All Chapters of TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

Evangeline POVMy eyes locked onto Cameron’s. He wore a dark frown.“That sounds like your voice,” the counsel said, his lips curling into a smug line.“It is. But I never confided in Desmond,” I replied, keeping my back straight against the wood of the witness stand. “I warned him to keep Cameron’s name out of his mouth.”“About what, exactly?”“Desmond was already ruining his relationship. I told him not to drag us into the mess.”Desmond sank into his chair and watched me. A scoff escaped him.Bastard.“So you deny sharing any sensitive details?” the counsel asked.“I deny it,” I said. I tightened my grip on the edge of the railing. “I was dealing with my own crisis at the time.”“And what crisis was that?”“A private health issue.”A heavy silence followed.“You expect this court to believe that recording is unrelated to these charges? You used the specific words ‘Cameron’s infidelity.’”“I expect the court to understand how words are twisted,” I said. My voice didn’t waver. “Desm

Lisa POVI sat at the dining table, picking at a knot in the wood, but my hearing was tuned to the next room. My mother had insisted I stay put until Alpha Kieran and Dr. Harry finished their talk. She didn't want the stress of their conversation to weigh on me, but the silence was doing a better job of that.Nadia paced the length of the kitchen floor, her boots thudding against the tile. She didn't even look at the empty chairs. She raked her nails through her hair and spun on her heel, walking as if she were trying to outrun a ghost.My mother hovered near her, reaching out but not quite touching her shoulder.“Nothing is going to happen to your brother,” she said. “Alpha Kieran and the doctor are going to figure this out.”“That’s the script everyone is reading from,” Nadia snapped. She stopped and looked at the wall. “‘Nothing will happen’ while he sits in that house, refusing to believe he's drowning. Look where that lie has gotten us.”I pressed my palm against the curve of my

Lisa POVThe drive into Silver Creek felt long. I spent most of it half asleep with my forehead against the window while headlights cut through empty roads and pine trees.Every time I woke up, my back hurt worse. The baby sat low enough to make any position miserable, and I was too tired to keep pretending I was fine.Nobody talked much. Mom sat beside me in silence. Alpha Kieran drove. I was trying hard to decide whether I trusted him or the fact that my mother trusted him.He lowered his window a few inches hours ago to stay awake. Every now and then, Mom asked if I needed water. Every now and then, Kieran checked the mirrors too long. That bothered me more than anything else. People only checked mirrors like that when they expected trouble behind them.By the time we crossed into Silver Creek territory, the sky had started turning gray. The entrance checkpoint looked more military than residential. Two guards came to the car right away, recognized Kieran, then stepped back without

Evangeline POVThe summons came at dusk with no explanation or delay. That alone told me I was in trouble.Tonight wasn't a general assembly but a direct summon, which meant failure.By the time my car passed through the final checkpoint road, my hands had gone cold against the steering wheel.The building sat ordinary among the rest. I parked in the parking lot, stayed in my car to give myself as much breathing room as possible, and got out.My stomach twisted harder. The front entrance stood open already. Two women crossed the corridor ahead of me. Neither acknowledged me.I kept walking. The lower chamber entrance sat beneath the east wing behind a carved wooden door. One operative stood beside it waiting for me. She opened the door without speaking.Cold air hit me immediately. The chamber below was already prepared.Candles lined the walls. Grey fabric covered the stone floor beneath ritual markings I recognized immediately from Dominion preparation rites.But there was more adde

Lisa POVThe study door sat partly open when I walked past it. I stopped after hearing James complain from inside.“I still don’t understand what I’m supposed to be looking for.”“You’re looking for overlap,” Harry replied.They didn’t notice me walking in. Papers covered the entire study table. Medical scans, prescription records, handwritten notes, and thick binders lay scattered everywhere.Harry looked wrecked like he was surviving on caffeine and no sleep. He sat in the middle of the mess wearing thin glasses I had never seen before. James sat across from him with folders spread open and frustration written all over his face.Harry tapped one of the papers with his pen.“Look at the dates.”James bent over the file.“Now compare them to Kieran’s medication changes during the year before his wife died.”James flipped through several pages and stopped. Harry reached across the table, grabbed another folder and pushed it toward him. James scanned the paperwork.“Similar patterns.”I