TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 114

Ye hundred and frurteen

Bottle sliding back to shelf

Glass hitting counter

Wine tasting wrong

These keep the scene physical without body-part choreography.

2. Dialogue pressure Added lines like:

“Your fiancé let you escape already?”

“He talked about trade routes for forty minutes. I fled for my life.”

“What kind of woman?”

These break exposition and make the conversation breathe.

3. Behavioral reactions instead of internal narration Examples inserted:

Nadia pushing the glass away then pulling it back

Cameron setting the glass down harder

Nadia leaning closer

4. Suspense reinforcement Added subtle tension beats around the mirror and packets.

Example additions:

“My attention sharpened.”

“The wine suddenly tasted wrong in my mouth.”

These help pivot the scene toward the Evangeline mystery. 1

WORDS/LINES ADDED

Key additions:

“Your fiancé let you escape already?”

“He talked about trade routes for forty minutes. I fled for my life.”

“My attention sharpened.”

“What kind of woman?”

“Heavy cloak. Gray hair.”

“The wine suddenly tasted wrong in my mouth.”

“She pushed the glass away, then pulled it back again.”

“I set my glass down harder than intended.”

“I rubbed the back of my neck and exhaled.” 1

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nd and fourteen.

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One hundred and fourteen

Susan POV

James poured more tea into my cup and slid it across the table.

“Mom, I don’t think you should go to that meeting. They’re going to insult you and make you feel guilty for divorcing Dad.”

I wrapped my hands around the cup and sat there with the heat pressing into my palms.

James was right. Thirty years in Richard’s family had already taught me how these meetings worked. Everyone gathered in a circle and took turns explaining what was reasonable, what was expected, what a good wife should tolerate.

And the same reminder always came with it.

I was an Omega. An Omega woman who should feel grateful to live in an beta’s house. An Omega who should keep quiet and endure whatever came with that privilege.

I set the cup down. “I just have to face them one last time,” I said. “Think of it as paying my final respects.”

James scoffed. “That family doesn’t deserve your respect.”

“It’s still a meeting. Nobody is going to beat me up.”

“You never know. I’m coming with you.”

That dragged a tired smile out of me. Before I could argue again, someone knocked on the door. James looked toward the hallway.

“Are you expecting anyone?”

I shook my head.

“What if it’s Dad?”

He pushed his chair back and headed to the door.

I stayed at the table. The lock clicked and the door opened. James didn’t say anything. That silence made me turn.

Alpha Kieran stood on the porch.The chair legs scraped the floor as I pushed back and stood

He filled the doorway without effort. No guards, no noise, yet the apartment shifted around his presence the moment he stepped inside.

“Hello, James,” he said. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

James stepped aside. “You’re not. Please come in.”

Kieran entered the apartment. His attention settled on me. I dipped my head in greeting and gestured to the chair across from me.

“Please sit.”

He took the seat. I pulled the chair back under the table and sat

“What are you doing here?”

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James made a noise behind me.

“Mom. That’s not how a host talks to a guest. You’re supposed to offer tea before interrogating him.”

I gave him a look that told him to behave. Kieran smiled.

“Don’t worry about that. I ate before coming.”

James leaned against the table instead of leaving. I sent him another look to leave. He ignored it.

Kieran glanced around the apartment, then returned his attention to me.

“How is the court case going?”

I let out a breath.

“It hasn’t been easy. They’re trying to talk me out of the divorce.”

“And will they succeed?”

The answer sat between us. I gave a short laugh and pushed my chair back.

“This whole situation still feels unreal. A month ago my life looked normal. Now Richard is trying to bully me into staying, and the elders keep reminding me that thirty years of marriage should mean something.”

My fingers pressed into the wood of the table.

“People think it should be easy to leave because he cheated. Maybe it is for some people. I spent three decades building a life around that man. I cooked his meals. I raised his children. I sat through every family dinner where they treated me like I should thank them for letting me stay. And now I’m supposed to walk away and magically know who I am without that.”

I looked away.

“I spent twenty-five years with Vanessa.”

I looked up. Kieran looked sad. He rested his arms on the table.

“I believed we would grow old together. She was the healthiest person I knew. Every morning she dragged me out of bed for a run. She tracked every meal she ate. If someone brought junk food into the house, she gave a lecture about organic farming.”

A quiet breath left him. “One day she collapsed in our kitchen. No warning. No illness. She never woke up. I wasn’t the same man after that.”

Our eyes met across the table. The ceiling fan turned above us, its steady hum filling the silence.

“I never expected to think about love again, neither am I trying to rush you,” he continued. “Grief doesn’t follow logic. Mine came from losing someone who loved me. Yours comes from realizing the person you trusted never deserved that love. You don’t have to accept the bond today. You don’t have to promise anything.”

