TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 148

One hundred and forty eight

Cameron POV

The office never stayed empty. People rotated in and out without thinning the room. The glass walls gave the illusion of space, but movement from the hallway bled through constantly.

Files stacked across my desk. My laptop stayed open with too many tabs, each one demanding attention at the same time.

Persistent knocks came at steady intervals. A young gamma held onto a file, asking for a job. Two brothers argued over land boundaries until I settled the matter and assigned oversight to a neutral party. A widow reported harassment from a relative; I issued a formal warning and reassigned property access to her name alone. A wounded guard’s family pushed for extended treatment support; I approved the coverage. The accountant presented numbers with a confidence that didn’t hold; I adjusted the allocations and set a mandatory review, None of it stopped. Each problem replaced the last before it fully cleared.

Franklin stayed near the door, managing the flow. The security monitor in the corner showed the waiting area outside, still full. Eyes followed every shift of the door. Every handshake carried expectation. The air stayed thick with it.

Even when one person left, another filled the space immediately. By the time Elder Jerry came in, I had already signed off on more than I intended for the day. He spoke without pause, dragging the discussion through details that could have been resolved in minutes. I decided to let him talk. Cutting him off would create a different problem.

When the elder finally left, Franklin stepped out and gave instructions to the secretary to hold all remaining appointments. The door closed, and I let out a loud sigh.

Franklin came back in through the private door with a takeout bag. He set it on the desk and opened it. Steam escaped immediately, and the scent of shrimp hit. He set a plate down in front of me. I picked up a piece and took a bite. The seasoning was heavy. Oil sat on the surface.

“Why can’t the cook get something this simple right?” I muttered.

Franklin gave a small smile. “You’re eating it anyway.”

I picked up another piece and reached for a document at the same time. My eyes scanned a line while I chewed. A drop of sauce landed near the edge of the page as work and food refused to stay separate.

“How was last night?” Franklin said with a wink.

I glared at him and picked up another shrimp. “Evangeline was back when I got home,” I said.

Franklin frowned. “That was fast.”

“I think she didn’t like the idea of me being out of reach,” I said.

I set the food down. “She asked where I was.”

“And you told her.”

“I told her I went to check on the baby.”

Franklin’s mouth curved slightly. “That’s one way to say it. So what now?”

“Nothing,” I said. “It doesn’t become anything.”

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He gave a quiet laugh. “You don’t sound convinced.”

“It’s not something I plan to repeat.”

Franklin shrugged. I picked up the document, scanning the lines without fully reading them. I set the file down and pushed the plate away.

“I’m not going to lie,” I said. “My body needed it.”

Franklin didn’t interrupt.

“I don’t know why it keeps pulling me back there. It doesn’t make sense.”

“But it still happens,” Franklin said.

“Yes.”

“And you regret it.”

I thought about that. “I regret the situation,” I said. “Evangeline is still there. That’s what makes it look wrong. But being with Lisa felt different. It felt lighter. Like something wasn’t sitting on me anymore. It doesn’t justify anything, and it is not going to turn into something else.”

“I’m saying if that’s the only place you’re not carrying weight, then you should pay attention to it,” Franklin said.

I frowned. “You’re telling me to keep cheating on Evangeline?”

“I’m telling you not to pretend Lisa doesn’t matter. That’s reality. Besides, you think her body is going to stay quiet? With the second trimester coming up, hormones spike. You already know how that goes.”

I did not know a thing about it. “That wasn’t part of the agreement,” I said.

“Agreements don’t always account for everything.”

“You’re pushing this.”

“I’m pointing out what’s already happening,” Franklin said. “Because from where I’m standing, you look like someone who will go to her again and again.”

“That’s not what this is,” I said.

My phone rang. The name on the screen made me pause. Luna Catherine. Evangeline’s mother. Franklin saw the name and straightened.

“I’ll step out,” he said. He left through the private door, closing it behind him.

I answered the call.

“I won’t waste your time, Cameron,” she said. “Your behavior is utterly disgusting.”

I shut my eyes and leaned back in my chair.

“You’ve been inconsistent in everything but breaking my daughter’s heart. She is directly affected by whatever it is you are doing with that girl. Evangeline is tied to you. Your soulmate. What you’re doing reflects on her position.”

“I understand that.”

“Do you?” she asked. “Because from where I stand, it looks like you’re disregarding structure. That is not how

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you have been.”

I let it pass. “Things have not been stable for a while,” I said. “Even before Lisa came into the picture. That is not an excuse; it is the reality.”

She laughed. “Well then, should I remind you that Lisa is still tied to my pack? You know what that means. That connection doesn’t give you the freedom to move outside established boundaries.”

Anger shot through my spine. “Are you threatening me?”

“Oh no, dear,” she said breezily. “Just a warning that you’re complicating things. You owe my daughter consistency. Not this.”

“I’m not pretending everything is fine,” I said. “I care about Evangeline, and I want her to get well.”

“No. You’re making this harder than it needs to be,” she said.

“I’m not going to lie to maintain a picture that doesn’t exist,” I snapped.

The line stayed quiet. “Be careful with how far you take that,” she said, then hung up.

I hadn’t even realized Franklin had returned to the room. “Don’t ask,” I said.

He held up a tablet. “Security report. Evangeline didn’t come back alone this morning,” he said. “3:49 a.m. Entry log. Desmond drove in with her.”

I looked at the screen. “Desmond?”

He nodded. “And he left almost immediately in a separate vehicle.”

I handed the tablet back to him. “She probably met to confront him about Nadia.”

“It is one way to look at it. But what was she doing with him at that hour?”

I frowned at that. I realized she hadn’t even told me why she came back earlier than planned.

“I’ll ask her,” I mumbled. “Let’s get back to work.”

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