TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 154

One hundred and fifty four

Evangeline

Standing close enough to the main hall, I watched Cameron and Desmond and struggled to catch the sound.

Desmond answered, then Nadia’s name slipped through clearly.

Another fragment reached me.

“…you don’t get to-”

Then silence again.

I didn’t need the rest. I knew Desmond well enough to fill in what he would say when cornered. The fool would make it messy. That was always the problem with him. I had warned him not to give Cameron anything to hold, and yet he still stood there, talking back.

A part of me wanted to cut him out entirely or replace him, but that part of me understood that Desmond was already inside that circle. He had access and proximity. Replacing him would take time I did not have.

Everything at this stage depended on control, and Cameron was the center of that control. I needed him contained long enough for the process to complete. Dominion required stability, not disruption.

I crossed into the living room and adjusted the space just enough to look like I had been there for a while. A book rested open on the table. By the time Cameron stepped in, I was already seated. He paced around the living room; that told me enough that Desmond’s conversation had rattled him.

“Desmond was here,” he said.

I looked up at him. “I thought he left earlier. He wanted to talk to Nadia, or at least that’s what he claimed.”

Cameron held my gaze. “He mentioned Nadia and Franklin.”

I let out a sharp breath. “He did? How did he find out?”

Cameron didn’t respond to that. He wasn’t done.

“The guards saw you that morning, driving in with Desmond. What were you doing with him at that hour?”

I let out a quiet breath, just enough to shift the tone, and looked at him.

“Do you want the simple answer or the detailed one?”

“The truth,” he said.

“They’re the same,” I replied. “Something came up, and Mom had to leave. That night, I fell feverish. I didn’t see the point in staying alone. I ran into Desmond at the hotel. I called you, but your line didn’t go through.”

That part landed. I saw it register, even if he didn’t react outwardly.

“Desmond was surprisingly sympathetic and mentioned a herb that could help regulate things. It felt convenient to let him take me home.”

Cameron went quiet. The more he processed, the more I realized I was getting sloppy.

He nodded. “Alright.”,

That was the moment the pressure dropped.

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“You came in here with something else on your mind,” I said. “This isn’t just about Desmond.”

He didn’t deny it.

“Something feels off,” he said.

There it was again.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Eva. Things are not aligning the way they should. I’m trying hard to hold onto some bit of stability, but I can’t wrap my head around what is going on with us.”

It was time to bring out my dramatic mode.

“That could be my fault,” I said quietly. “My condition hasn’t been stable.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You’ve been distant. You can’t even stand me anymore; you’re disconnecting from the bond.”

He looked at me. “This isn’t about that.”

“It is,” I said. “It’s about all of it. If you’re going to question what I’m doing with Desmond just because you suspect something that doesn’t exist, then I have the right to question what you’re doing with Lisa as well. People who start looking too closely at others usually have something they’re avoiding themselves.”

That landed hard. He looked away, then back at me. “That’s not what this is.”

“Then what is it?”

“I don’t know.”

There it was again. That gap. That uncertainty.

I softened my tone just enough to shift the direction.

“I’m not your enemy, Cameron. Whatever you think is happening, I’m still here. And I love you. I don’t want to lose this; things are complicated because I’m sick.”

“I’m here, Eva. You still have me,” he said.

“You say that, but your actions don’t always match it.”

He didn’t respond.

“I’m not blind. I see the changes. I feel them.”

He looked at me, and for once, there was no clear answer in his expression.

“I don’t know what it is, but I can’t deny it anymore. When I’m around her, something shifts. The pressure eases. And I don’t mean this to spite you, but seeing her alone makes me feel light.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” I asked.

“It does,” he said. “But it doesn’t stop.”

My heart pounded faster because he had not only confessed but justified the effect of sleeping with Lisa right before my face. I remained silent, but my mind moved quickly.

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Lisa wasn’t just a distraction. She was interfering. Something about her presence disrupted the process.

The child in her womb.

I didn’t have the full answer yet, but I didn’t need it. I had enough to understand the direction.

“If this continues,” I said quietly, “where does that leave us?”

He didn’t answer.

“I’m trying, Cameron. I’m doing everything I can to hold this together.”

“I know,” he said, then sat beside me and held my hand. “Let’s go to the oracle. We need clarity.”

I didn’t hesitate. “Fine.”

That caught him off guard.

“If that’s what you want, then we go.

He nodded and managed a smile. I watched him, then looked away. He thought this was still something he could manage. He was wrong.

