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One hundred and sixty two

Author: Luxie
last update publish date: 2026-04-20 19:04:03

LISA POV

The rain had reduced to a drizzle before noon, leaving the air freshly cool and lulling me in and out of sleep. The journey from yesterday still sat in my bones. My body felt heavier, and I knew if I let myself lie down again, I wouldn’t get up in time for anything.

I stood by the mirror in my room, adjusting the pleated skirt around my waist. My stomach bulge was no longer something I could hide. I finished dressing, choosing a loose tee that wouldn’t cling or weigh me down as the day
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  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and seventy five

    Lisa POV“Lisa, please. This is not something you need to be part of.”The urge to scream climbed up my throat.“You’re already talking about me. So I am part of it.”My chest tightened, and I could hear the thud of my blood in my ears. Alpha Kieran looked at my mom, then back at me, his mouth opening and closing as if the words were stuck in his throat.I stared at them across the small gap. Alpha Kieran's eyes stayed on my mother, waiting for a nod that did not come. "Mom, let him talk," I snapped. "If this is about me, you have no right to hide it.""This is not your burden," my mom said. Her hands shook as she smoothed her skirt. "You are a surrogate. That is your only role. You do not need to drown in the mess of Cameron’s life."The words "just a surrogate" stung like a slap, but I kept my eyes locked on Kieran.“I’m not just a surrogate, mom. If something is wrong, it affects me too. I deserve the truth."Kieran gave a slow nod. "You do. But this truth is…dark." He hesitated

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and seventy four

    Lisa POV"What is going on?" I leaned toward my mother as I looked for an answer."Your guess is as good as mine," she said. Alpha Kieran stood with Nadia, but his eyes stayed locked on my mother, a smile stretching across his face. "We should excuse them to talk," my mom whispered. She didn't look at me; her eyes remained fixed on Alpha Kieran.I shifted my gaze to Nadia. She usually wore clothes like a shield of high fashion, every hair a perfect coil. Today, the makeup was gone. Her outfit was simple. She gave me a nod, her eyes dropping to the curve of my stomach before she turned back to Cameron."Help me with lunch," my mom said to me.In the kitchen, the air felt thick. I gripped a carrot under the running water, rubbing the skin until it squeaked. Nearby, my mom’s knife clicked against the cutting board, but it kept stopping. She would tiptoe toward the doorway to catch a sound from the other room, only to turn back and give me a shake of her head. No clues. But Franklin’

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and seventy three

    The moment those words, “I love you,” left my mouth, it felt as though I had done something forbidden and something exhilarating at the same time. Even I didn’t know how or why I said it at that point, when it wasn’t as though we were having sex for the first time. We’ve had it countless times, but somehow I just felt like saying it then.His muscles locked under my touch, or perhaps it was just a fragment of my own imagination from the dread I felt after saying “I love you” to someone who was already mated to another woman. I bolted upright, dragging the blanket over my chest and sliding to the far edge of the mattress.“I didn’t, I didn’t mean it. I mean, you should ignore me. I wasn’t thinking straight.”His eyes remained on me, lids heavy and unfocused in the post-sex haze, or whatever it was that made him look more frail than usual.“You shouldn’t apologize,” he said, curling his fingers around my hand and tracing a slow circle over my knuckles with his thumb. “I don’t mind it.”

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and seventy two

    Cameron POVEvangeline remained on the floorboards beside the window, her arms locked around her knees. I stood in the center of the rug and tried to find the energy to move toward her. Franklin reached down to grab her elbow, and she screamed. He snapped his hands up and backed into the doorframe.“You let her speak to me like that,” she said. She stared at me, blinking through the water in her eyes.“She’s under pressure,” I said.“And I’m not?” She pushed off the floor and marched at me. “You know me. I wouldn’t hurt you or Nadia. I love you both.”I dropped into the chair. “Nadia doesn’t hate you.”“But you spoke to Desmond.”“I told you I was upset,” she said. “I didn’t mean to give him the information he’s using. Everyone makes mistakes. Why is the whole house now full of people pointing at me for things they are doing themselves?”I didn’t answer. I didn’t have the breath for an argument. “Can we talk in the morning, when the sun is up?” I said.She wiped her face with the back

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and seventy one

    NADIA POVThe pre-trial chamber was a long room with tables and walls that absorbed sound. The presiding elder sat at the head of it. She had been in the judicial seat longer than I had been alive.Franklin waited for me in the parking lot.“I’ll stay out here,” he said. “Let them think what they want for now.”I held his gaze. “If this goes wrong, you don’t stay outside.”“I won’t.”Elder Justine asked to speak to me alone before the session began. I followed her to the side, away from the center.“You understand the position you’re in,” she said. “You’ve been given room others wouldn’t have.”I let that sit. They gave grace because of what my brother represented.I folded my arms. “I didn’t come here to beg.”“I didn’t ask you to beg,” she said. “There is a path to resolution that does not require a full proceeding. If both parties can reach a private agreement—”“I won’t be apologizing to Desmond.”“Nadia, please listen. You and Desmond should speak. You reach an agreement. Somethi

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and seventy

    NADIA POVI was on my fourth position when I stopped trying to sleep and just lay there, looking at the ceiling.The trial sat at the front of my mind no matter how I tried to push it back. Two days. That was all I had before everything moved from quiet talk to public judgment.I should not have been afraid.Desmond did not scare me. What scared me was how much he knew.He knew about me and Franklin. He knew about Cameron and Lisa. Those were not things people guessed. Those were things people were told.I sat up.There were only so many people who had access to that level of detail.I ran through them one by one.The household staff. Seven of them, all live-in, most of them long-term. The youngest had been with us for six years. They were paid well and understood what loyalty to an Alpha house meant in practical terms. That did not mean coercion or fear was impossible. A well-paid person could still be threatened. I noted it, but I set it low.Desmond had resources. He could have pai

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and twenty one

    LisaMy phone shrilled while I studied lipstick shades for my mother. If she was seeing Alpha Kieran now, she had to look her best. Cameron’s name flashed across the screen and I sat up, staring at it while the ringing dragged on. My thumb hovered over the screen before I finally answered and press

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and twenty

    Lisa POVI was trying to zip up a dress that had fit two weeks ago. It stopped halfway. That couldn’t be possible. There was no way I had gained weight. My stomach was still flat, just a small pouch showing. I wanted to wear that dress because it was light. I yanked the zipper, annoyed with my chan

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and nineteen

    Cameron walked in through the front door and my heart skipped. I hated that reaction. Seeing him shouldn’t do this to me.Alpha Kieran arrived with gifts for me, my mother, and James, stuffed into paper bags. I forced a smile and gave him a quick side hug. She had talked about taking things slow; h

  • TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS    One hundred and eighteen

    Watching Nadia argue twisted something in my chest. She fought for Evangeline without hesitation. She had never looked at me with that kind of certainty. With me there was always calculation, desire when she felt reckless, as if I were nothing more than an itch she scratched when patience ran out.

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