TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 176

One hundred and seventy six

Cameron POV

I did not believe Nadia and Franklin.

It was more than just their bad acting; they were trying too hard to look relaxed. Franklin’s eyes darted away every time I looked for detail. Nadia kept her focus pinned on me, tracking my every move like she was weighing a prize. It felt rehearsed. My jaw tightened. I was not in the mood for games.

“You weren’t answering your calls. I was worried,” Nadia said. She twisted her fingers together. “You left without saying anything.”

“I didn’t realize I needed permission.”

The room went still. The silence stretched until it felt heavy, confirming the itch in the back of my brain. They were hiding something. I sank into my chair and crossed my arms, letting my gaze drift from one to the other.

“If something happened, say it. If nothing happened, stop wasting my time.”

“Nothing happened,” Franklin said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

“Then why are you here?”

“To pick you up,” Nadia said.

I stared into her eyes, searching for the crack. Was this fear or just her being stubborn? It felt like both. Nadia usually stayed cool under pressure, but right now her shoulders were pulled up to her ears. She was wound too tight.

I pushed off the chair and stood.

“Fine,” I said. “You’ve seen me. Let’s go home.”

The drive back was filled with forced small talk that I ignored. The house looked the same when we arrived. Not a single chair was moved. Everything was in its place, right until Evangeline’s feet pounded against the wooden stairs.

“Where were you, Cameron?!”

Her voice hit a high, sharp note that made my ears ring. The question hung in the air. I felt a hot flash of annoyance at how fast this was turning into a scene.

I tossed my keys onto the side table with a loud clack. “Out.”

“With who?”

“That’s not a question you ask me.”

“It is when you disappear and ignore your phone! You make me look like a fool!”

I narrowed my eyes. The tone in her voice wasn’t just worry anymore; it had a sharp edge of blame.

“You were with that hag, weren’t you? You claim to love me, yet you’re cheating with a surrogate?”

Nadia stepped forward, her palms open. “Evangeline-”

“Stay out of it!”

1/5

Penundid and soventy

+15 Bonus

“That’s not going to happen!” Nadia’s voice cracked like a whip, making Franklin jump. “You don’t get to talk to him like this!”

Evangeline froze, her mouth slightly open. “I don’t get to question my mate?”

“You don’t get to accuse him without facts.”

Evangeline let out a short, dry laugh. “What facts? He walks out, vanishes, comes back like nothing happened and I’m not allowed to ask? What is wrong with everyone?”

“You’re interrogating him,” Nadia said. Her face turned a deep red. “There’s a difference.”

Evangeline turned her back on Nadia to look at me. “What is wrong with your sister? Can she take her anger out on someone else? Or stay away while I discuss your unfaithfulness? Or is this house just full of cheaters now?”

Nadia’s laugh was sharp and mean. “You want to go there?”

Evangeline whirled around. “Of course. You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you? To trade insults? Bring it on. Maybe it will help you feel better about your own mess with Desmond.”

Nadia laughed even louder.

“Darling, that’s the least of my worries. We have been watching you. You don’t get to control him.”

“I am his mate!”

“And that gives you the right to do what?”

“To expect respect!”

“You’re not asking for respect,” Nadia said, stepping into Evangeline’s space. “You’re demanding a leash.”

That hit a nerve I didn’t want touched.

Evangeline’s face went pale. “You really want to talk about control?”

“Say what you want to say,” Nadia challenged.

“You’re sleeping around,” Evangeline spat. “You’re a disgrace, and now you want to act like you have power here?”

Franklin moved between them. “That’s not relevant.”

“Don’t you dare talk back to me!” Evangeline snapped. She pointed a finger at the floor. “If she wants to pretend she has a voice… this is my house!”

Nadia didn’t back down. Instead, she lunged. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to move. She swung her hand, and a loud smack echoed through the hall.

Evangeline’s hand flew to her bright red cheek. I grabbed Evangeline and pulled her behind my back.

“How dare you, Nadia! Have you lost your mind?!” I roared.

Franklin grabbed Nadia by the arms, pulling her back as she tried to fight him. She was shaking with rage. I had never seen her look so wild.

“You want facts?!” Nadia screamed. “Let’s talk about what you’ve been doing!”

Evangeline went perfectly still behind me, but I felt her breathing go shallow.

2/5

One hundred and seventy s

+15 Bcnus

I frowned, looking back at Nadia. “What are you talking about?”

