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Twenty-Three
publish date:
2026-01-20 21:29:51
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TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS One hundred and fifty four
EvangelineStanding close enough to the main hall, I watched Cameron and Desmond and struggled to catch the sound.Desmond answered, then Nadia's name slipped through clearly.Another fragment reached me.“…you don’t get to—”Then silence again.I didn’t need the rest. I knew Desmond well enough to fill in what he would say when cornered. The fool would make it messy. That was always the problem with him. I had warned him not to give Cameron anything to hold, and yet he still stood there, talking back.A part of me wanted to cut him out entirely or replace him, but that part of me understood that Desmond was already inside that circle. He had access and proximity. Replacing him would take time I did not have.Everything at this stage depended on control, and Cameron was the center of that control. I needed him contained long enough for the process to complete. Dominion required stability, not disruption.I crossed into the living room and adjusted the space just enough to look like I
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS One hundred and fifty three
Lisa POVThe clothing store was quieter than I expected for that time of day. I moved past a section of fitted tops and paused in front of a mirror to check my reflection, as most of my clothes no longer sat the way they used to.I picked up another top and held it against my body. The hem barely reached where I needed it to.“I think I need to change everything,” I said. “I'm so fat.”My mom glanced at me from where she stood, flipping through a row of dresses. “You’re not fat, honey. You're carrying a baby. Getting bigger is expected.”“I know,” I grumbled. “It’s just inconvenient.”She picked out a piece and held it up. “Try this.”I took it from her and checked the cut. It would work. Not my usual style, but it would work. I added it to the small pile in my hand and moved along the rack again.“Mom, I have an idea,” I said.“That usually means I won’t like it,” she replied.“While I go to the festival, you can go spend some time with Alpha Kieran,” I said. “You keep staying around
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS One hundred and fifty two
Cameron POVLisa’s calm gaze rested on me as I watched her mother’s retreating figure. She excused herself to go upstairs for a nap, and I couldn’t be more relieved.“You don’t need to go to the festival,” I said. “You can watch it on TV.”“That sounds like a command,” she replied.“It’s not.”“Good,” she said. “Because I don’t take those from you anymore.”Her feistiness was new and interesting. I’d heard pregnancy hormones could make a woman bold. I didn’t mind this side of her, stating things as she saw them and damning the consequences.I moved closer. She didn’t step back.“That’s open to review. You can’t make decisions without telling me,” I said.“I’m bored to death,” she said. “You built a structure around me and expected me to stay inside it. I’m reminding you that I don’t have to.”“That structure protects you.”“It protects your version of things,” she said.I held her gaze and reached for her, closing the distance between us. We stood close enough that the thought of kiss
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS One hundred and fifty one
Lisa POVCameron’s silver jeep occupied the front drive. The guards stood at the perimeter, their usual casual stance abandoned for rigid vigilance. I stepped out of my car and ignored the weight pressing against my chest.Voices drifted from the dining room. I walked toward the entrance and stopped in the doorway. Cameron sat at the head of the table, across from my mother. Fine china sat before them. They both looked toward me as I crossed the threshold.“There she is,” my mother said. “Just at the right time. How was your stay at the nursery?”I moved to the table and pulled out a chair. I sat down and ignored her question. She pushed a plate toward me. The scent of coconut fish curry and warm rice rose into the air.“You should eat,” she said. “I made your favorite.”Cameron kept his focus on me. He reached for a small velvet box resting near his water glass.“I got you something,” he said.I took the box and flipped the lid open. A glass bottle sat nestled in silk. The glass was
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS 150
LisaMy phone rang while I was still in the living room. I glanced at the screen and smiled when I saw Sasha’s name.I picked up.“You finally remembered I exist,” I said.Sasha laughed on the other end. “Please. You’ve been the one acting like a government official. I called you three times yesterday. And Cora has been worried about you. She returned to Silver Creek last week and wanted to be sure you're okay.”My heart warmed. I leaned back into the couch. “I’ve been meaning to go to the nursery anyway.”“And what about Packfest? It's so sad you're not here. You and I haven't missed it in the last five years straight. So sad your absence is breaking the streak.”Shoot, the festival.The idea of going settled in my head.“Maybe I wasn’t planning to miss it,” I said.Sasha squealed. “Look at you wanting to pull a surprise on me. Well, I'm glad. At least come home and breathe normal air.”Normal didn’t fit my life anymore, but I understood what she meant.“You’ve been locked up in that
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS One hundred and forty nine
Lisa POVI knew the sound of Dr. Harry’s car. The crunch of tires against gravel as he pulled in without rushing made me pull my hair into a bun. I checked the window for confirmation and went downstairs. My mother let him in. They were pleasant as usual, always finding something to talk about. He stepped into the living room with a case in one hand and a smaller bag in the other. His clothes looked sharper than the last time he came.“Good morning, Lisa,” he said.“Hi, Doc,” I said casually.He set the case on the table and opened it. “We are doing a longer session today. I want to track the markers in real time instead of relying on delayed readings.”I rolled my eyes. “That is what you said yesterday.”“Trust me on this,” he said without hesitation. “That is why I went to school for years.”“Fair.”He pulled out the portable ultrasound machine and set it up on the table in front of the couch. Wires, gel, and the monitor were laid out with precision. I adjusted myself on the couch a
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS Seventy
LisaI’d been feeling like shit since the conversation with Evangeline that morning.Not the kind of shit where you could pinpoint exactly what hurt. But an ache that settled into my bones and refused to leave.She’d begged me not to take him from her.On the verge of tears, voice shaking, hands tr
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS Sixty-Nine
LisaI woke up at three in the morning feeling more rested than I had in weeks. Which made no sense. I'd only been asleep for four hours. Lisa, with her body tucked against mine.Four hours shouldn't have been enough.But I felt grounded. Like someone had reset something fundamental inside me that
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS Sixty-Eight
LisaThe night air hit us like a wall when we stepped outside, cold enough to make my breath come out in small white clouds. Cora and I walked in silence for a while.“So?” she asked eventually. “Learn anything?”“More than I expected.” I smiled. “The knotting stuff especially.”We walked a little
TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS Sixty-Seven
LisaThe hospital room had become familiar enough that I could navigate it half-asleep, which was basically how I arrived most mornings. My mother was already awake when I walked in, propped up against a mountain of pillows that had slowly migrated into the wrong positions overnight.“Let me fix th
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