Chapter 352

Chapter 352 Investigating Kenneth
Joseph’s POV

I wanted to rip Ryan’s head off for pulling me away from Ava. But it seemed he had discovered why Ava was upset with me.

“Joseph, Ava knows,” Ryan said as soon as we stepped into Draven’s family library.

“Knows what?” I asked, confused.

“About yesterday, your encounter with Sophia at the social club,” Ryan explained.

“What are you talking about?” I looked at him blankly. Before going to Ryan’s place for poker, I had mentioned to the guys about what happened between Sophia and me.

“It was a trap, man. Sophia planned the whole thing, and you fell for it. Vanessa took a photo of Sophia hanging all over you and sent it to Ava,” Ryan explained, and suddenly everything made sense.

“How did you find out?” I asked.

“Because Ruby freaked out, saying she’d cut my balls off if she found out I was with Vanessa! I had no idea what she was talking about, so I pressed her until she told me. She said Eleanor had already calmed Ava down and would investigate the matter.” Ryan paced anxiously. “Goddess, I’m worried Vanessa might try to set me up too.”

“Relax, Ryan. You already know how these vipers operate, just don’t fall for it,” Luke tried to calm him down.

“I’ll sort things out with Ava,” I said. “Things went better than I expected yesterday. I think she might have forgiven me if it wasn’t for Sophia’s setup.”

“Whatever you do, don’t take her to your apartment,” Draven warned. “The minute she walks in, she’ll remember your cheating and want to burn the place down.”

“I’ve already prepared everything at the house. I’ll take her there again. I want her to decorate it herself, you know, make everything her own,” I told my friends.

“Alright, let’s get back to our women,” Nate said, rubbing his hands together.

When I returned, I spotted Ava talking with my mother from a distance. They seemed to be getting along well. My mother had already told me how much she liked Ava. It made me happy, incredibly so.

While I sat down to enjoy all the desserts she and my mother had ordered, Ava said she was going to get something to drink.

That’s when I spotted her chatting with that Alpha Kenneth.

Dean roared in my mind, “We need to get that Alpha away from our mate. NOW.”

As I approached, I listened carefully to what they were saying. When I heard Ava say, “I care about him very much,” I felt elated. Ava was probably too shy to admit she loved me outright.

But that was practically the same as loving me. However, Alpha Kenneth’s subsequent words were strangely cryptic. It was as if he knew secrets about Ava that I didn’t, which infuriated me.

I immediately sent a mind-link to my Beta, Jared. He responded quickly.

“Alpha Joseph, shouldn’t you be at Alpha Draven’s wedding right now?” Beta Jared asked, surprised.

“I am. But I need something from you. How’s the investigation on Alpha Kenneth that I asked you to conduct?” I replied.

Beta Jared was incredibly efficient—I could always count on him to handle pack matters. Sure enough, he said, “I’ve compiled all the information. It’s waiting in your study at the pack house.”

“Great. Thank you.” I severed the connection.

I had a general idea about Alpha Kenneth, having crossed paths with him at Alpha Council meetings. I only knew the basics about his territory and business interests, considering his territory was practically worlds away from Harbor Bay. But my impression of him wasn’t good.

This Alpha gave me a cold feeling. On the surface, he was all smiles and warmth, but in reality, I suspected he would betray anyone without hesitation for territory and profit. The typical profit-above-all type.

His frequent contact with Ava made me determined to investigate his motives thoroughly.

Seeing me approach, he had the sense to leave. For the rest of the evening, I stayed by Ava’s side, following her wherever she went. When it was time to leave, she tried to escape me by riding with Nate and Elle, but I pulled her back and let Nate go without her.

“No way. You’re coming with me,” I said, embracing her.

“Joseph, I want to go home tonight,” Ava said, looking like she had something urgent to take care of.

“I’ll take you home,” I said, leading her toward my car.

When I parked the car in the garage of the house I’d bought, Ava let out a huff and shot me a glare. Before getting out, she complained.

“I said I wanted to go home.”

“Ava, this is your home,” I said, lifting her into my arms and carrying her inside.

“Hmm, no roses today?” she asked, seeing only pillows, rugs, and a small side table.

“Not today.” I pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Today I just want to talk and clear things up.”

“Good. Planning to clear up the matter of Sophia clinging to you yesterday?”

“Exactly,” I sighed.

“Great! I hope you have at least two bottles of wine,” Ava said, sitting down on the pillows.

“Just one glass. I want you sober so you understand everything I’m about to say.”

“You’re no fun!” Ava stuck her tongue out at me childishly.

I smiled at her and went to the kitchen. I returned with wine, glasses, a plate of cheese, and some small desserts. She smiled when she saw them. I poured her wine and started talking, telling her everything that happened after I left her place yesterday.

“That’s what happened, Ava. I can show you the message Vanessa sent me.” I took out my phone and opened the app but couldn’t find the message.

I panicked. The message was gone. This was terrible! They had planned it so meticulously that there was no evidence it had been pre-arranged. That bitch Vanessa had sent me a message that could only be viewed once, disappearing after opening.

“Looks like you don’t understand,” Ava sighed. “Joseph, you know what, sit down, let’s just enjoy this wine and relax.”

“I want more than relaxation. I want to kiss you,” I said seriously, almost pleading.

“I won’t stop you,” Ava said simply, and I could no longer contain myself.