Chasing His Scentless Mate-Chapter 373 Defending Ava

Nina’s POV

"Jace, can someone explain to me what the hell that was? Actually, all of you, care to explain?" I growled, ready to murder them all.

"Nina, I lost it, okay? We’re already dealing with Howard threatening Luna Caroline, and now another psycho? I really lost control!" Jace tried to defend himself.

"You think it’s her fault? Jace, are you serious? What kind of disgusting, self-righteous asshole are you?" I was getting angrier by the second. "And the rest of you? This was an ambush in a hostile environment against a woman who’s already been tormented enough by her goddamn ex, and you all went along with it?"

"I didn’t say anything," Beta Ryan held up his hands defensively.

"No, you didn’t say anything. You were complicit in this mess," I complained. They all stared at me silently.

The elevator doors opened again, and Clara walked out, clearly concerned.

"Would someone like to tell me why Ava resigned? HR just sent me her final paycheck estimate, scheduled for deposit in two days," Clara asked, met with silence from everyone.

"Go on, tough guys, tell Clara about the mess you created," I said, grabbing my purse. "I’m going to find Ava. Alpha Draven, if you want to fire me, I don’t care. And you, Jace, we’ll talk later."

"This has turned into a nuclear bomb!" I heard Ryan say.

"I wonder why I ever let you guys take point on this shit show," Alpha Draven added.

I took the elevator down to Ruby’s floor. I rushed over to her, and she immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Nina, what’s going on? You don’t look good," Ruby asked immediately.

"Ruby, do you think Arthur would let you go early today? Ava needs us," I tried to keep my voice steady.

"Sounds serious. Give me a minute." Ruby went to Arthur ’s office and returned with her purse. "Where’s Ava?"

"Probably at home," I was so angry I was nearly in tears.

"What happened, Nina?" Ruby noticed my agitation.

"Are you driving?" She nodded. "Then let’s go. I’ll call Kyle and Eleanor on the way and tell all three of you at once."

And that’s what I did. Once in the car, I made a video call and told the girls what those idiots had done. They were as furious as I was.

"My man asked me about this yesterday, and I thought it was strange," Ruby commented.

"Luke asked me too," Kyle said.

"Nate asked me as well. Joseph must have told them, but these clueless guys seem to have gotten the wrong end of the stick," Eleanor explained. "Let’s not tell Caroline so she doesn’t get upset. We’ll meet at Ava’s apartment building. Kyle and I are on our way."

When we arrived at the building, the doorman told us Ava wasn’t home. This was strange—I was sure she would have come here.

"I’ll call Odelia, maybe Ava went there," I said.

"Don’t worry her mother unnecessarily," Kyle cautioned.

I called Odelia, chatted for a bit, asking how she was doing. During the conversation, she mentioned that Ava hadn’t contacted her in a long time, and she was on vacation with Ava’s grandma. So Ava wasn’t with her.

"Girls, she might just be out for a walk," Eleanor suggested. "Let’s keep an eye on the building. There’s a bakery across the street, we can sit there and wait until she comes back." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

We tried calling several times and sent countless texts. It wasn’t until later that evening that Ava finally sent a message saying she was fine but wanted to be alone for a while. Further prodding was useless, she simply didn’t want to talk to us.

Ruby drove me to Jace’s apartment, where he was waiting for me. When I walked in, he was pacing in the living room and then came over to hug me. I stepped back.

"I don’t want you touching me right now," I said honestly. "Actually, I don’t even want to see you right now."

"Nina, stop it," Jace said calmly.

"Jace, seriously, what you did to Ava today was awful. You practically blamed her for what that idiot ex of hers is doing," I complained.

"Nina, that wasn’t my intention, but I lost it thinking there could be a maniac out there who might hurt you. But Ava overreacted—it wasn’t that bad."

"I can’t believe you just said that."

"Nina, I’m an investigator, I’ve seen this kind of thing before. These people are literally insane, they don’t just threaten. I was worried about you, which is why I reacted that way, but I will apologize to Ava."

"I highly doubt she’ll hear you, because thanks to you guys, she’s not even talking to her friends anymore," I said angrily. "Let me tell you something, investigator. You have no idea what she’s been through. You didn’t even listen to her explanation. Ava was threatened, she needed support and safety, and what did you do? You took away her support system with your terrible attitude."

"Nina, I’m sorry!" Jace seemed genuinely remorseful.

"It’s not me you should be apologizing to," I said, exhausted. "I’m sleeping in another room tonight. Don’t come near me until you’ve fixed what you messed up!"