TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 243

Two hundred and forty three

Cameron POV

+15 Benus

The pack run reminded me that I was still an Alpha. Wolves spread across the training grounds before disappearing into the forest, where dominant ones tested each other through races and tactical maneuvers while younger wolves struggled to control their speed. I stayed close enough to guide them without running at my full speed. An Alpha did not need to prove he was the fastest every morning; the forest already knew who led it, and my howl rolled through the trees only when the pack needed direction.

By the time we returned to the pack house, Franklin stayed nearby, watching for another episode. None came. felt useful instead of broken, meaning the fools who had started whispering after my recent absences had nothing to criticize this morning.

Inside, I stood beneath a hot shower until the scent of damp earth and sweat disappeared down the drain. Washing the forest away meant leaving the Alpha outside, and by the time I pulled on a T-shirt and sweatpants, I had become just Cameron again. My muscles carried the pleasant ache that followed honest work. I eased a splinter from my palm with a pair of tweezers and answered pack messages on my phone while the television played in the background.

On the screen, a man slowed his steps to match his pregnant mate’s pace, keeping one hand around her as they crossed the street. Lisa’s face immediately filled my mind. I had tried calling her countless times lately, but she always seemed busy, exhausted, or halfway asleep. I opened my contacts and hovered over her name. A surprise visit sounded better than another digital conversation. I wanted to see her in person, hear her complain about the baby’s latest kick, and rest my hand against her stomach to feel my son move beneath it.

Before setting my phone aside, I sent a quick message to Dr. Harry asking how she was doing. His reply came a few minutes later, confirming that Lisa and the baby were both healthy and progressing normally. Through Kieran, I had doubled Harry’s salary the moment we learned how dangerous this pregnancy had become because Lisa deserved the best care available. I stared at the confirmation, realizing how embarrassing it was how much I missed her. Every day without seeing her felt longer than the last, and I decided right then that I was going to see her tomorrow.

I closed my eyes, but the comfort barely settled before a strange scent drifted through the room. My eyes snapped open. I rushed to my feet and followed the trace into the hallway, then downstairs, checking every lock. Nothing. Movement by the living room window caught my gaze as someone slipped behind the trees bordering the property.

I ran outside into the cool air. “Who’s there?”

Silence met my demand. I searched the grounds and checked the security fence, but the scent was completely gone. My chest began to feel tight, my lungs restricted as I walked back inside. The house felt entirely wrong.

A whisper brushed past my ear. More voices crowded together until I could not separate them. I shut my eyes and pressed my hands against my ears, but the noise only grew louder as my breathing turned shallow and ragged. My hands fumbled for my phone to call Franklin.

“Cameron?” he answered.

“Come… now,” I gasped, fighting for a full lungful of air.

“I’m on my way.”

The auditory chaos intensified, making my vision blur. By the time Franklin rushed through the front door, I was clutching the edge of the desk, my chest heaving in a full panic.

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Live hundred and forty three

+15 Bohus

“I need the injection,” I wheezed. “Please. Get it.”

“I don’t have it on me,” Franklin said, his hands coming down on my shoulders to steady me. “Cameron, listen to my voice. It passed before, and it will pass again.”

“When?” My voice came out as a broken rasp. “When does this end?”

Franklin hesitated, his grip tightening protectively. “I’m here. You’re not facing it alone.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, concentrating entirely on his grounding pressure until the extra voices finally began to recede, leaving only the sound of my own rough breathing.

Once my strength returned, I forced myself to walk toward Evangeline’s room. Anger had failed me. Every time! threw my hatred in her face, I walked away with nothing but a sleepless night. If I wanted real answers, I had to stop showing her my cards. I loathed the idea of playing the victim to her, but I was running out of options.

I knocked. When she opened the door, her brows shot up in surprise before she quickly smoothed her expression Cameron?”

“I…” I let my voice remain rough, using the lingering exhaustion from the attack. “Can I come in?”

She stepped aside after a brief hesitation. I sat heavily on the edge of the bed and lowered my head into my hands, feigning complete defeat. “I can’t make the voices stop.”

She stayed quiet, watching me carefully to decide whether this was another confrontation. I forced my posture to slump further. “I shouldn’t have shouted at you before. I was angry.”

“I know,” she said softly. She sat beside me, placing her hand over mine.

I looked up, making sure my eyes reflected proper desperation. “I just need it to stop.

Her eyes lowered as though she felt regret. It was a little too late for her to pretend she cared, a retort that sat right at the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed the remark and stayed silent to see what she would do.

She walked to the cabinet and returned with a glass bottle containing a colorless liquid. “This will help you rest.”

I accepted it, drinking the blend of bitter melon, gin, and herbs that made me wince. “What do I do? Tell me what I’m supposed to do. Please.”

“Just… stop fighting it,” she murmured.

The words confirmed her goal was still my total submission to the Dominion. I forced a submissive nod, pretending to cling to her instruction. “What if I can’t?”

“You will. I’ll help you.”

I nodded again, letting my shoulders relax into a fake display of relief. Franklin had been right; people revealed the most when they believed they were finally winning. Making her comfortable enough to believe

I was utterly helpless was the only way to catch her off guard.

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