Chapter 340
Chapter 339 On the Edge of Truth
Ava’s POV
“I believe this young woman has made an excellent point about respecting tonight’s celebration.” Kenneth had appeared beside us, his Alpha presence immediately commanding attention. “Gossip has no place at such an important event. Don’t you agree, ladies?”
The women mumbled apologies and quickly dispersed, clearly intimidated by his authority.
Kenneth nodded at me approvingly. “Standing up for your friend was admirable, Miss Ava.”
I studied his face, that nagging sense of familiarity growing stronger. “Thank you, but… have we met before? You seem familiar somehow, though I’m sure I’d remember meeting you.”
“I don’t believe we have,” he replied smoothly. “I rarely visit Harbor Bay. I’m here on personal business and received an invitation to this celebration.”
“What kind of personal business?Alpha Kenneth.” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
“Ava,” Joseph warned quietly beside me.
Joseph was right, I shouldn’t be prying into a strange Alpha’s personal business.
It was incredibly rude of me.
Surprisingly, Kenneth didn’t seem offended. Instead, he smiled. “Please, call me Ken. And I’m searching for someone important to me.”
“Someone I lost contact with many years ago.”
My heart pounded. Could he be looking for my mother? Or was I reading too much into a coincidence?
Before I could ask anything else, Joseph placed his hand on my lower back. “We should go congratulate Caroline and Draven,” he said, the message clear—he wanted me away from Kenneth.
Ken tilted his head.”Of course. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ava. Maybe we’ll see each other again.”
Joseph walked me away, but I felt this encounter was important somehow.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur of congratulations and goodbyes. When the celebration ended, I was totally drained.
“I’ll drive you home,” Joseph said as we walked out to the parking lot.
“That’s not necessary. I can go with Nina and the others.”
“Nina left with investigator Jace, Ruby went home with Beta Ryan, and Eleanor is staying overnight with Nate,” Joseph replied. “Let me drive you, Ava. We need to talk. Really talk.”
Too tired to argue, I nodded and followed him to his black Audi. The car smelled like leather and his scent, bringing back memories I didn’t want to think about.
We drove in silence for several minutes, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a knife.
“I’ve missed you,” Joseph finally said, his voice low.
I stared out the window at the passing streetlights. “Joseph, don’t.”
“Don’t what? Don’t tell you how I feel? Don’t tell you I haven’t been able to sleep or concentrate or do anything normal since you walked away?” His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. “You won’t answer my calls, you run away when I try to talk to you. What am I supposed to do, Ava?”
“Maybe take the hint that I don’t want to talk to you.”
He flinched as if I’d slapped him. “That’s not true. If you really wanted nothing to do with me, you wouldn’t have come tonight, knowing I’d be there.”
“I came for Caroline,” I snapped. “Not everything revolves around you, Alpha Joseph.”
“There was nothing between me and Sophia,” he said abruptly. “Nothing that mattered, anyway. Just sex, no emotions. It ended completely before I met you.”
I laughed bitterly. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better? That you had meaningless sex with countless women before deciding I might be worth your time?”
“That’s not what I meant!” He hit the steering wheel in frustration. “I’m trying to explain that you’re different. That what I feel for you is different.”
“Different how? Because I was a challenge? Because I didn’t immediately fall at your feet like every other woman you’ve ever met?”
“Because I love you,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “I love you, Ava. Only you. It’s always been only you.”
The raw emotion in his voice made my throat tighten. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
“It can’t be.” I blinked back tears. “You don’t even know me, not really. I don’t even know who I am myself.”
Joseph pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to face me. “Then let me know you. Tell me what you’re hiding.”
I froze. “What?”
“I know there’s something you’re not telling me,” he said gently. “You’ve been so tense lately, like you’re scared of something. Whatever you’re hiding, whatever’s holding you back—it doesn’t matter to me, Ava.”
“It would,” I whispered. “If you knew everything about me, you wouldn’t be saying any of this.”
“Try me,” he said, taking my hands in his. “I love you, Ava Flynn. I can accept anything about you—your past, your secrets, all of it.”
I looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of deception, but found only sincerity and warmth. My heart ached with longing to believe him, to trust him.
What if I told him the truth? That my grandmother was a witch who despised werewolves. That my mother had powers too. That I might not be a true Omega after all, but something else entirely. Would he still look at me with such devotion?
Or would his eyes fill with disgust and fear?
“I can’t,” I finally said, pulling my hands away. “Not yet.”
Joseph sighed but didn’t push further. “When you’re ready then. But I’m not giving up on us, Ava. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
We drove the rest of the way to Nina’s apartment in silence. When he pulled up outside, he turned to me again.
“One day, you’ll trust me enough to tell me everything,” he said softly. “And that day, I’ll still be right here, still loving you just as much as I do now.”
I got out of the car without responding, my heart too full of conflicting emotions to form words. The memory of his heartfelt confession tormented me—so genuine, yet he still betrayed me with Sophia behind my back. Was this just another lie? I was terrified of letting my guard down again.
As I walked toward the building entrance, I heard the car window roll down.
“Ava,” Joseph called. “Be careful around Kenneth Flynn. Something about him doesn’t feel right to me.”
With that warning, he drove away, leaving me standing there wondering if the mysterious Alpha with my last name was just another complication in my already chaotic life.