TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 371 - チャプター 380

Wesley POVWe stayed at the daycare well into the evening. By eight, the owner hovered near the reception desk, tears streaking her face, insisting nothing like this had ever happened under her watch. Fear coated her voice, and despite everything in me screaming for answers, I couldn't blame her for being terrified. She had a missing child in her building, the future Alpha standing in front of her, and a security team tearing her daycare apart. Every time she opened her mouth, she looked like she expected me to accuse her.My own body was becoming harder to ignore. Heat crawled beneath my skin, settling deeper into my muscles. My head throbbed, the familiar pressure behind my eyes building.My wolf reacted to the separation from Isabella.Not now.I forced my attention back to the screens as a security officer enlarged a section of footage. It wasn't clear enough to show the girl's face, but it showed enough of her clothes and movements. A gray hoodie covered most of her body, and she

Wesley POV The fever had climbed too high to bear. My head throbbed, and every sound hit me like a blow.If I refused the medication, the fever would keep rising, my wolf would push harder against the restraints I'd spent years building, and I would lose control. That knowledge should have been enough to make me take the injection. Instead, all I could think about was Isabella leaving without me.Dad had handled the search arrangements, and I trusted him to do what needed doing. He and Franklin were going after Desmond in the morning, and knowing Franklin was with him gave me some comfort. Still, none of it settled the unease in my chest. Maverick was missing, Isabella was about to risk herself for him, and I was growing weaker by the hour.Charlie drove while I sat in the passenger seat with my head against the window, trying to ignore the heat crawling through my body. I was grateful Dad had forced Isabella to go through proper channels instead of letting her rush into Desmond's te

Isabella POVThe room seemed to shrink around me, and the sight of Desmond standing there brought back everything I had spent years trying to bury. The fear wasn't only for myself anymore. Maverick was in my arms, and I could feel the way his body had gone stiff against mine.Desmond noticed and chuckled, a sound that carried the satisfaction of a man who enjoyed being feared. He lifted his hands as though trying to soothe a frightened animal."You don't have to be afraid of me. It's still me, Isabella." His gaze traveled over me, turning my stomach."You've put on some flesh." A smile touched his mouth. "I remember how thin you were when you left. I liked you that way, but I think I like you even more now."I looked away."I always knew you'd grow into a beautiful woman. You gave me quite a chase, though. All those years of hiding, making me search for you." He laughed again, pleased with himself. "And now look at us. You came back to me with my son."His attention shifted to Maveric

Wesley POVThe back of my hand caught blood as I wiped the corner of my mouth. I groaned and lifted my head to check my reflection.I hated what I saw.Fever-flushed skin. Eyes darker than usual. Exhaustion I could no longer hide.The sink water turned red as I washed the blood from my hand and straightened my shirt, trying to look less like a beast who had spent the night fighting his own body.Isabella had begged me not to fight Desmond, the fear in her voice almost enough to make me give in. She believed he would poison me, or that my body would fail me in the middle of the duel.I listened to every word and promised her none of it would happen. I didn't tell her that another part of me was waiting for the fight.I had always hated waking up after, counting how many bones my wolf had broken beneath his teeth. But the taste of an enemy's blood thrilled something in me.Desmond wanted a duel, and he would have one.He was a powerful Alpha, and I wasn't stupid enough to believe defeat

Isabella POVLuna Lisa kept wiping at her face, laughing through the tears as she stared at me, then at Wesley, as though she couldn't decide whether to celebrate or fall apart."Oh, goodness," she whispered. "Oh, my goodness."My limbs had lost their strength, and my head felt light. I could hear people speaking, but their voices seemed to come from somewhere far away. The daughters helped me toward the chapter house while Luna Lisa stayed close, still wiping her tears, and I barely managed to keep my eyes open."I feel strange," I murmured.Grandma Cassidy glanced at me. "You'll be fine."By the time they got me upstairs, I could barely stand. The daughters helped me into a warm bath. Water moved around me, carrying away the dirt and traces of the clearing, but the strange feeling remained."Did I take something from him?" I asked, my voice thick with sleep. "When I marked him?"Grandma Cassidy touched my forehead, then exchanged a look with Luna Lisa."Your body is reacting to the