TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 242

Two hundred and forty two

Lisa POV

+15 Bonus

Mom laughed as I dropped my backpack on the bed, then stepped forward and wrapped me in a warm hug.

“All I want is a hot bath to wash away the chapter house and everything I saw inside it,” I said.

She pulled back to look at me, then knelt to help me slide off my sandals. My feet were swollen, leaving deep red. marks across my skin. I let out a long sigh the moment they were free.

The bathroom filled with steam while I soaked until the heat reached my bones. When I finally climbed out, the heavy weight of the past few days felt smaller. I changed into an oversized shirt and loose shorts before climbing onto the bed. The mattress dipped under my weight, and I let out a soft groan.

“I missed this,” I murmured as Mom lifted my legs onto her lap and started rubbing my tired feet.

“I figured you would,” Mom said, keeping her strokes steady. “Pregnancy and narrow beds don’t mix well.”

I closed my eyes and smiled, breathing in the familiar scent of home. My eyelids grew heavy as I curled onto my side, resting one hand over my stomach, and drifted into a deep sleep.

Later, the rich smell of lunch drifted in from the kitchen. Mom made grilled chicken with a bowl of salad filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, and sweet peppers. It was exactly what I’d been craving. I sat down and started eating right away. Halfway through, the baby gave a sharp kick.

“Excuse you,” I laughed, pressing a hand against my stomach. “You could let me finish chewing first.”

Mom smiled across the table. “At the rate you’re eating, you’re going to get terrible heartburn.”

“I regret nothing,” I said, reaching for my water glass.

She set her fork down and leaned in. “So tell me, how’d you manage at the chapter house?”

“Someone was always snoring, and the bathrooms were shared,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I had to pile up blankets every night just to find a position that didn’t hurt my back.”

Mom laughed. “Sounds very glamorous.”

Alpha Kieran pulled into the driveway at four that afternoon. The bright look in his eyes when he saw me downstairs made me smile, and he pulled me into a hug.

“Thank goodness your mother can finally see you’re safe,” Kieran said. “She spent the whole time worrying about you.”

“Don’t blame me,” Mom said, walking into the room with a cup of chamomile tea for him. “I just don’t like what they’re teaching her.”

I swallowed a sigh as Mom turned to Kieran and complained that I’d come back talking about how vulnerability was dangerous and how people used fear as a weapon.

“She’s starting to sound exactly like them,” Mom added.

“I only spent two nights there,” I said. “I’m not trying to become a Daughter. I’m just starting to understand their point of view.”

“That’s the part that worries me,” Mom replied.

1/4

od and forty two

+15 Behus

Kieran set his cup on the table and looked at her. “Susan, they aren’t trying to change her. They gave me my life back. Everything I have today is because they helped me when no one else would. They’re teaching Lisa how to survive.”

“By putting her closer to the people who want to kill her?” Mom asked, her voice rising.

“If they wanted to use Lisa, they wouldn’t warn her about the dangers,” Kieran said.

Mom turned back to me. “Tell me the truth, Lisa. Are they training you to walk into danger?”

The question hung heavily in the room. I’d avoided thinking about those exact words because naming the danger made it feel too real. Still, pretending wouldn’t keep me safe.

“They’re teaching me how to stay alive,” I said.

“Lisa, give me a real answer,” Mom pressed.

“If I refuse their help, the Meridian will still hunt me,” I said, holding her gaze. “They already tried to kill the baby once.”

“I understand that,” Mom said, her voice softening as she reached out. “But can’t you just stay out of the fight while they help you? I don’t want them turning you into someone who thinks danger is normal.”

“I don’t think it’s normal,” I said, tightening my hand over my belly. “But we don’t have a normal choice anymore. The Meridian doesn’t ask permission. They bring the fight to us.’

Mom looked at Kieran helplessly. “I don’t like this at all.”

“I know.” I pulled her into a hug and held her hand. “I’m not choosing a side, I’m choosing to stay alive.”

After she’d calmed down, I explained what Joanna believed our next step should be. The Daughters didn’t want to attack the Meridian blindly or try to rescue Cameron by force. They believed the false mate bond had a hidden anchor, some object or spell keeping it alive while Cameron fought the mind control. Until we discovered what maintained the bond, any rescue attempt would just be a dangerous guess.

“Franklin and Nadia are coming by tomorrow,” Kieran said,. “They want to share their notes with you before we plan anything else.”

