Chasing His Scentless Mate (Caroline) novel Chapter 296

Chapter 296: Chapter 296 Don’t You Dare Approach Her

Joseph’s POV

"Joseph, my boy, there you are!" Steward exclaimed, his arms spread wide. "Martha told me you were here with a guest."

My jaw clenched involuntarily. "Father. This is unexpected."

"A father doesn’t need an invitation to visit his son, surely?" His eyes shifted to Ava, scrutinizing her with an intensity that made my skin tingle unpleasantly. "And who is this lovely creature?"

"This is Ava Flynn," I stated curtly. "Ava, this is my father, Steward Garcia."

"Enchanted," he declared, taking her hand and kissing it before I could react. "Truly enchanted."

Dean growled menacingly inside me, and I fought to keep him contained. My father’s presence always triggered the worst in me.

"We were just leaving," I lied, placing a protective hand on Ava’s lower back.

"Nonsense! Flora tells me dinner is almost ready." He settled into a chair, clearly intending to stay. "So, Ava, tell me about yourself. How did you manage to capture my son’s attention? He’s notoriously difficult to pin down."

"Wonder where he gets that from," I muttered softly.

My father laughed, but his eyes remained cold and unwavering. "Like father, like son, they say. Though I hope you’ve learned from my mistakes, Joseph."

The room felt suffocating. My relationship with my father had been strained ever since I was eighteen, when he had stolen my first girlfriend, Nicole. She was twenty, we’d met at a party and dated a few times. I was quite smitten with her and told my father about her. I didn’t understand my father’s true nature then. He wanted to meet her, so we arranged lunch. A week later, Nicole broke up with me, and a month after that, my father left our family for her.

The worst part wasn’t just the betrayal. It was what came after. My mother nearly lost her wolf from the pain of her mate’s betrayal. The bond between mates is sacred among our kind, and when broken, the pain can be devastating. My mother barely survived it. And my father had the audacity to justify his actions, claiming it was simply a man’s nature to want multiple women, that men inevitably sought mistresses or freedom.

Since then, I’d feared becoming like him—a womanizer incapable of commitment. Until Ava came along and occupied all my thoughts.

"I think I’ll check if Flora needs help," Ava said, clearly sensing the tension between us.

"Excellent idea," my father said, smiling. "That will give us men a chance to talk."

Once Ava had left, my father’s facade dropped.

"Wolfless, Joseph? Really?" he sneered. "Have some dignity."

"Don’t start," I warned. "My choice of mate is none of your business."

"Everything you do reflects on this family, on our pack," he replied. "The Alpha of Nightbane Pack taking a defective mate—"

I was across the room in an instant, my hand at his throat. "Call her that again and you’ll regret it."

He laughed, even as he struggled to breathe. "Look at you... so defensive. You actually care about this one, don’t you?"

I released him, disgusted. "Why are you here? Need more money?"

"Is that so wrong?" he asked, straightening his collar. "I am your father, after all."

"You lost the right to call yourself that years ago," I spat. "The monthly allowance I provide is more than generous. If you’ve blown through it already, that’s your problem."

"Such disrespect," he tutted. "What would your mother say?"

"Don’t you dare speak of her," I growled, Dean pushing dangerously close to take the control. "You nearly destroyed her."

A knock at the door interrupted us. Martha announced that dinner was served. I walked past my father without another word.

My brother-in-law Scott and Anthony also returned for dinner.

Dinner was a tense affair, with my father dominating the conversation, criticizing everyone except Louise. Poor Antonio became the target of jokes and cruel comments, being called a mama’s boy who needed to toughen up.

After dinner, I confronted my sister.

"For Goddess’s sake, Flora, can’t you see how much damage this man causes? Why on earth do you keep inviting him to dinner?" I demanded. "I can’t stand him, your husband can’t stand him, and your children certainly can’t stand him either."

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