TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 116

One hundred and sixteen

Cameron POV

The manila envelope carried the acceptance letter from the surgical center in the North. They approved Evangeline’s case. After 3 weeks of waiting, the approval felt like a breakthrough.

I carried a glass of wine upstairs and found her in one of the sitting rooms, curled into the corner of the sofa with a blanket around her shoulders.

The open window let wind drag the curtains across the frame. A tea tray sat on the table before her. One cup held a cloudy pink mixture with a faint herbal smell. Another cup sat empty.

She looked up when I entered.

“You’re early.”

I crossed the room, sat across from her and reached for her hand, my thumb dragging across her palm.

“I have good news.”

She studied my face.

“Well, I have better news,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about names for the baby. If it’s a boy, we can name him Elian.”

“Eva.”

“Then if it’s a girl, we’ll name her Eliana.” She smiled and traced her thumb across my palm.

“Isn’t it strange? Something that small can change the whole house. Change everything.”

“Eva, your surgery has been approved.”

I set the envelope on the table and slid it toward her.

Her mouth gaped in horror.

“I can’t do it. I’ll die.”

“You won’t die, Eva. Stop sounding negative.”

She leaned back against the sofa and looked at the envelope without touching it.

“It must comfort you to believe it will work,” she said. “But I know I won’t make it through that surgery.’

“Eva, you can’t decide that without trying. At least see the specialists. Your case may be rare, but they’ve studied it for years. If the procedure goes wrong, they’ll stop.”

She shook her head and her hand tightened around mine.

“I can’t take that risk. If I’m dying, let me die naturally. Let me at least live long enough to see the baby.”

She blinked back tears.

“I’m scared of losing you,” she said, gripping my hand tighter. “I don’t want to become a memory you step around.”

“Eva, I hate talking about death when there’s still hope. I hate hearing you talk like the surgery already failed.”

1/5

hand and teen

+15 Benus

She pulled her hand away and reached for the teapot. The porcelain lid clicked as she lifted it and poured more tea into her cup.

The smell of herbs thickened in the room.

Nadia’s words from earlier returned to me. The old woman. The mirror. The powders.

“You know what’s strange,” I said, leaning forward. “You don’t want the surgery. You’ve been avoiding the specialists. Now you trust herbs and strange mixtures.”

She paused with the teapot in her hand, then set it down.

“Herbs helped people long before hospitals existed.”

“I know,” I said, resting my forearms on my knees. “I’m not arguing with that. But this could make your condition worse.”

I glanced at the tray again, at the cloudy pink liquid.

“Nadia saw an old woman leaving your room. Do you trust that person more than us?”

She blinked, then laughed under her breath.

“You make it sound like I invited a criminal. She understands natural medicine.”

“And she brought a few remedies,” she added.

“Which may help,” I said, tapping the envelope, “but the doctors have an actual treatment plan. You trust herbs and strangers. I trust surgeons.”

“It’s called exploring options.”

“It’s called avoiding the real treatment.”

She lifted her eyes mine.

“You think I’m irresponsible.”

“I think you’re scared.”

She held my gaze.

“Of course I’m scared. I’m the one they’re planning to cut open.”

“The doctors in the North studied your case for months.”

She scoffed and looked away.

“And they still don’t know why my body is failing.”

I reached under the tray and pulled out the papers. They crinkled as I flattened one on the table. Diagrams covered half the page.

“The surgery will repair the damage in your wolf’s reproductive system. The specialists believe the instability started there. They’ll stabilize the tissue and rebuild the connection between your wolf and your body.”

Her eyes moved over the diagrams, but her expression stayed closed.

“How long will this take?”

2/5

One hundred and saten

+15 Bcnus

“The recovery will take months. Supervision. Medication. Monitoring.”

“Months?” She sat up. “In the North?”

Her gaze hardened.

“So the solution is to send me away.”

“Eva, come on. I’m trying to give you the best chance to stay alive.”

“That’s not an option,” she said. “You’re trying to get rid of me.”

“Can you stop saying that?”

She recoiled.

The words slipped out.

“Why are you dragging this out? What will people say when they learn there was a solution and you refused it?”

She stared past me toward the window.

“I’m not buying it,” she said. “You want me out of the way because of your lover. I won’t fall for that lie.”

The door opened behind me. Nadia rushed in, drawn by the shouting.

“What’s going on? Why are you yelling?”

“Talk to your friend,” I said, pushing out of the chair. “She refuses the surgery. She refuses anything that might help her.”

Nadia stepped toward the sofa.

“Eva, you’re making this harder than it has to be. This surgery is safer than drinking mystery powders from strangers.”

Evangeline’s eyes sharpened.

“What are you implying?”

Nadia raised her hands.

“I’m not accusing you. I’m worried about you. I’m your friend. I want you alive.”

Evangeline looked from her to me.

“So now both of you decide what’s best for me.”

Nadia glanced at me. Irritation flashed across her face before she masked it.

“We want you to survive.”

“I’m trying to survive.”

“Then take the treatment seriously,” Nadia said. “Herbs aren’t treatment. You could make things worse.”

Evangeline pushed herself upright.

“You both talk to me like I’m a child who doesn’t understand her own body.”

3/5