Lahat ng Kabanata ng TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS : Kabanata 211 - Kabanata 220

There was nothing in my head except a heavy, unexplainable confusion. So many questions and unanswered mysteries crowded my mind, especially surrounding this strange woman who had come to the house. My thoughts were too tangled for me to focus on anything except what they kept telling me; that if I wanted to protect myself, I needed to join another sect. It was all too much to process.I stood in the hallway, facing the huge floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the landscaped garden, where a hummingbird hovered outside. The tiny bird stayed suspended in front of a red hibiscus, its wings blurring gray while its beak jabbed into the center of the flower. My mind swirled with doubts and questions. Why would Alpha Kieran even want me to join something like that? And why did the solution have to revolve around me instead of Cameron himself?I tried to understand it. The baby was involved, and there was also the possibility that Cameron might be my mate, which was insane to even consider. B

Cassidy POVThe silence in the driveway hung heavy. George's gaze bounced between Kieran and me. I looked past his car toward the edge of the property, where the scent of freshly cut grass drifted across the lawn from somewhere beyond the hedges. A lawnmower engine sputtered and died in the distance, leaving only the sound of wind rustling through the pine needles.“Cass, please stay,” George said, breaking the silence. He reached out to rub the sleeve of my leather jacket before dropping his hand back to his side. “You can see the girl is in danger. And Cameron's already deteriorating.”I let out a laugh that tightened my throat, my fingers gripping the leather strap of my duffel bag. “Interesting. So now I'm useful again.”George looked caught between a grimace and a deadpan smile. Kieran remained silent, his large frame cast in the long shadows of the late afternoon sun. One of the guards stood near the stone wall with a cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling past his face wh

I woke up the next morning with nausea, and I first blamed the heavy dinner from the night before. But by midday on Sunday, my stomach twisted whenever I smelled food. Even my mother, who usually didn’t notice things, told me I looked pale.“I’m fine,” I said, but I wasn’t.I couldn’t even go welcome Vanessa properly when she arrived. She had to come meet me at the small restaurant near the market while I sat there trying not to throw up into my juice glass.“You look terrible,” she said, reaching across the table to wipe sweat from my forehead with her thumb.“I said I’m fine.”“You sure you’re not pregnant?”My heart skipped so hard it hurt.“I can’t be pregnant. Kieran and I use protection.”Vanessa gave me a look over the rim of her glass. “Cassidy, based on everything you’ve told me, you two climb all over each other whenever you get the chance. There had to be at least one time you got careless.”Heat rushed into my face as memory slammed into me.The backseat of Kieran’s car tw

Cassidy POV“I didn’t ask for this, Cass.”Headlights drifted past the ice cream parlor window, smearing white and red across the glass. I kept my eyes on the street while Kieran’s words settled between us.His eyes darted over my face, searching. His hand hovered near mine, then dropped back to the table. He kept speaking, his voice rough and uneven in a way I had never heard before.“I didn't want any of this to happen right now?”I finally looked down at the pregnancy test sitting beside my napkin. I thought my life had changed because I was carrying his child.Now it felt like the entire future had cracked open underneath me.“You were never going to tell me,” I said.Kieran shook his head. “That’s not true.”“You only told me because I’m pregnant.”His eyes broke from mine and slid toward the window before returning.“I…I needed time.”My heart pounded.Time.Time to decide whether he still wanted me? Time to figure out how to leave me? Time to stand beside Vanessa long enough fo

Franklin POV"The Alpha is having a hard time. He's not surrendering his throne."The roughness of my voice made Cameron, who was sitting across the room in a high-backed chair while the Oracle moved around him in slow circles, raise an eyebrow at me.I turned away to avoid making him uneasy and took several steps out of their hearing range."A hard time doesn't explain six missed appearances, Franklin. The council is hearing things. People don't invent rumors when an Alpha vanishes," Elder Robinson said.I blew out a breath that rattled my lips as his words droned on."Tell me honestly, Franklin. If Cameron walked into this room right now, would I find the same Alpha who led this pack six months ago?"A bark of laughter escaped me without warmth as the uncomfortable question settled in my stomach.Rumors had started as whispers among council members after Cameron missed several appearances. Every explanation bought us a little time but created more questions.Some elders were genuine