TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 268

Two hundred and sixty eight

Cameron

I thought the confrontation with Marcus would be the worst Evangeline had to face.

I was wrong.

The council hearing came first. When she walked into the chamber, most of the women rose or greeted her with warm smiles. Some nodded with quiet sympathy before the meeting had even begun.

I stood at the front and watched them.

None of them knew the woman they pitied had killed her own mother.

One of the older women shot me a cold look. She had probably decided I was the man who cheated on his wife and destroyed her life.

Whispers drifted through the room.

“That poor woman.”

“All because of a surrogate.’

The same elder kept glaring at me as though I’d shattered Evangeline’s life.

I pulled out a chair for Evangeline while everyone watched. As she sat, I learied closer.

“You don’t have to tell them anything beyond what you did to Lisa and I.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Confusion flickered across the chamber. They had probably assumed we weren’t speaking anymore.

The head elder, who already knew the truth, rose with a small bell and rang it.

“We are gathered today not only to dissolve a union, but to hear the truth behind it.”

He let the silence settle before looking around the chamber.

“I have been entrusted to inform you that the union between Alpha Cameron and Lady Evangeline is over.”

Whispers spread through the room.

“A surrogate can’t replace a true mate.”

Every voice sided with Evangeline.

My blood boiled, but I couldn’t blame them. They only saw a woman about to lose everything. They had no reason to believe anything else.

The elder asked Evangeline to swear an oath of truth.

People exchanged puzzled looks. I gave her a small nod.

She stood, took the oath, then faced the council without lifting her eyes to the women who had defended her. She greeted each elder according to rank before speaking.

“I’m not who you think I am.”

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The murmurs increased.

“Everything I told you about the surrogate was a lie.”

“This isn’t right,” the elder who’d glared at me said. “I hope no one’s forcing her to blame herself for being unable to bear children. That still doesn’t excuse adultery.”

“Enough, Gwendolyn,” the male elder said. “Let her speak.”

He looked at Evangeline.

“Continue.”

She started from the beginning. She admitted she hadn’t brought Lisa into the Alpha House because she needed a surrogate. She had planned it from the start.

Silence settled over the chamber as she confessed she intended to use the unborn child in a Meridian ritual.”

Several people gasped. Gwendolyn’s hand flew to her chest. I closed my eyes as Evangeline confessed to the false bond and everything she’d done to me.

A woman stood.

“I defended you. I argued for you. I lost sleep because I believed you. Why? Why would you do this?”

Chairs scraped across the floor as people quietly moved away from Evangeline. Nobody wanted to sit beside her anymore. Angry whispers spread through the chamber.

I rose to my feet. The room fell silent.

Evangeline lowered her head.

“I’m sorry. I owe every one of you an apology.”

“That isn’t enough.”

Gwendolyn slammed her palm against the table.

“Do you understand what you’ve done? Your collapsing marriage damaged Alpha Cameron’s reputation, and now we learn you dragged his name into a cult. You used another woman’s womb for this?”

Someone called for her arrest. A vote was taken and every hand went up.

The head elder raised both hands.

“Your grievances have been heard. Evangeline will be stripped of her status and every privilege attached to becoming the future Luna.”

“That’s not enough,” Gwendolyn said. “She must perform the Dance of Shame.”

The chamber agreed.

I hadn’t noticed Nadia enter until she spoke.

“Must it be public?”

Every head turned toward her.

“The lies were public,” Gwendolyn replied. “The truth will be public too.”

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Nadia remained silent.

Gwendolyn turned toward me and bowed.

“Alpha Cameron, I owe you an apology. The council judged both you and your surrogate unfairly. We will do everything within our power to restore her good name.”

Some women wiped their eyes. Others couldn’t stop staring at Evangeline. A few cursed her beneath their breath.

I could have stopped the Dance of Shame with my authority as Alpha, but this wasn’t about revenge. The pack deserved to know the truth. Lisa deserved that much, so did our unborn child.

Keeping Lisa hidden inside the Alpha House wasn’t love. Loving her meant standing beside her where everyone could see, without hiding and without shame.

The pack might not accept her overnight. I was ready for that.

“I’ll do it,” Evangeline said quietly.

The ceremony took place at noon.

People packed the square until there was nowhere left to stand. The women behind Evangeline sang the Song of Disgrace. Each verse guided the next step while others dragged palm fronds across the dirt.

People shook their heads, unable to reconcile the worhan before them with the Luna they had admired.

I told Franklin to station armed guards around the square so nobody could force their way through the crowd. The afternoon sun beat down on Evangeline. She never looked up. She completed every step with her eyes fixed on the ground. Loose strands of hair hid part of her face, but I could still see the strain in her movement. She never once wiped away the tears that slipped down her cheeks.

Watching everything through the tinted window of the van was harder than I’d expected.

Nadia quietly wiped her eyes beside me. Years of friendship had ended here.

Franklin kept checking the mirrors, watching the guards while one hand rested near the ignition in case the crowd turned violent.

Evangeline completed the final step. The guards closed around her and led her away.

Franklin started the van.

We drove straight to the oracle. Only the elders were permitted to witness the dissolution. We stood before the same altar where we’d exchanged our vows.

The oracle lifted a bowl filled with grey ashes between us. She offered no blessing. Evangeline removed the ceremonial jewels she’d worn on our joining day and placed them in the oracle’s hand,

The oracle dropped them into the ashes.

“From this day forward, you belong only to yourselves.”.

The documents were placed before us.

Evangeline’s hand lingered over her name. A tear fell onto the fresh ink.

The oracle raised a bronze blade and drew it through the space between us, severing the union.

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When it was over, neither of us moved. Evangeline looked at me.

“I hope you find the life I stole from you.”

I nodded.

“I hope you find one worth living.’

I turned and walked away.

Nadia came over and slipped her hand into mine.

“You okay?”

I couldn’t answer. She wrapped her arms around me, and I held on until she pulled back. Then she smiled through damp eyes.

“Go get your girl.”

Despite everything, I smiled back.

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