Chasing His Scentless Mate

Chapter 389 Rock Bottom

Joseph’s POV

I woke up in a hospital room. The lights were too bright, and the air smelled like cleaning chemicals. My head hurt badly, and my mouth was very dry.

"What happened?" I tried to sit up and saw a tube in my arm.

"You’re awake," Eleanor said. Her voice was sharp and clear.

I looked at her. She stood by my bed with her arms crossed. She looked very angry, even through my blurry vision.

"What happened?" I asked again. My throat hurt.

"What happened?" Eleanor’s voice got louder. "You drank for three days straight. You didn’t eat. You passed out in your hotel room. The cleaning lady found you next to an empty whiskey bottle. You had alcohol poisoning and very low blood sugar. The doctor said if they found you an hour later, you could have died."

Then I remembered. I remembered finding Ava’s apartment empty. I remembered drinking whiskey because she left without a word.

"It’s not that serious," I said, turning my head away.

"Not serious?" Eleanor hit the bed rail hard. The sound made me jump. "You are the Alpha of the Nightbane Pack. Hundreds of people rely on you. And you’re acting like a heartbroken kid!"

"Watch how you speak to me," I growled, feeling Dean stir with anger inside.

"No, you watch what you’re doing!" Eleanor shot back, not backing down at all. "I’ve known you for years, Joseph, but I’ve never seen you like this. All because a woman left?"

"She’s not just any woman," I said quickly, the words coming out before I could think.

"Then why are you lying here instead of going to find her?" Eleanor asked. She took out her phone, looked through it, then showed me the screen. "Do you want to know where she is? Because I do."

That got my attention. "What do you mean?"

"While you were drinking yourself sick, I was looking into things. Ava left Harbor Bay almost a month ago. She went west with that Alpha, Kenneth."

A cold feeling washed over me. "Kenneth?"

"Yes, the Alpha who came to see her. She’s been gone for weeks, Joseph. She hasn’t contacted any of us. I’ve texted and called her at least twenty times since you were hospitalized." Eleanor’s face softened a little. "She isn’t answering."

Dean growled inside me. "We need to find her."

I sat up, even though my head was pounding. "I need to leave."

"Joseph, wait—"

"No, I’ve waited too long already," I said, starting to pull at the tube in my arm. "She can’t just vanish like this."

"So now you care?" Eleanor challenged. "After weeks of feeling sorry for yourself?"

Her words hurt because they were true. I had completely fallen apart. The great Alpha Joseph Garcia, turned into a sad drunk because a woman left. The shame of it hit me hard.

"Look," Eleanor went on, her voice softer now. "If Ava really wanted to disappear from us, from you, you would never find her. But I don’t think that’s what happened. Something about this doesn’t feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. She left without telling anyone, not even Nina or Kyle. That isn’t like her. And this Alpha Kenneth—what does he want with Ava?"

"I’ve heard my father mention him. He’s a very powerful Alpha, and he once considered investing in Nate’s business. But getting this close to Ava... it’s clearly strange. Ava is charming, sure, but is he really just after her looks?"

Her questions woke something in me. A need to protect Ava began to push aside my self-pity.

"How did you find out she went west coast?" I asked. My head felt clearer.

"I had our investigator, Jace, look into it," Eleanor said, sitting on the side of the bed. "Joseph, if you want her back, you need to get yourself together and go find her. But not like this." She pointed at my hospital clothes. "You look terrible. You’re no help to Ava or anyone else right now."

I ran a hand through my oily hair and touched the rough stubble on my face. She was right. I was a mess.

"When can I leave?" I asked.

"The doctor wants to watch you for one more day. Your liver isn’t doing well."

"I’ll check myself out."

"Joseph—"

"I’ve lost enough time already," I said, cutting her off. "I need to find her."

Eleanor let out a breath but didn’t argue. "What about Puma Global? The Blackwood merger is next week."

I had completely forgotten about the big deal I’d been working on for months. It didn’t seem important next to finding Ava.

"Can you handle it?"

Eleanor looked surprised. "You want me to take over the Blackwood merger? Joseph, that was your project."

"I trust you," I said simply. "You know the details as well as I do. And Beta Jared can manage the pack while I’m gone."

"How long will you be away?"

"As long as it takes," I said, looking straight at her. "I’m going to find Ava and bring her back."

Eleanor looked at me for a long time, then nodded. "It’s about time you showed some strength."

"Have the jet ready by tomorrow morning," I told her.

"Alright." She cleared her throat. "Now go get cleaned up. You smell like a bar, and no Alpha should look this bad."

As she turned to leave, I called her name. "Eleanor?"

She stopped at the door. "Yes?"

"Thank you. For not giving up on me."

A small smile touched her lips. "What are friends for? Besides, someone has to keep you in line."

After she left, I sat quietly for a moment. The hopelessness that had filled me for weeks began to fade, replaced by a new resolve.