If Lisa’s presence was disrupting everything, then leaving it alone was not an option. If I didn’t act now, I would lose him completely, and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

After he left me, I rushed upstairs to call my mom. She picked up on the second ring.

“Mom, he finally said it himself.”

There was a brief pause on the line. “Said what?”

“He feels different around the surrogate,” I said. “Lighter. He’s not even hiding it anymore. That’s not normal. Something about her is interfering.”

“I have considered that more than once,” my mother said.

“How?”

“There are two possibilities. One is structural. The child. The connection between father and offspring could be creating a feedback effect. Relief or something along those lines whenever he is near her.”

It made sense in a way I did not like.

“And the second?”

“The second is not something you will enjoy hearing.”

“Say it.”

“They could be real mates.”

My heart almost dropped out of my ribcage.

“No, Mom! That is not possible.”

“You are reacting and not thinking,” she snapped.

“I am thinking,” I said. “And I am telling you it is not possible. We selected her, reviewed, and placed her. You do

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not accidentally assign a surrogate and end up with a true mate. That is not how this works. He is reacting to convenience. He is a man, not a miracle.”

“You sound certain.”

“I am certain,” I said. “He is drawn to her damn body, not to anything deeper. That is all this is. She still should not have been placed inside the alpha house. We should have kept her separate. We should have controlled the environment fully.”

“That part cannot be undone. What matters is what we do now.”

I forced my thoughts into order.

“The yearly festival is coming up,” she said. “She has not missed it in years.”

“And?”

“And she will not miss it now.”

“You are assuming.”

“I am observing,” she said.

I let that settle.

“So she goes,” I said. “And?”

“And distance is created,” my mother replied. “Distance creates space, and space gives us time to correct the imbalance.”

I paced across the room.

“We don’t have time, Mom.”

“I am aware, honey.”

The reminder sat between us without needing explanation. I had already received the first warning. I knew what

came next.

“We need to secure him before the next phase,” she continued. “Whatever is disrupting the process must be addressed now. Lisa is that disruption.”

“Then deal with her,” I said.

“I will,” my mother replied, chuckling. “You focus on Cameron. Because every night he spends with her strengthens that connection. It does not matter whether it is the child or something else. It builds. And what we have in place weakens in response. You understand what that means.”

“I do.”

“Good. Then act accordingly.”

There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

“And Evangeline.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Do not invite a second warning.”

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I ended the call and stood still to organize everything that had just been said. I picked up my car keys, intending to step out, but stopped when I heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction. I recognized the rhythm immediately.

Nadia.

I stepped back into the shadow of the side corridor. She passed without slowing. I watched her go. Desmond had already used her. The information he threw at Cameron had come from nie. That alone was enough reason to avoid her for now. When her footsteps faded, I stepped out and continued toward the entrance.

The guards straightened when they saw me.

“I need the car,” I said.

One of them stepped forward. “Alpha Cameron instructed that we handle any errands for you.”

“I am not asking for an errand.”

He hesitated. “We were given strict instructions.”

“I am aware of what you were given. I am telling you to open the bloody gate.”

He did not move. I let out a quiet breath to steady myself and shifted my approach.

“Call Franklin,” I said.

It took less time than I expected.

Franklin stepped out from the side entrance, already holding a tablet in one hand.

“What is the issue?” he asked.

“Why am I being restricted?”

“We are following instructions,” he replied. “Alpha Cameron made it clear. If you need anything, we provide it. You do not need to go out.”

“That sounds like confinement,” I said.

“That is not the intention.”

“You think I don’t see what is happening?”

“It is a precaution, Evangeline. Nothing more,” he replied.

I laughed.

“I know you don’t like me,” I said.

“That is not relevant.”

“It is,” I replied. “You have never hidden it well.”

“I don’t need to like you to do my job,” he said.

“No,” I agreed. “But you do enjoy covering for him.”

“You are reaching.”

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“I am observing,” I said. “There is a difference.”

He held my gaze. “Fine. This is not a game. We need to cut out outside interaction until we are sure of the problems we’re dealing with.”

The silence stretched until I spoke.

“Open the gate,” I said again.

He refused, telling me I needed permission from Cameron before stepping out. The idiot had been tailing my movement and monitoring me for a while now; I could already tell. To prove him wrong, I turned back inside instead of reacting and headed back in. I barely made it past the hallway before my phone vibrated.

The message was short.

Second warning from the sect.

Next would not be a warning.

It would be an end.

I closed my eyes.

There was no more time to manage or adjust slowly.

If Lisa was the interference, then she would be removed precisely. Because if I did not act now, I would not get another chance.

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