Chasing His Scentless Mate-Chapter 298 The Second Anonymous Letter

Chapter 298: Chapter 298 The Second Anonymous Letter
Ava’s POV
I was extremely worried about Caroline. Learning that Ella, that crazy woman, was pregnant with Alpha Draven’s child had understandably devastated her. I spent the entire day switching Kyle’s and Caroline’s offices around, since Caroline would now be assisting Ryan with his work.
On Sunday, Joseph invited me to join him on his yacht for a day at sea. Antonio was incredibly excited because he could bring his girlfriend Mia along. We ended up having an amazing Sunday full of laughter and sunshine. Mia was a pretty but slightly shy girl.
When we dropped her off at home that evening, her parents thanked us and couldn’t stop praising Antonio.
"Oh, I’m just so proud!" I said once we were back in the car. "Our almost-son Antonio is such a gentleman!"
"We’ve raised this kid well," Joseph laughed, and we both turned to look at Antonio sitting in the back seat, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"If my mom heard you say that, she’d definitely give you her whole ’Moon’s Blessing’ sermon," Antonio chuckled, rolling his eyes.
"Moon’s Blessing sermon?" I asked, confused.
"Flora was in labor with him for twelve hours during a full moon before bringing him into our pack," Joseph explained. "She always says it was a test from the Moon Goddess herself, a trial of her bloodline’s strength. So whenever someone compliments him, especially when his father gets praise for his son, she brings it up. She claims that because she carried him for nine months with our blood flowing through her veins and endured the agony of birth, that connection to the Moon Goddess through life-giving pain means everything about him, his strength now, his talents, and all his future glory, was bestowed through her by the Moon Goddess’s hand. He should revere her above all other living creatures, second only to the Moon Goddess herself."
Joseph was laughing as he spoke, and his impression of his sister had us all cracking up all the way home.
Monday after work, I was completely exhausted. The day had been difficult, with Howard’s family harassing Caroline.
I noticed how unusually quiet the apartment was when I got home.
I took a shower and prepared dinner before my mother returned. She was late, which I found strange because she usually wasn’t.
I heard a knock at the door and opened it to find a delivery man standing there. He handed me a tablet to sign, while holding a package that looked rather odd. The package was wrapped in layers upon layers of thick brown paper and clear tape, secured so thoroughly it looked like it might contain some kind of treasure.
After signing, I took the package and closed the door. Wondering what it could be, I placed it on the kitchen table and began unwrapping it. The tape was sturdy and the paper thick, requiring patience as I peeled away layer after layer, finally revealing a plain white envelope inside.
My mind was already racing with what the envelope might contain.
When I picked up the envelope and saw the handwriting and address matched the previous letter exactly, I froze. Would I ever know peace? I hid the letter in my room, then rushed back to the kitchen.
My mother returned shortly after, carrying her usual weariness with her.
She glanced at the dinner table. "Sweetheart, you’ve already made dinner? That’s very thoughtful of you."
I forced a smile, "Yes, I finished work earlier than you did."
At the dinner table, the shadow of the letter still loomed over me. My mind wrestled countless times with whether to tell my mother about it. Each time, the words reached the tip of my tongue only to be swallowed back. I knew that even if I brought it up, she would either downplay it or brush it off entirely. She never truly shared the secrets that troubled her. Fine, I’d investigate this myself, I decided firmly.
Dinner ended in a silence.
My mother put down her cutlery, "I need to go on a business trip tomorrow."
My heart dropped.
"How long will you be gone?" I asked.
"About a week," she replied casually.
"A week?" I couldn’t help but exclaim. Why so long? She rarely left home for such extended periods.
Mother glanced at me and explained, "The pharmaceutical company is having some issues with new drug development, and I need to learn about the latest processing methods."
I nodded, accepting her explanation despite my doubts.
That night in bed, I pulled the letter from under my pillow. I opened it and read, feeling a growing fear.
"Tick tock, tick tock, time is running out, darling! When I find you, don’t cry and beg for mercy, okay?"
The message was similar to the first threatening letter. But receiving a second one intensified my fear, as if an invisible bomb was truly counting down to detonation.
The next day at work, Kyle noticed my distraction.
"Ava, what’s got you down? Did Joseph piss you off? Want me to tell Eleanor to kick his ass?" Kyle asked, leaning against my desk with concern in her eyes.
Kyle was both warm-hearted and sharp as a tack. She’d been with the Storm Valley Pack for years, serving as Beta Ryan’s assistant for most of that time. Since I’d arrived at Thorne Enterprises, she’d taken me under her wing.
This situation had me completely lost on who to turn to. Joseph was dealing with pressure from his father’s antics, and Eleanor was busy consoling Caroline.
I made the decision to confide in Kyle.
"Kyle, it’s not Joseph that’s bothering me. He’s been wonderful. It’s something else entirely," I admitted.
Kyle immediately pressed, "Tell me, Ava. I’ll figure out how to help you."
"But please don’t tell anyone else. They all have their own problems to deal with right now."
Kyle nodded solemnly.
I quickly explained about the threatening letters and my mother’s reaction, carefully omitting anything about witches or magic.
Kyle thought for a moment, "So you and your mother have been running from someone? Do you think these letters are connected to your mother’s past?"
I nodded.
"Well," Kyle said, "if direct questioning isn’t working, why not do some investigating? I’m not suggesting you violate your mother’s privacy, but maybe look into your mother’s history? Though my gut says this has something to do with your absent father."
I froze. "My father?"
Kyle looked surprised. "You’ve never considered your father in all this? I can’t think of many reasons why a single mother would constantly relocate with her child, except maybe to escape a crazy ex-husband." She raised an eyebrow. "What else makes people pack up and disappear in the middle of the night—running from the IRS? The mafia? A really persistent vacuum cleaner salesman?"
Kyle’s reasoning made sense, but it forced me to face an issue I’d deliberately avoided. I’d never wanted to search for anything related to my father, feeling it would somehow betray the mother who raised me alone.
But if I wanted to understand where these letters came from... perhaps this was my only lead.