TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 140

One hundred and forty

Lisa POV

I almost rolled my eyes at the young doctor. He stood just outside my door, finishing a phone call and tossing around clipped medical terms.

He couldn’t have been more than twenty-six. There was a rough charm to him, the kind you’d expect in a crowded club, not a specialist who works for an expensive hospital.

With a poison scare still hanging over me, I didn’t feel comforted. I didn’t want someone like him handling my case. I watched him without making it obvious. He ended the call and stepped inside.

“Good morning, Ms. Hartwell,” he said, flashing a smile that didn’t match the hour. “How are you feeling today?

“It’s Lisa. I’m fine,” I said.

He apologized and moved to the bed, already pulling out his stethoscope. He checked the monitors, adjusted the IV, then reached for the blood pressure cuff.

“Everything looks good,” he said. “Vitals are steady. You’re holding up well.”

I said nothing. I didn’t need the flattery.

He hesitated, his hands hovering over his bag.

“You’ve been through a lot. The pregnancy, what almost happened… that’s not easy.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

He looked at me properly this time. Gold rings in his irises caught the light. He realized I wasn’t buying his tone.

“What I’m saying is this,” he said, more grounded now. “Your body handled something serious. With proper monitoring, your baby should be fine.”

I remained silent. He didn’t press. He started packing his tools, talking as he worked.

“I’ve been reviewing your blood work,” he said. “We didn’t find the source. My seniors told me to drop it, but I don’t think it’s over. There’s something there. I want to find it.”

I didn’t respond. I was tired of the hospital giving me nothing.

“People with more experience already ran deeper tests and found nothing. Are you saying they missed something?”

“Not at all,” he said. “I just happen to be good at digging into things. If you let me, I’d like to keep looking.”

Something about that didn’t sit right. It felt less like concern and more like curiosity.

“My case must be interesting if you want to build your name on it,” I said.

He laughed instead of taking offense.

“All cases matter,” he said. “If something doesn’t make sense, we figure it out. That’s the job. I like figuring things out.”

I leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “And I’m supposed to trust that.”

“You don’t have to trust me,” he said. “Just let me do the work.”

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I didn’t answer. I didn’t want my body turned into someone’s project. He kept talking anyway, explaining procedures, repeating that the baby was fine, even joking about how strong the child must be.

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My mother entertained him. The moment she warmed up to him, they kept going. I drifted in and out of their conversation.

“You should join us for breakfast, Dr. Harry. You cannot work on an empty stomach,” she said.

“That’s not necessary, ma’am. I wouldn’t want to cross any professional lines.”

“I insist,” she said. “Come.”

He hesitated, then stood. “With the smell of those waffles, I’d be a fool to say no.”

We moved to the dining table. My mother had already set everything up. She moved easily around the kitchen, talking as she plated the food.

“You’re young,” she said, pouring tea. “How long have you been practicing?” a

“Three years,” he said.

She smiled. “And already handling cases like this.”

“I was trained well.”

“It shows.”

They settled into an easy rhythm. She asked, he answered. No ego, no showing off.

He talked about his work, paying attention to small details, and how he approached research. She listened, nodding, adding pieces from her own life.

She told him about her time as a nurse at the pack hospital before she lost her sight. She talked about how much she missed it.

He watched her, the kind of look people give when they don’t know how to fix what’s been broken.

Maybe that shared background made it easier for them to connect. I stayed out of it, picking at my food. He sounded capable. That wasn’t the problem. The system behind him was. And now he was in charge of me.

Franklin’s name came to me. I pushed my plate away and excused myself, heading upstairs to call him. He picked up on the second ring.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” I said. “There’s a new doctor here, Harry. He’s taking over my care. He wants more tests, and says there’s something in my blood they can’t identify.”

“I know,” Franklin said, his voice elsewhere. “Security cleared him. Maybe it’s not a bad idea to keep digging until they find something.”

“What about Cameron? Any excuse for his behavior?”

Silence stretched on the line.

“Nadia asked him,” Franklin said. “He claims he didn’t give any order to release the nurse or pull me off your detail.”

“Then who did?”

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“I don’t know,” Franklin said. “Cameron wouldn’t lie about that. We’ll have to wait until he lands.”

“That’s convenient,” I said. “At this point, I don’t even know who I can trust.”

“Don’t say that,” Franklin said. “If anyone wants that child safe, it’s Cameron. And if anyone’s looking out for you right now, it’s him.”

I said nothing.

“We’ll figure it out,” he said.

“Just don’t disappear,” I said. “I don’t know which of these guards might switch on me.”

“I won’t. But I’m not going to keep getting cleared like I’m some stranger. Let Cameron face me and explain why I was stopped.”

The rest of the day dragged on. I stayed on edge, picking apart every small sensation in my body.

Every cramp, every twinge, I read into it. Either the poison was back or something was wrong with the baby.

My mother finally told me to stop spiraling. She’d taken over my meals, and for now, no vitamins until the final clearance.

I was lying in bed when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I checked the window and recognized Alpha Kieran’s

vehicle.

I headed for the staircase and paused halfway down. My mother stood in the living room with him. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her. She eased back almost immediately, probably not wanting an audience.

I turned away with a smile. At least someone was getting it right.

“Enjoying the view?”

James stood behind me, winking.

“Don’t do that,” I said.

He nodded toward the living room. “So Mom’s really in love with him.”

I shrugged. “What beats a mate bond?”

He leaned against the wall. “I didn’t think she’d move on from Dad, She deserves this. And let’s be honest, Dad doesn’t even come close. A Beta versus an Alpha. That’s not a fair fight.”

“He made his choices. He’s still our father.”

“That doesn’t change anything,” he said. “If he suffers, that’s on him. I don’t hate him, but I’d rather stick with Mom’s future husband. He’s fucking rich actually brings something to the table.”

“Gold digger.”

We both laughed, then fell quiet until he spoke again.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get married.”

“That’s extreme.”

“I’m serious.”