TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 233

Two hundred and thirty three

Lisa POV

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Cameron’s attention didn’t leave me, even when Franklin was saying something. He glanced toward everyone standing between us, as though he could snap his fingers and make them disappear.

I caught myself holding my breath, wishing for the exact same thing.

“Are you all planning to stand there forever?” he asked, and Nadia snorted, trying to swallow a laugh.

“We’re being cautious,” Alpha Kieran said.

Cameron pointed at Franklin. “He stabbed me with an injector to make me lucid. For all I know, it could be some bloody drug.”

That earned a laugh from Nadia, Franklin, and Kieran, and even my mom smiled.

“You did try to kill her, to be fair,” Nadia said.

“I knew somebody was going to bring that up,” he murmured. “Can I at least be alone with her? I’m fine.” His eyes were on me, watching to see if I would freak out.

“Fine,” Kieran said. “We’re counting on you to keep your promise.”

He started toward the door. Franklin followed, then Nadia, and lastly my mom.

“And stop lurking outside,” Cameron called after them.

Nadia’s laughter followed them out, their footsteps fading down the hallway. Although I knew they hadn’t actually gone very far, I still felt a sinking sensation in my stomach, dreading what he could turn into without them there.

He looked at me, looked away, then dragged a hand across the back of his neck. He took a step forward into the sudden emptiness of the room, then stopped, as though remembering how our last meeting had ended.

“I still cannot forgive myself for what I did that day,” he said. “I’m so stupid.”

“No, you’re not,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound uncertain. “That’s why we’re here to help you.”

He looked at me as if the idea of us helping him was a foreign concept.

“Before we start making assumptions, we should probably find out whether we’re actually mates,” I said, explaining how Harry had my blood samples, and how Franklin had called a bond reader.

Cameron stared at me, a bitter edge to his voice. “It seems every time I wake up these days, someone has arranged another surprise. It’s either an injection, someone taking over my head, or now a specialist. Do I even get a vote in any of this?”

A laugh escaped me. “Do you mind?”

He looked at me. “No.”

He stepped closer and took my hand in his, pressing it against his chest and covering it with his other hand.

“If that bond reader walks in and says we’re not mates, it’s going to be extremely painful.”

Our eyes held, and a rush of warmth spread through me.

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“Do you want to do it?” he asked.

I nodded, trying to hide my eagerness. The last thing I wanted was to reveal too much and scare him off.

“I’m ready.”

He pulled me closer.

“There’s one thing I definitely want to do more than anything else.”

He leaned forward, and I trusted my instincts enough to let myself go. When our lips met, it started as a light brush, then deepened. As the pull between us grew too intense, I reluctantly stepped back.

“We’d better get straight to it,” I said. “We don’t have enough time.”

We joined the others outside. When I spotted Harry, I nearly ran over to hug him, but settled for a bright smile instead. His grin widened in return.

The bond reader sat quietly among the group, a notebook resting on one knee. I had expected someone older, or perhaps more intimidating. Instead, the specialist looked so ordinary that I had to look twice to make sure he was the guy.

Harry slid the folder containing my blood work across the table. Near the wall, Alpha Kieran stood rigid with my mother beside him, while Franklin kept his eyes fixed entirely on the specialist. My heart began to pound against my ribs.

The specialist raised a hand, noticing that everyone’s attention was locked on him.

“Before anyone gets excited, I’m not a miracle worker,” he said. “I inspect bonds. I don’t create them, fix them, or argue with them.”

“What exactly do they need to do?” Kieran asked.

“They’ll both release their wolves,” he said, looking between Cameron and me. “Nothing dramatic. Just enough for me to observe instinct, eye response, aura, pheromone exchange, and recognition behavior.”

Cameron muttered something under his breath.

Knowing Franklin had chosen a neutral reader from outside Cameron’s region brought a wave of relief. It was a

smart move.

“Any history of your wolves going feral, dissociating, or attempting homicide?” the bond reader asked.

I shook my head.

“Besides the obvious,” Cameron muttered.

A few people laughed, including the bond reader.

“Good. Harry already briefed me on some things. Whether there’s interference from a foreign bond or you’re not mates at all, we’ll find out soon enough.” He rose to his feet. “Let’s head out.”

The walk to the garden felt like a march toward judgment. My mother stayed beside me while the others spread out ahead of us, my stomach tightening with every step.

I hadn’t shifted since becoming pregnant, and the familiar anxiety of my wolf’s smaller size, a product of my Beta and Omega lineage, loomed over me. My mother, sensing my insecurity, squeezed my shoulder and reminded me to take it slowly.

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“Truth exists in different forms,” the specialist replied. “You also know your own. It’s almost impossible to love another woman when you already have a pre-existing mate bond.”

Silence settled over the clearing. Harry left to drive the specialist back, and the rest of us headed into the house.

“I don’t trust that specialist,” Nadia said the moment the door closed. “A female wolf doesn’t tolerate pursuit unless she wants it. Your wolf let Cameron approach her. If she hadn’t wanted him there, we’d all know.”

“So you felt nothing?” Franklin asked me.

I shook my head.

“It’s there,” Cameron said, his voice quiet.

“The first time I met Evangeline, my wolf reacted and the pull was there. But after a while, something never sat right. I kept ignoring it, thinking if I took care of her when she was sick, we’d heal our bond. I loved her, or V thought I did. But every year that passed, that feeling became nothing but obligation. Now I finally know what it feels like when my wolf chooses someone on his own.”

A grin spread across Nadia’s face. “That’s probably the most romantic thing you’ve said in your entire life.”

Cameron scoffed, shaking his head. “What exactly was in that injector, Franklin? My head feels unusually quiet.”

“A temporary stabilizer,” Franklin explained. “And I have no way of obtaining another dose.”

Alpha Kieran checked his wristwatch, his face darkening. “We have to leave. It’s Code Red now.”

Which meant Evangeline might already be on her way.

“Please stay, all of you,” Cameron urged. “The house has enough rooms.”

“We can’t,” Kieran said. “At least not for Lisa.”

Cameron’s hand tightened around mine. “One hour, then.”

Franklin shook his head, silently warning Kieran not to agree.

“Ten minutes,” Kieran countered. Cameron opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it. “We’ll wait downstairs.”

Kieran and my mother left, while Nadia remained seated on the couch. “I’ll just pretend no one is here,” she said.

My heart warmed at her protectiveness, but a strange awkwardness settled over me at the idea of making out with his sister in the room. Cameron ignored her completely, pulling me into his arms.

“I don’t want this to stop, Lisa,” he murmured against my lips. “It’s you I want.”

The kiss deepened, and I had almost completely forgotten Nadia was there when his lips moved down to my neck.

“Oh, shit,” Nadia snapped.

I pulled away in embarrassment, assuming she had been watching us, but she was already rushing forward and grabbing my wrist. “Move. She’s here.”

I nearly stumbled as she dragged me through the doorway. Suddenly regretting that we hadn’t listened to Kieran, we bypassed the main staircase and sprinted down a side corridor. Nadia kept checking behind us. As I gathered my hoodie with one hand and tried to keep up, a raised voice drifted up from the entryway below.

We hurried through another wing connected by a narrow passage. At the far end of the hall, I caught a glimpse of

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Kieran. His attention was locked on the front door, trying to block the entrance without making it obvious.

We picked up speed, bursting out the side exit. The car came into view and I scrambled inside, drawing a breath that felt too small for my lungs. Even as Alpha Kieran hit the gas and drove away, traces of Evangeline’s angry voice carried across the courtyard behind us.

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