บททั้งหมดของ TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

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 had come 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. She'd asked me to drop off his lunch and the phone he'd forgotten at home. Watching him cheat on her made my stomach lurch. My mother didn't deserve this. 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

I tossed and turned all night, finally managing sleep in the early morning hours. When my alarm went off at 6 AM, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.Mom had been up even earlier. I could hear her in the upstairs living room, the TV on low. Our family's favorite sitcom, the one we used to watch together every Sunday. Now she was watching it alone at dawn because she couldn't sleep either.I hid in my room, not ready for that conversation yet. We hadn't talked about what I'd done, about what I'd volunteered for. I didn't know how to explain it to her when I barely understood it myself.At 6:30, I showered and dressed in simple clothes—jeans and a sweater. Medical screening didn't require anything fancy.I drove to the pack house, my hands tight on the steering wheel. When I walked through the foyer, I found out that most of the girls had withdrawn overnight. Of the ten who'd volunteered, only four remained.Brianna stood in the main hall, perfectly put together in a cream-colored pants

Cameron's pov This 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 commitment to pack alliances.Fake, all of it.Until Lisa walked in.Luna Catherine had told me she worked as her personal shopper and that she knew her family well. I wasn’t sure why Catherine had flagged this particular girl, but the final decision had still been mine.My twin, Nadia, glanced up from where she stood by the window. She’d insisted on being present for the interviews, claiming she wanted to meet the woman who’d be carrying my child. 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 return to actual problems. The rogue attacks were escalating. My cousin was growing bolder in his challenge for leadership. And then there was my mate’s deteriorating health.I pushed that thought away when Lisa walked in.She was dressed

The grief I'd been holding back cracked open, but I refused to let him see me cry."You want to know why I'm doing this?" I said, my voice deadly calm. "Because you're a liar. Because you planned to destroy us and thought we'd never find out. Because Mom is going blind and can't work, and you were going to throw her away like garbage. Because James deserves to finish school without worrying about where we'll sleep next month."He laughed."How ambitious, my girl. Unfortunately, the Lycans won't keep a girl like you," he said, his voice cutting. "You're not Alpha blood. Your mother's an Omega. You think they want to pollute their precious bloodline? You're Beta at best, and that's being generous. They'll use you until you give them what they want, then toss you aside. You'll come back here broken, used up, and even more worthless than you are now."Each word was designed to hurt me."They'll fuck you like the breeding stock you are," he continued, and Mom made a small sound of distress.

Alpha Cameron descended the steps. When he stopped in front of me, I couldn’t even meet his gaze. He was that intimidating."You're late," he said to Beta Franklin, though his eyes never left mine."Traffic at the border, Alpha. My apologies."Cameron continued to study me like I was a purchase he was evaluating.His sister joined us."I trust you understand the terms of your contract," she said flatly. "In addition to that, you'll be given quarters in the east wing. Meals will be brought to you unless you prefer the common dining areas, though I'd suggest avoiding those for the first few weeks. You'll have limited access to the outside world for the first month while you adjust to pack dynamics." She spoke like he was reciting instructions from a manual. "Do you have questions?"I had a thousand.I shook my head."Good."Alpha Cameron turned to Beta Franklin. "Show her to her rooms. She has to head to the hospital tomorrow at 9:00 a.m."He turned and walked back up the stairs, disappe