James spoke from behind us.

“She has to leave Dad’s mess behind and let someone finally choose her.”

I turned toward him.

“James. Go to your room.”

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He shrugged. Instead of moving, he pointed toward the wall clock.

“You’re supposed to leave soon.”

Kieran looked at me. I explained the gathering Richard’s relatives had arranged.

When I finished, he said, “I can come with you.

I shook my head.

“This is something I need to face myself. If I hide behind you, they’ll say the divorce only happened because an Alpha stepped in.”

Kieran studied me, then pushed his chair back and stood.

“My hotel is nearby. The Alpha Suite. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

I nodded. He stepped out and closed the door behind him.

The apartment felt different after he left. I stood there looking at the door. Then I turned to James.

“Did you give him our address?”

James lifted his hands.

“I have no idea how he found us. Maybe Lisa told him.”

“I doubt it. She would have mentioned it.”

The thought of Lisa settled heavy in my chest.

Richard had already delayed the divorce twice. Every delay kept me trapped here instead of going to her. Carrying a child for a contract partner already came with enough loneliness. Doing it while the whole town whispered about money made it worse.

James grabbed the car keys.

“Come on. If we’re late they’ll say you’re avoiding them.”

He drove us in Lisa’s old car. The drive to Richard’s cousin’s house took about twenty minutes. I had been there many times during the marriage. Back then I used to arrive carrying desserts or gifts, trying to be polite enough that someone might treat me like family.

That never worked.

His cousin, John, lived there with his wife Naomi. Naomi had spent years reminding me that Richard had married beneath him. When we stepped inside, several members of Richard’s extended family were already sitting in the living room.

They watched me walk in the way people saw a problem. A few of them nodded at James out of courtesy. Their attention stayed on me.

“Thank you for coming, Susan, “John said.

I sat in the empty chair across from them.mJames stayed standing beside my chair. One of Richard’s aunts leaned forward. She had never liked me from the beginning.

“Richard has been thinking carefully about the situation. He no longer believes divorce is the right solution.”

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I kept my face neutral. Another woman joined in.

“You have been his wife for thirty years. Ending a marriage like that will damage the family’s reputation, especially now that Lisa’s pregnancy has become town gossip. A public divorce will only make the scandal worse.”

I pressed my hands together to keep my temper steady.

“So you called this meeting to protect the family image.”

John answered with a diplomatic smile.

“It’s about making a wise decision, my dear.”

He leaned forward. “Think about it. Richard brought you into this family. He gave you a life. A home. Children. A name.”

Naomi crossed her arms. “An Omega your age will not easily find another mate. Richard is being generous by reconsidering the divorce. Many men would not offer that after such public embarrassment.”

I felt James shift behind me. I glanced back at him. Stay calm.

John continued.

“Reconciliation would be better for everyone. No marriage survives without difficulties. You should remain humble and accept that.” 1

I looked around the room. All those familiar faces. Thirty years of holidays and family gatherings. Thirty years of quiet insults. The meeting had nothing to do with my happiness. They wanted to protect their pride.

“Thank you all for your concern over the years,” I said. “But let me make something clear. I do not need anything from Richard anymore.”

John frowned. “Susan, you’re being irrational. You think Lisa’s surrogacy money will support you.’

My voice stayed calm. I looked at each of them.

“Money is the last thing on my mind. You have all spent years reminding me that Richard ‘took me in.’ That I should be grateful for the life he gave me. I have listened to the comments. The little jokes. The reminders that an Omega like me should stay quiet. But I would rather live alone than stay married and miserable.”

Silence settled in the room, then James spoke from behind me.

“She already met her fated mate.”

My head turned toward him.

“James.”

Everyone in the room reacted at the same time.

Someone laughed.

“That’s impossible.”

Another voice joined in.

“Who would claim someone surrounded by this much scandal?”

James rested his hand on the back of my chair.

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“Oh, you’ll want to know,” he said. “My mother’s mate is Alpha Kieran of the Iron Fang pack.”

The room went still. Everyone knew that name. Naomi stared at me as if she had never seen me before. Then Richard’s aunt started laughing.

“That is impossible. What kind of story is this? Do you think saying a famous Alpha’s name will make us bow?”

I picked up my bag.

“You don’t have to bow. I never asked for that. I came here out of respect. That was clearly unnecessary.,This discussion is finished. I wish you all a pleasant life.”

No one tried to stop me.

They sat there staring, still trying to understand what they had heard. James followed me outside and closed the door behind us. He looked at the house and shook his head.

“Good riddance.”

P

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