TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 277

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I didn’t stop walking until I reached my room. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, every ounce of strength I’d borrowed from my pride vanished. I slid down against the door and pressed both hands over my mouth to smother the sob clawing its way out of my chest.

The mate bond still pulled at me with relentless force, but it no longer felt like hope. It felt like punishment.

Wesley hadn’t looked at me the way a mate should. He had looked at me the way men looked at women they wanted to have sex with and I’d been foolish to believe something as sacred as the bond could survive status or reputation.

Maverick stirred in his sleep when I climbed onto the bed beside him. I gathered him into my arms and buried my face in his hair until my breathing settled.

He was the only person who had never made me question my worth. Wesley’s words kept circling in my head until they tangled with memories I’d spent years trying to bury. My mother had believed promises that were never meant to last. I had hoped in a bond that had never been spoken aloud.

I scrubbed the tears from my face with the heel of my hand. Whatever Wesley wanted from me, I wouldn’t hand him the last piece of my dignity. If he meant to satisfy his curiosity and walk away, he could do it without my help.

The opportunity of working for Luna Lisa mattered more. I had a son depending on me. No one was coming to build a future for us except me.

That truth hurt almost as much as the bond itself. My heart could break all it wanted. I’d still get up tomorrow and keep moving.

When I opened my eyes, the dull ache behind them told me I’d cried myself to sleep. My eyelids felt heavy, and my nose was still blocked.

Morning light filtered through the curtains. Maverick was still asleep beside me, one fist curled against his cheek. His blanket had slipped to his waist sometime during the night. I pulled it back over him before smoothing the messy strands of hair from his forehead. He sighed, turned onto his side, and settled again without waking.

My phone began to vibrate across the bedside table. I reached for it, hoping it was someone else, but the name on the screen made my shoulders sink. My father wasn’t going to stop until I answered.

My thumb hovered over the screen before I answered.

“You finally picked up.” His voice carried a tired sigh. “I’ve been calling since yesterday.”

I remained silent.

“How’s the boy?”

The boy.

He never called Maverick by his name; it was always ‘the boy.’

“He’s alive.”

“I’m glad,” he said.

An awkward silence settled between us.

“I hear you’re staying at the Alpha House now. I think you’re making a mistake. Come home.”

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If I hadn’t promised myself to stay calm, I would have cursed. The words burned at the back of my throat. Instead, I swallowed them.

“I have no home,” I said.

“Don’t say that.”

“Why not? It’s hardly a secret. If you mean your house, I’d rather stay here.”

The memories came rushing back. The attic with its tiny window. The heat trapped beneath the roof until the room became unbearable. Maverick crying through the night while I wiped the sweat from his face with a damp rag because that was all I could do for him. I had survived in that house. Calling it home didn’t make it one.

“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment,” he said. “Families have disagreements. That doesn’t mean you walk away from them.”

“I didn’t walk away. I took Maverick to the hospital and was almost thrown out. Luna Lisa happened to walk in, saw us, and decided to help.”

Silence.

“I appreciate Luna Lisa’s kindness,” he said at last. “But we don’t have to put our family business on display. Your sister is courting her son. This isn’t the time for unnecessary complications.”

There it was.

This was about Barbara.

“Please understand me, Isabella,” he continued. “If anyone finds out you’re Barbara’s sister, they’ll start asking questions. Families like theirs don’t ignore things like that. It’s beyond protecting Barbara. It’s about protecting everyone. People can be cruel.”

I leaned back against the headboard and let out a slow breath.

“They’ve been cruel to me my whole life. You’re not trying to protect me. You’re trying to protect Barbara’s reputation.”

“Well… yes, that’s part of it,” he admitted. “But think about it. If Luna Lisa starts asking questions, she’ll want answers. She may even wonder why you appeared there in the first place. Before long, everyone will be suspicious. Please, just come home before this goes too far.”

I almost laughed.

He wanted me back because I had become inconvenient.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Luna Lisa gave me a job.”

“A job?”

“I start today.”

I heard his wife whisper something in the background. She always found a way to insert herself whenever the conversation was about me.

“Fine,” he said. “Take the job if you want. But you don’t have the qualifications for a position like that. Let me help you start a business instead. Luna Lisa’s kindness won’t last forever. When it ends, you’ll have nowhere else to go.”

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I knew exactly what he was doing. If I left the Alpha House on my own, Luna Lisa would never have a reason to question anything.

“I’m afraid it’s too late,” I said. “Who wouldn’t want to work for the Alpha’s wife? She opened her doors to me when the people who should have cared spent years reminding me I shouldn’t have been born.”

“You’re making this harder than it needs to be. I’ll add your name back to the family register. I’ll help you start

over.”

I shook my head.

“You don’t understand, Father. There’s a world of difference between what you can offer and what Luna Lisa already has. If she believes I’m worth helping, then I’ll work hard enough to deserve that faith. Maverick and I finally have a chance to build something better. I’m not walking away from it.”

His wife’s voice rose sharply in the background.

“You’ll regret this.”

I ended the call before he could say anything else and stared at the wall.

One thought kept circling my mind.

I could tell Luna Lisa.

I could tell her about the bond. About the pull I felt every time Wesley came near. About the silence that was slowly breaking me. She could ask him herself. She could force the truth into the open.

Every path ended with me losing.

