CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 272 CRAZY EX-BOYFRIEND

Ava’s POV

I was wrapping up work at the store. Joseph was picking me up when my shift ended, and I was excited to see him.

I headed to the employee break room to change. The mall was quieter now, with most stores closing. I pushed open the door to the break room and reached for the light switch when suddenly a hand grabbed my wrist from behind.

The grip was painfully tight. I tried to wrench away, but whoever had me was much stronger. When I opened my mouth to scream, another hand clamped over it.

"Miss me, baby?" a familiar voice whispered in my ear.

My blood turned cold. Isaac.

He spun me around, keeping me trapped against the wall with his body. The dim light from the hallway cast shadows across his face, making his expression even more menacing.

"What did you do with all your things?" he demanded angrily."I came home and everything was gone."

I managed to push his hand away from my mouth. "Let go of me, Isaac! We’re done, remember? I moved out weeks ago."

"I was away on pack training," he growled. "Came back to find you’d cleared out. What game are you playing?"

"No game," I said, struggling against his grip. "I filed a restraining order. You being here is illegal. Let me go!"

His face contorted with rage. "A restraining order? Are you fucking kidding me?"

His grip tightened on my skin."Over what? Because I slept with Cybele? It meant nothing! I don’t even care about her!"

I fought harder, kicking at his shins and clawing at his hands. "Don’t you dare try to minimize what you did! You cheated, lied, and now you’re stalking me. Let. Me. Go!"

Isaac’s eyes darkened dangerously. "You think you can just walk away from me?"

"I already did," I spat. "Now back off before—"

"Before what?" he sneered, his face inches from mine. "Before your fancy new boyfriend comes to rescue you? The rich Alpha you’ve been spreading your legs for?"

Something snapped inside me. I brought my knee up hard between his legs, making him double over. But instead of releasing me, he grabbed my throat with one hand.

"You little bitch—"

Suddenly Isaac was ripped away from me with such force that he slammed into the opposite wall. Joseph stood between us, radiating cold fury.

His eyes were no longer the warm green I’d come to adore, they had shifted to the golden glow.

"Touch her again," Joseph said, "and it will be the last thing you ever do."

Isaac recovered quickly, straightening up with a snarl. "This isn’t your business, Alpha. This is between me and my girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend," I corrected.

Joseph’s eyes narrowed when he saw the bruises on my wrists and neck. Something dangerous crossed his face. I’d never seen him this angry before.

"You hurt her," Joseph growled, and the sound sent chills down my spine.

Before Isaac could respond, Joseph moved with incredible speed, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground. "You dare put your hands on her?"

"Joseph—" I started, but fell silent as the power of his Alpha aura filled the small room.

"She’s nothing but a wolfless Omega," Isaac choked out through Joseph’s grip. "Barely worth a fuck, let alone your protection. What’s she doing—spreading her legs for you for a better life? Playing the high-class whore?"

Joseph slammed Isaac against the wall with enough force to crack the drywall. "Kneel," he ordered.

Isaac’s body crumpled to the floor against his will, his face contorted with the pain of resisting an Alpha command.

"Apologize to her," Joseph commanded. "Now."

"I’m... sorry," Isaac ground out, clearly fighting the command.

Joseph crouched down to eye level with Isaac. "You will never approach her again. You will never speak to her name. You will never even think about her. If I catch your scent within a hundred yards of her, I will make sure you never find a home in Harbor Bay or any pack within my reach. Do you understand?"

Isaac nodded stiffly, hatred burning in his eyes.

"Say it," Joseph commanded.

"I understand," Isaac snarled.

Joseph straightened up. "Get out of my sight."

Isaac scrambled to his feet and backed away, glaring at both of us before disappearing down the hallway.

As soon as he was gone, Joseph turned to me, his eyes softening as they returned to their normal green. "Are you okay?" His hands gently examined the bruises on my wrists and neck.

I nodded, though my body was still trembling. "I’ll be fine."

"Let’s get you out of here," he said quietly, wrapping his arm around me.

In Joseph’s car, we didn’t talk as he drove through the city. His hands gripped the steering wheel tight.

"Thank you," I finally said, breaking the silence. "For stepping in back there."

Joseph glanced at me, his expression serious. "Why didn’t you tell me about him? That he was harassing you?"

I sighed. "It’s my problem to deal with. I didn’t want to drag you into my mess."

"Your mess?" Joseph’s voice rose slightly. "Ava, he was about to hurt you. Badly."

I kept explaining. "I know, I have a lawyer who got a restraining order against him. I thought that would scare him off and he wouldn’t contact me anymore, but that’s not what happened. He disappeared for a few days, but today he showed up again, and I didn’t like what I saw in his eyes."

"I don’t either." He shot back.

"I don’t know what to do to make him leave me alone. I’m getting scared." I was looking down at my hands resting in my lap.

"Ava, now I’m worried about your safety. You can’t keep working at the mall late at night, and there’s no need to. I can get you a position at my company."

"No way, Joseph. I don’t want to mix things up. That would be bad. Besides, the mall security is keeping an eye on him."

"Alright, I respect your position, but if I think it’s getting dangerous, I’m pulling you out of there!" He warned me right away.

"And with what authority?" I looked at him seriously.