“Make sure Cameron doesn’t find out,” I warned him.

“Of course.”

Mom frowned, looking between us. “And how long can we actually keep secrets from him?”

“It’s for his own safety,” Kieran answered. “Until we know how much the Meridian can hear through his mind, we have to assume they hear every word we say.”

Franklin and Nadia arrived the next morning carrying several bags. One held fresh fruit, another was packed with baby clothes, and Franklin carried a heavy box that he almost dropped on the porch.

Nadia hugged me the moment she walked inside. “You look healthy,” she said. “That’s good because my nephew needs a strong mother.”

Mom smiled and pointed toward the kitchen. “Nobody talks about babies until you’ve both eaten.”

“We just got here,” Franklin said with a broad grin.

“And now you’re eating,” Mom insisted, leading them into the dining room.

2/4

multe and forty two

+15 Bonus

As we sat down, Nadia looked at me. “How does the name Ethan sound to you?”

I smiled and shook my head. “You know I don’t get the final say.”

Her smile died. “You’re the one carrying this child. That means you get a vote.”

My heart thudded against my ribs. She spoke to me like a real mother, not just a surrogate fulfilling a contract Her words didn’t erase the legal papers or the reality waiting after the birth, but they gave me a small sense of hope.

Nadia kept her eyes on me. “You’re not planning to give this baby away to them, are you?”

The question settled over the table, and I looked down at my hands because there wasn’t an easy answer.

“I don’t even know who we’d give the baby to,” Nadia continued, her voice sharpening. “Evangeline? After she tried to kill this child?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Franklin interrupted, setting his fork down. “Legally, Lisa signed a contract. If this ends up in court, we have to face that reality.”

Nadia shook her head. “And what’s Evangeline going to tell a judge? That she wants the baby back after she tried to kill it?”

Franklin turned to me, his tone gentle but serious. “I’m not saying you should give up the child, Lisa. I’m saying we have to be ready for whatever move they make next.”

“Let them try,” Nadia said, crossing her arms. “They lost their moral right to this child the day they used the pregnancy as a weapon.”

“With everything we’ve discovered, I’m starting to wonder if Evangeline could ever have children of her own, Franklin said.

He opened his bag and spread several pages of notes across the table.

“This is everything we’ve gathered so far, but it still isn’t enough. We only know that Cameron’s mental state changes in regular cycles.”

“And we know someone’s keeping the bond alive from the outside,” Nadia added. “We just don’t know how.”

“What about the Meridian woman who went to see Cameron?” I asked, leaning forward to study the papers.

“There’s no trace of her,” Franklin said. “Cameron was in deep shock after she left, and I couldn’t find her after he finally called me.”

A chill ran down my back as I looked over the handwritten notes.

“Joanna said proving the bond is fake won’t save him,” I murmured, pointing to a line on the page. “We have to find the anchor that’s holding it together. Until we destroy that, nothing else matters.”

They watched me in silence.

“Do you think Evangeline could change her mind?” I asked, looking between them. “If she realizes what the Meridian’s really doing, she might turn against them.”

Nadia let out a weak laugh. “If she speaks out against the Meridian, she won’t survive the day. They don’t tolerate betrayal. That’s exactly what happened to Alpha Kieran’s first mate. She tried to help him, and they killed her before she could.”

3/4

we handed and forty tw

+15 8chus

Franklin turned another page. “Evangeline might be scared, but fear doesn’t mean she feels sorry. If Cameron had submitted to the control without fighting back, she wouldn’t be questioning anything right now.”

Nadia nodded. “Her brother, Kade, came to visit a few days ago. I don’t think he belongs to the Meridian, He seems angry, and he cares more about protecting his sister than protecting their secrets.”

The name made my breath catch. Kade and I shared a past, and I knew how deeply he loved his sister. If Nadia was right, he wasn’t just another problem to solve. He could be our best chance. He was close enough to Evangeline to notice the small things everyone else missed. If he’d seen even one strange habit or ritual she repeated at home, it could lead us straight to the anchor Joanna was looking for.

“Do you think he’d actually help us?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I think he wants the truth,” Nadia said.

Franklin looked doubtful. “Even if he wants answers, why would he betray his own sister to help us?”

“Because helping us might be the only way he can keep her alive,” I said, leaning over the table. “If he can show us what’s anchoring the fake bond, we can end this. He’s the first real crack we’ve found in the Meridian.”

P