All Chapters of TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

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

I tossed and turned all night and finally managed to sleep in the early morning hours. Mom had been up early too. I peeped through the hallway and saw her in the upstairs living room, watching a rerun of our family's favorite sitcom. I hid away immediately, not knowing how to process this myself or what I was doing. We hadn’t talked about it yesterday, and I wasn’t ready for that conversation. At 6:30, I freshened up and drove to the pack house. I walked through the foyer and found out that most of the girls had withdrawn by morning. All four remaining volunteers were already there, clustered in the main hall. The Beta's daughter, Brianna, looked confident, like she'd been preparing for this her whole life. She was perfectly put together in a cream-colored two-piece and red lipstick that matched her outfit. She barely glanced at me before going back to her conversation.Luna Catherine appeared from a side hallway, clipboard in hand. She looked us all over, then called each of us for

Cameron’s POVThis charade had been exactly what I'd expected. A near failure.I'd sat through three she-wolves reciting rehearsed answers about duty, honor, and their commitment to pack alliances. Coached gestures and practiced smiles. Fake, all of it.Until Lisa walked in.Catherine had told me she worked as her personal shopper and knew her family well. Not sure why Catherine flagged this particular person to me, but the final decision had still been mine.My twin, Nadia, glanced up from where she was standing by the window. She had insisted on being present for the interviews, claiming she wanted to meet the woman who'd be standing in for my mate, Evangeline. I'd agreed only because arguing with Nadia when she was determined was pointless.I was tired, irritated, and ready to make a decision so I could go back and deal with actual problems. The rogue attacks were escalating. My cousin was getting bolder in his challenge for leadership. And then there was my mate, Evangeline.I pus

The car that came for me was bigger than I expected. I had imagined something practical, maybe a standard SUV. What pulled up in front of our modest house was a black luxury sedan, polished to a mirror shine, making the entire street look worn by comparison. The kind of car that announced wealth and power without apology.The driver stepped out first. He was massive, close to seven feet tall, built like he could bench-press a truck. His head was shaved clean. Despite his size, his face softened when he nodded at me.“Hello, Lisa. I’m Franklin, Beta to Alpha Cameron. I’ll be escorting you to Silver Creek.”I nodded. Right. They had sent the second-in-command to pick up the hired womb. I told myself not to read into it.My mother stood in the doorway, arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to keep from falling apart. James could not bear to watch me go.“Is this all your luggage?” Franklin asked, eyeing my two suitcases and single backpack.“That’s it.”He loaded everything int