All Chapters of TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS : Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

Evangeline Nadia rubbed her temple and stepped closer to the bed. “Eva, stop. You’re not thinking clearly.”I pushed myself upright against the headboard, the IV line tugging at my wrist. “I am thinking clearly. Can’t you see that? Everything got worse when this started, and you know it.”Nadia moved to the foot of the bed. “You’re scared. That’s normal. But you don’t get to make decisions about someone else’s body because you’re scared.”“It’s not about control. It’s about survival.” I pulled the blanket tighter around my waist. “You should be on my side. You’re my best friend.”She dragged a chair closer and sat. “No. I love you, but this is extreme. The contract is documented. She can report us for violating her body, and nobody will defend you. The agreement was natural conception, which means sex had to happen. Cameron might have gotten distracted, but we don’t need to panic. We wait. She gives birth. She leaves. If he still stays attached after that, then we deal with it. Then

CameronThe papers on my desk stopped looking like words; they were blocks of ink and signatures that still needed to exist by morning. My coffee sat untouched beside the files, a thin skin forming on top. Ink stained the side of my finger where the pen kept slipping.Franklin yawned and dragged his hand down his face, eyes squeezed shut. He stayed in his chair even though his leg bounced under the table and his eyes kept drifting to the clock.“Are we planning to stay here all night?”“I have to finish this.” I flipped another page and signed it without reading.“You already said that.”I signed another document and shoved it into the completed stack. “Then leave. I’ll finish by myself.”He stared at me, mouth pulled tight, like he wasn’t buying any of it. He pushed his chair back and stretched until his shoulders cracked.“I do need sleep. Some of us don’t run on alpha stubbornness.”I waved my pen toward the door without looking up.He reached the door and paused with his hand on t

Lisa“Honey, you have a visitor,” my mom called from downstairs, and I jumped off the bed, expecting Cameron.A nurse walked in instead, smiling.My heart sank. So stupid.I fixed my face before heading downstairs. The nurse set her bag on the chair. “Agatha.”Gray curls framed her face, deeper lines around her mouth than my mom had. She unzipped the bag and pulled out vitamins and a thermometer. “How are you feeling today?”Her hands moved with practice as she lined things up on the table, and I eased back into the pillow.“Tired and irritated, I guess.” I rubbed my eyes.She nodded like this was routine. “That’s normal. Your body is adjusting. Hormones can make emotions stronger. You're not losing your mind.”I already knew the mood swings and the random crying weren’t just about missing Cameron.I was pregnant.She pressed her fingers to my wrist, then slid the thermometer under my tongue. “Any nausea this morning?”“A little. It comes and goes.” I pushed the blanket off my legs

LisaI called Cora after several unsuccessful attempts to reach out. She answered.“Hey, Lisa.” Her voice sounded forced and bright.“Are you busy?”“Oh, yes. I had to go to the nursery. Dorothy was having issues with some of the kids who were teething, and she had to take them to the infirmary. Then I had to pick my daughter from school.”“You’ve been busy lately.”She went quiet, then said, “Did you not hear what I said?”“I did. It’s not your first time juggling things.”I pressed my head into the cushion and looked at the ceiling. “Sasha tells me she likes you.”“Oh, fuck.” The word came out under her breath.“Lisa, I don’t want to mess her life up. Sasha is wild and fierce and fun to be around. If this were another life, maybe I’d be excited that someone like her asked me out. But she deserves someone clean. Someone without history.”I sat up straighter. “Cora, stop. You’re not dirty.”“You of all people know where I came from. What I did. What people would say if they found out

LisaMy mom talked nonstop the entire ride back to the safe house, her voice filling the car. She kept turning her head toward the windows like she still couldn’t believe she could see, pointing out everything passing outside.“Street signs. Look at that shop. Oh, the traffic lights are so bright. Even the cracks in the sidewalk. I forgot how sharp everything looks.” She leaned forward from the backseat, staring through the windshield.Franklin chuckled from the driver’s seat, eyes still on the road. “I don’t even want to imagine how blurry everything was.”“Oh, it's like coming to life again.”When we got inside the house, she walked through the living room, touching things as she went. She ran her fingers over the sofa fabric and pulled the curtain aside to look at the stitching. She looked around the room with this quiet focus that made my chest tight.“So what were you and Alpha Kieran talking about?”She groaned. “Lisa, please don’t start.” She turned toward the window, but the c