TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS

My father was knotting his secretary when I cracked his office door open. Wet slaps and grunts filled the air as he pounded faster.

I came to surprise him with the homemade lasagna my mother made, his wife of thirty years. He’d kissed her that morning and told her he loved her. Watching him cheat on her made my stomach lurch. I was only there because she’d asked me to drop off his lunch and the phone he’d forgotten at home.

His secretary’s eyes flicked to the door. They widened, then she gasped and tapped my father. 

“Oh, shoot. Lisa?”

I ran down the hallway, ignoring his voice calling my name. I made it to my car and fumbled with the keys, my hands shaking as I drove off. I was merging onto the highway when I remembered I still had his phone.

I pulled over and tried to unlock it. His birthday. Nothing. Their anniversary. Wrong. Then Mom’s name.

It unlocked.

The fact that her name was his password made it hurt worse.

The messages from his secretary loaded immediately. Dozens of photos sent late at night. The messages went back months. Maybe longer.

I kept scrolling. There had to be something about Mom, about what he was planning. I typed divorce into the search bar.

Messages loaded. The most recent was from three weeks ago.

I'm done with this marriage. Checked out a long time ago. The lawyer says we can finalize before the end of spring. Can't wait to finally be with you properly.

We were already in spring.

My father was planning to leave us, and my mother had no fucking clue.

My hands shook so badly I almost dropped the phone. I forced myself to take screenshots. Mom would need proof.

Then I drove back to the office, dropped the lunch and his phone with the receptionist, and bolted.

By the time I got back to my car, Mom sent me a text.

Sweetheart, can you stop by the supermarket on your way home? I need ingredients for dinner.

I stared at her name on the screen.

How was I supposed to tell her that her husband, the man she’d given up her nursing career for, the man she’d raised two kids with, the man she’d thrown a surprise 50th birthday party for just last month, was planning to leave her for his secretary?

I sat there, staring at nothing.

I’d believed in true love my entire life. Even when my friends’ parents were divorcing, even when my own relationships fell apart, I held onto the belief that it existed.

Because I thought I’d seen it in my parents.

It was all bullshit. Every anniversary dinner. Every I love you at the door. Every time he told her she was beautiful.

Lies.

My phone buzzed. Sasha, my best friend, reminding me about the pack meeting tonight.

There had been rumors for weeks about alliance negotiations with the Lycans. I hadn’t paid attention. But the message said mandatory attendance for all unmarked females, which was unusual.

I texted Sasha instead.

Found out my dad’s having an affair.

Her response came immediately.

WHAT???

I’ll explain tonight. After the meeting.

Even typing it made my chest ache.

I spent the rest of the day driving around, making up an excuse to Mom about helping Luna Catherine with shopping. I couldn't go home. Not when her heart was about to be shattered. 

By the time I pulled into the community center parking lot, it was dark and my head was pounding. The building smelled like old wood. Rows of folding chairs faced the raised platform where Alpha Marcus and Luna Catherine sat with their inner circle. The room was packed; over fifty unmated females whispering and speculating.

I spotted Sasha near the middle. She waved me over, her face already full of pity.

"You okay?" she whispered.

I didn’t answer.

"Any idea what this is about?"

She shrugged. "No clue."

Alpha Marcus stood.

"Thank you all for coming. I’ll get straight to the point. Pack alliances are crucial for our survival. We’ve been negotiating with the Lycans for years, and those negotiations have been successful, with one condition."

Murmurs rippled through the room.

"Alpha Cameron of Silver Creek requires a mating bond to seal the alliance," Luna Catherine said. "Specifically, a bond with an unmarked she-wolf from our pack."

I slumped lower in my seat.

"However," she continued, "he’s proposed a one-year arrangement rather than a permanent bond."

"Heavy compensation," Alpha Marcus added. "Protective status, financial benefits, and my personal guarantee of safety. One year."

The room erupted.

"Silence!" Alpha Marcus slammed the gavel.

My phone buzzed. Mom. 

Sweetheart, I need you to come home right now.

Then a voice note.

"Lisa, please come home. Your father came home early. He said you were at his office. He wants a divorce. He says the marriage has been over for years. He’s packing his things and won’t explain. What did you see?"

She was crying now.

"The house is in his name. The accounts. Pack law favors the head of household. I signed everything over when I gave up my nursing career. I have nothing, Lisa. Nothing."

The reality crashed down.

My mother had no income. My brother had two years of high school left. My job as Luna Catherine's personal shopper barely covered my own expenses, let alone supporting a family. The bulk of our income came from Dad.

Alpha Marcus's words echoed in my head: Protected status. Financial security.

The temporary bond would dissolve in a year. It wasn't a solution. It was barely a plan. But it was something. One year of my life for enough money to give Mom a real chance at rebuilding. To keep my brother in school. To prove Dad didn't get to destroy everything.

I could do this. One year, and I'd go back to my life with enough money to keep my family afloat.

"Come on, Lisa, let's go," Sasha said, standing. "It's not like we stand a chance anyway."

She lowered her voice. "Besides, why would anyone in their right mind volunteer for that? Most Lycans are hot-tempered as hell. And this Alpha Cameron? People say he's ruthless and makes grown men piss themselves.“

"I'll do it," I said.

She froze, then laughed. "What?"

"I'll do it."

Her smile vanished. "Girl, did you hear anything I just said? Lycans are dangerous. This isn't some romance novel—this is your life. What the hell are you doing?"

"I need the money." The words came out flat. "I need to help my mom."

"Lisa, you realize what you're walking into, right? A year with someone who could break you in half without thinking twice. Someone who sees us as beneath him."

I knew. God, I knew.

But what choice did I have?

Sasha stared at me like I'd grown a second head, but I was already standing, already walking toward the platform to indicate my interest.