered my heart. There in that bed, his body molded against mine, his scent enveloping me like a fog I couldn’t escape.

An indescribable sadness washed over me. This man, who I believed had truly loved me, had betrayed me in the most primal way possible.

I shifted away, preparing to leave the bed, which immediately roused Joseph.

“Ava, are you leaving?” His voice was rough with sleep.

I nodded wordlessly, quickly changing into my clothes.

When we stepped out of the bedroom, we bumped right into Ryan, who was hands down the most obnoxiously peppy morning person on the planet.

“Well, well, look who’s finally joined the land of the living! Hope you two lovebirds enjoyed that mattress.” Ryan’s eyes glinted with mischief as he sipped his coffee.

“Shut up, Ryan!” Joseph cut his friend off, though he couldn’t completely suppress a smile.

“So, Ava, how was that chamomile tea working for you?” Eleanor chimed in with a knowing smirk, causing me to laugh awkwardly.

Ryan refused to let us leave until after lunch, insisting we all needed to “process yesterday’s emotional rollercoaster.”

Throughout the morning, Joseph hovered near me, protective and attentive. When it was finally time to go, I had no choice but to leave with Joseph to avoid the inevitable interrogation that would follow if I tried to make other arrangements.

We drove to my apartment in silence. Joseph was visibly tense, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. He pulled up in front of my building and grabbed my hand before I could escape.

“Ava, when are we going to talk?”

“Joseph, we can talk during the work week. Call me and we’ll schedule something.”

“Can I call you later tonight?”

“Joseph, could you just give me some space? Let me process everything that’s happened between us.” I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache forming.

“Alright.” He sighed deeply. “But remember, I love you.”

“Joseph…”

He looked at me like he was fighting some kind of battle inside his head. Then, like he’d made up his mind, he pulled me close. His mouth found mine, hungry and urgent, kissing me with the kind of need that left us both gasping when he finally let me go.

“I already miss you, Ava!” he called as I exited the car.

When I got home, Mom was already waiting for me. Not wanting to get into anything about Joseph and what had happened, I quickly said I needed a shower. Really, I just needed a few minutes to get my head straight. After that, I came back to the living room and told Mom all about Alpha Draven and Caroline getting back together, making sure to mention how happy they looked.

“It’s rare for fated mates to overcome such obstacles,” Mom remarked thoughtfully, then turned her penetrating gaze on me. “Ava, do you ever long for that kind of happiness?”

I froze.

She continued, “Having your wolf, finding your fated mate.”

I squeezed her hand. “Of course. Isn’t that what every werewolf dreams of? But that’s not in the cards for me. I don’t have a wolf. I’d be happy just finding someone who truly loves me for who I am.”

I suddenly realized the conversation was veering dangerously close to Joseph.

Mom gave me a sad look and said, “Yes, finding a human who truly loves you would be better.”

I knew perfectly well that by “human,” she meant “not a werewolf.”

“Anyway, I’ve got to head to work,” Mom said, rising to leave for her evening shift.

Finding myself alone in the apartment, I welcomed the solitude. I needed this time to think and sort through my emotions. My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I hesitated when I saw an unknown number, but answered anyway, thinking it might be important.

“Ava, divine Ava!” I immediately recognized Steward Garcia’s voice and closed my eyes in disgust.

“This man isn’t just insufferable, he’s relentless,” I muttered to myself.

“Darling, drop the act. I know you’re interested. You’ve already tried my son; now let me show you what a real man can do.”

“Exactly how familiar do you think we are?” I snapped, my patience with this man completely evaporated.

“Don’t deny it, sweetheart. You want it, and I can—” I cut him off before he could finish.

“You know what? Crawl back into whatever hole you slithered out of and pretend I don’t exist. Oh, and by the way, I’ll be sure to tell Kyle you said hello.”

I hung up, feeling like I was about to lose it completely. This man was seriously testing what little patience I had left. I figured the situation called for emergency comfort food: a massive pizza and a whole tub of ice cream. I stuffed my face while watching “Pretty Woman” for like the hundredth time, sobbing like some heartbroken teenager.

I woke up on the couch surrounded by empty pizza boxes and ice cream containers all over the coffee table. My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.

“Oh my God, I was about to call the police,” Eleanor blurted the moment I answered.

“Hey, Elle. Good morning to you too,” I replied groggily.

“Morning, gorgeous. Now tell me why you didn’t go home with Joseph. I called him, and he said you wanted to go home last night.” I was still half-asleep and in no condition for Eleanor’s interrogation.

“My mom’s been working a lot of overtime lately, and she had the night off,” I explained.

“Really? No other reason?” Elle was clearly entering her investigative journalist mode.

“I wanted some mother-daughter time. That’s all.”

“Yeah, right, whatever you say!” She finally backed off. “Joseph will pick you up, but I wanted to call personally to tell you the news.”

“What news?” I asked, getting up to clean up my mess from last night.

“Carrie and Alpha Draven are moving in together, and we’ve been recruited to help. Today’s moving day!” Eleanor’s excitement was infectious.

“Oh my Goddess, that’s fantastic news!” I said, genuinely happy for my friend.

“So get ready. Save the making out with Joseph for later. We need you there.”

I said goodbye to Eleanor and was about to call Joseph when my phone rang with his name on the display.

“Ava, good morning. How are you?” Joseph asked.

“I’m fine. You?” Our conversation was painfully polite.

“Missing you…” he sighed, then quickly continued, “Did Eleanor call you?”

“Just got off the phone with her.”

“I’m here, at the entrance to your building.”

“You didn’t have to come.”

“But I wanted to.” His voice softened.

“Joseph, I just woke up. I need to shower, get ready, have some coffee…”

“I’ll wait. No rush.”

“Ugh, Joseph!” I took a deep breath. “Since you’re waiting, you might as well come up.”

A few minutes later, my doorbell rang. I opened the door to find him staring at me with such intensity it was like he wanted to devour me whole. Only then did I remember what I was wearing—or rather, what I wasn’t wearing.