Nadia ignored me, her eyes locked on Evangeline. “I’ve seen it! Your room is filled with strange things. Wax, scary markings… the stuff you thought nobody would find!”

The room went cold. I looked at Evangeline, waiting for her to deny it, to look confused, to do anything. She just stared at Nadia with a sneer.

“You’re reaching,” Evangeline said. Her voice was flat.

“I wish I was,” Nadia whispered.

Evangeline looked at me, her eyes softening. “Cameron, talk sense into your sister. She’s not stable.”

Nadia ripped her arm out of Franklin’s grip. She swung again, but I blocked her, and her fist slammed hard into my forearm. I looked toward the hallway and saw the maids hiding behind the pillars, their eyes wide. My blood boiled.

“Stop!” I shouted.

Neither of them looked at me.

“You don’t get to accuse me like this,” Evangeline said. Tears began to track down her face. “I’m not the reason you’re unhappy!”

“Damn you, you liar! Who knows how many secrets you’re keeping!”

“What is wrong with you?” I snapped at Nadia. “You’ve lost your mind.”

“No,” Nadia said, her voice shaking. “Your mate has. Or wait… maybe she’s just faking the bond!”

Something in my head shifted. It wasn’t a dizzy spell, just a strange lag, like my brain was trying to catch up with my eyes. The noise felt too loud.

I stepped toward Nadia. “You don’t come into my house and make claims you can’t prove.”

“I can prove it.”

“Then do it,” I said. “Because right now, you sound crazy.”

“She belongs to something,” Nadia said. A single tear fell down her face. “You know it. You feel it. How can you be bound to someone and be in love with another?”

“Nadia-”

“You feel nothing for your ‘mate’ now, don’t you? Just a big, empty hole. You’ve felt that something was wrong long before Lisa showed up. You were just too blind to see it!”

“That’s not-”

“Oh please, don’t deny it! Even Evangeline knows the truth, even if she is a witch!”

Nadia calling her a witch didn’t bother me. People said all kinds of things when they were angry. What bothered me was the part that felt like the truth.

“Look at you,” Nadia scoffed. “You don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“That’s enough.”

3/5

d and seventy sa

+15 Bonus

“It’s not enough!” she snapped. “She’s not who you think she is!”

“Stop.”

“She’s part of a sect!”

The word sounded stupid. It didn’t fit in my living room. It didn’t fit my life. I pushed the thought away.

“Listen to yourself,” I said. “You sound ridiculous. I’m not listening to a story you made up in your head.”

“It’s not a story, Cameron!”

“Then what is it?”

The floor seemed to tilt. It was gone before I could blink, but it was there. I planted my feet firmly, annoyed that I was even letting Nadia’s words get to me.

Franklin cleared his throat. “Cameron-”

I turned on him, my eyes like fire. “Did you put this in her head?”

“What? No, but you have to listen-”

“Because it sounds just like you. You’ve been suspicious since day one,” I said. “Now she’s just repeating your garbage and making a mess.”

Evangeline let out a soft, sharp laugh.

“I knew it,” she whispered. “He’s always been the problem. He hates me.”

“You see that?!” Nadia shouted, pointing at Evangeline. “She’s gloating! She’s winning because she cast a spell on you!”

“I see you making a scene, and I’m bored of it.”

“I saw her! I have proof! She’s fed you her evil drinks, and you’re already caught in it!”

“That’s enough!”

My voice boomed, echoing off the high ceilings. For the first time all night, everyone stopped talking,

“Everyone, stop this madness.”

I looked at Nadia. “You don’t accuse people here without proof.”

“I will if it keeps you safe.”

“I don’t need you to keep me safe.”

“You do.”

“No,” I said. “I need you to realize you’re losing your mind.”

She shook her head slowly. “You think that’s what this is? I don’t need a liar in my life, and I’m scared for you because you aren’t thinking at all.”

I turned to Franklin. “Take her out of here. Now.”

They didn’t move. That strange shift pressed at my mind again. It wasn’t painful. It was just… there.

4/5

One hundred and seventy

+158chus

Franklin took a step closer. “We’re trying to help.”

“By attacking my mate? You’re both pushing this too far,” I said. “Everyone goes to their rooms. We’re done here.”

Nadia stared at me, her eyes full of things she wasn’t saying. Then she turned and walked out the front door.

Comments

Support

Share