TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 180

One hundred and eighty

Evangeline POV

Nadia marched past the hallway with a ceramic bowl gripped in both hands. I shrunk behind the marble pillar, my heart hammering against my ribs as I watched her retreat. Within seconds, a sharp, biting scent of salts filled the air, cutting through the heavy smell of floor wax.

She stood in the center of the living room and tilted the bowl. She began scattering white grains across the hardwood while her lips moved in a fast, rhythmic prayer. The salt lined the edges of the walls, gathered in the corners, and trailed a path toward the stairs.

“What are you doing?” I asked. I stepped into the entrance, my voice echoing in the large room.

“What does it look like?” She didn’t look up. She let a handful of grains slip through her fingers before moving to the next corner.

“Nadia, sweetie, you’re making a mess of the house,” I said. I forced my lips into a wide smile. “Since when did you believe in this superstitious stuff? You look ridiculous.”

She stopped mid-motion. She turned her head slowly until her eyes pinned me to the spot.

“You don’t get to tell me what’s ridiculous,” she said. “I’m fixing a mess. I’m fixing the one you created.”

“Nadia, I don’t know what you think you’ve seen.

“I’ve seen enough.”

“You’ve seen nothing.”

She let out a low, sharp laugh. “Then prove you aren’t hiding something.”

I stared back at her, refusing to blink. “I don’t owe you proof.”

“You do if you expect me to trust you.”

“This is getting out of hand.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, trying to keep my hand from shaking. “You’re letting your imagination run wild.”

“Then go for a cleansing.”

A cold, greasy shift moved under my skin.

“Go to the oracle. Let them check your spirit.”

I forced out a small laugh. “You’ve lost your mind. You’re talking about tribal rituals in my own home.”

“Have I? Or are you just afraid of what they’ll find?”

I took a long step toward her. “You don’t get to demand that from me.”

“And you don’t get to stand here and pretend you’re clean.”

“You’re seeing what you want to see, Nadia.”

“I’m seeing exactly what you’re trying to hide.”

Heat flared in my cheeks and spread down my neck.

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“This stops now. You are not spreading this nonsense in this house.”

She smiled, but her eyes remained cold. “It’s already spread. And just a reminder, it is my house too.”

I whirled away from her before I said something that would ruin everything. I nearly collided with Franklin as he walked toward us.

“Talk to Nadia,” I snapped at him. “This is a home, not a ritual ground.”

“It might need to be,” he said.

I let out a harsh scoff. “What did I expect from you? You’re the one who has been feeding her head with these lies.”

“I’m simply paying attention to the patterns, Evangeline.”

“There is no pattern.” I stepped into his space, tilting my head back and hating how he towered over me. “Or maybe you’re the one creating it.”

His mouth curved into a tiny, knowing smile. “That’s very convenient for you.’

“Anything is possible.”

Nadia dropped another handful of salt along the baseboard. “You should be worried about what’s coming. Trust me. I am not letting you win this.”

I locked eyes with her. “You’re threatening me now?”

“I’m warning you.”

“We’re just a few steps ahead of you in seeing what doesn’t add up,” Franklin said. He looked at me in a way that made my skin crawl.

“You should go for the cleansing,” he continued. “If you’re clean, you walk out of that temple fine.”

“And if I’m not?”

He smiled, slow and icy. “Alpha Kieran told us about your little sect. He knows too much, since he was targeted by his wife. Guess who was punished for failing to bring him to the Dominion?”

My heart sank into my stomach. The truth was leaking out like a broken pipe.

“You’ll regret this, Franklin,” I hissed. “You’ll regret ever plotting to take my family away from me.”

I walked away as fast as my legs would carry me. My fingers fumbled as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I ducked into my room and shoved the door shut, clicking the lock. The smell of that salt still clung to my clothes.

I dialed my mother. She picked up on the second ring. I began pacing the length of the rug.

“They’re watching me, Mom. Nadia saw something, and she won’t stop screaming about it.”

There was a long pause on the other end.

“How much did she see?”

“I don’t know! What do I do?”

“You keep playing your role.”

“She’s pushing for a cleansing ritual!”

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“Then refuse.”

“That will only make them more suspicious.”

“Only if you panic, Evangeline.”

“I’m not panicking!” I stopped mid-step. “They moved the date for the Dominion. They pushed it forward.”

“That’s good,” she said.

“Good?” I nearly shrieked. “They’re running out of patience. This whole situation is falling apart.

“It was never stable. You still have the upper hand. You must manage everyone, especially Nadia.”

“She’s not easy to manage anymore.”

“Then contain her. You know how,” my mother said. Her voice was flat and hard. “Keep Cameron close. If he’s slipping away, tighten your hold or deal with the consequences.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.

“Have you cleared out the evidence?” she asked.

“I handled it,” I said dryly. I turned toward the mirror to check my face.

That was when I saw it. On the dresser sat the doll. Its head had been ripped off and placed beside its body. A wave

of ice moved through my veins. I stepped closer, my breath hitching as I recognized the stitch work.

This was a message.

“What is it?” my mother asked.

I lifted the phone so the camera could see the dresser.

My mother sighed, and I heard her grip tighten on her own phone. “What does this mean?”

“It means they are watching you, and they are losing patience.”

My chest felt tight, like a band was being cinched around my ribs. “What do I do?”

“You clean up your mess. They’re reminding you that failure has a cost.”

My throat went dry. “I need more time.”

“You don’t get more time. Fix it, Evangeline.”

The line went dead. I stood there, staring at the black screen. I grabbed the doll, wrapped it in a silk scarf, and shoved it to the back of a drawer. My hands flew, clearing away every jar, every candle, and every scrap of paper that could be questioned. When I finished, the room looked perfect, but the air felt poisoned.

Eighteen Hours Later

The courtroom was nearly empty, but the tension was thick. I stood at the witness stand. Every eye in the room pinned me down. Desmond sat across from me, a smug grin plastered on his face.

Cameron was watching me too. His gaze was the only one that made my stomach turn.

“You were in contact with Alpha Desmond before this hearing,” the lawyer stated.

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“Yes.”

“In what capacity?”

“He is Nadia’s partner,” I said. I cleared my throat. “I mean… he was. We moved in the same circles.”

“Did you confide in him?”

“No.”

Desmond’s lawyer stood up. “We have a recording that suggests otherwise.”

My blood turned to lead. Bloody hell.

I shot a glare at Desmond, then caught myself and smoothed my expression. I turned my head toward the judge.

“Play it,” I said.

A low murmur rippled through the small crowd. The device clicked. My own voice filled the silent room.

“…you don’t understand what you’re getting into. Leave Cameron’s infidelity out of this.”

The audio snapped off. The room went dead still. I didn’t move a muscle.

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