If Luna Lisa believed me, Wesley would know I’d gone to his mother instead of speaking to him. If she didn’t, Maverick and I would lose the only place that had welcomed us without asking for anything in return. Whatever reason Wesley had for staying silent, I wasn’t willing to gamble my son’s future on being believed. I’d survived too much by knowing when to keep quiet. Until I knew exactly where I stood, the bond would remain my burden to

carry.

I shook Maverick gently.

It took a few tries before he finally opened his eyes. He had always been a heavy sleeper.

We got ready for the day together.

I changed into the navy cashmere top and black trousers I’d packed before taking Maverick to the hospital. They were the only office clothes I had. After brushing my hair, I slipped on my ballet flats and hoped I looked presentable enough.

I buttoned Maverick into a clean shirt.

“Mummy, will you take me with you?”

I kissed his forehead.

“No, sweetheart. Mummy has to go to work. Work is for grown-ups. You’ll stay here with Grandma, and when I come back, you can show me everything you drew.”

His lower lip trembled.

“I want to come with you.”

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I promised to buy him new crayons for drawing and also told him I wouldn’t be long. That seemed to calm him enough for me to finish getting ready.

The only reason I could leave him was because of the elderly staff member everyone called Grandma.

I’d heard someone call her Cassidy once, but everyone else simply called her Grandma. She’d looked after Alpha Cameron’s children when they were little, and even now, years later, Luna Lisa and Alpha Cameron trusted her.

“You should get going,” Grandma said, holding Maverick’s hand when he tried to follow me. “There’s a toy room down the hall. He’ll be too busy playing to remember you’re gone.”

Then she pressed a wrapped sandwich into my hand.

“Thank you,” I said, moved by her kindness.

“You’ll miss the staff shuttle if you don’t leave now.”

I thanked her again and hurried toward the east gate.

A handful of employees were already waiting when I arrived. They barely looked at me. Most wore neatly pressed blouses, tailored skirts or trousers, and polished shoes. I glanced down at my own clothes and smoothed the front of my top.

They would have to do.

The shuttle pulled up a minute later. I climbed aboard, found a seat by the window, and watched the Alpha House disappear behind us.

The administrative building was more like a complex than a single office. The shuttle pulled into a driveway lined with rows of parked cars. As soon as we got off, everyone headed in different directions as though they had somewhere to be.

I followed the signs to the reception office and checked the directory until I found Luna Lisa’s office on the fourth

floor.

The hallway was enclosed in glass. About five women were inside, talking over files and laughing. One of them looked up. She sat behind the largest desk.

“Can I help you?”

I walked over.

“Good morning. I’m Isabella. Luna Lisa asked me to report here.”

She smiled politely.

“As?”

“As her assistant.”

Her smile disappeared.

The women looked at one another.

“Her assistant?” she repeated.

I nodded.

Her eyes traveled from my shoes to my face before she rested a hand against the badge on her blazer.

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“Doris. Senior Personal Assistant to Luna Lisa.”

The title caught me off guard. Maybe Luna Lisa wanted me working under her.

Doris pointed to the chair opposite her desk.

“Sit down. We’ll wait for Luna Lisa to clear this up.”

I thanked her and sat.

The room had gone quiet.

I could feel them looking at me.

Without taking her eyes off the file in front of her, Doris asked, “Did Luna Lisa mention bringing someone in?”

“Do we even need another assistant?” one of the women asked. She sounded annoyed.

“It was an informal appointment,” I said quietly. “Luna Lisa asked me to come by herself.”

That made Doris look up.

“Informal?”

I nodded.

“How do you know Luna Lisa?”

“She met me at the hospital. I was there with my son.”

She seemed relieved. Then she sighed.

“Typical Luna.”

One of the women chuckled before looking back at her computer.

Doris pulled a sheet of paper toward herself.

“So, Isabella… what administrative experience do you have?”

My mind went blank. I hadn’t expected that question. Usually I could come up with something on the spot.

“I don’t have any.”

“You’ve never worked as an executive assistant?”

I shook my head.

She picked up her pen.

“Interesting.”

She didn’t lower her voice.

“Luna Lisa usually recruits through department recommendations or the Administrative Service Academy. I don’t get why-”

The door opened and every person stood immediately.

“Luna.”

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Luna Lisa walked in with a woman behind her. She spotted me almost at once and smiled.

“Isabella. You found the office.”

The knot in my stomach loosened.

“Yes, Luna.”

“I’m glad.”

She turned to Doris.

“Have you started her orientation?”

“We’ve been discussing where she’d fit in.”

“And?”

Doris smiled politely.

“I thought filing, refreshments, or running documents between departments would be a good place for her to start while she settles in.”

Luna Lisa looked at me instead.

“What are you actually good at, Isabella?”

I searched my mind.

“I’m good at putting outfits together and organizing wardrobes.”

Luna Lisa smiled.

“Perfect.”

She looked across the room.

“Emerald.”

A young woman stepped forward.

“Yes, Luna?”

“You’re overseeing preparations for the Banquet. I’d like Isabella working with you.”

Emerald paused before nodding.

“I’ll make room.”

Luna Lisa smiled at me once more before disappearing into her office.

Emerald looked me over.

“For someone who’s supposed to have an eye for fashion…” she muttered. “That’s an interesting outfit.”

A couple of people pretended not to hear.

She walked over to Doris.

“The banquet is in less than five days. I don’t have time to babysit.”

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Doris kept signing the document in front of her.

“Just do it. Luna Lisa likes the girl. Let’s not make this into something it doesn’t need to be.”

Emerald rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers.

“Come with me.”

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