TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 28

Twenty–Eight

LISA POV

Cameron stood near the door. Something moved behind his expression, as if he was deciding whether to speak or leave. The hesitation lasted only a breath before it vanished.

“Your father called me.”

The words landed like a dropped weight.

“What?”

“Richard Hartwell,” he continued. “He called my personal line.”

I pushed myself upright, still naked.

“How did he get your number?”

Cameron’s face settled back into its usual cold distance.

“That’s exactly what I’d like to know. Whatever issues you have with him, deal with them. Because if he calls me again, I’m canceling the contract.”

“No.”

I started to stand and realized too late that I was completely exposed. His gaze dropped, taking in the situation before returning to my face.

I grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around myself

“Please. What did he say?”

Cameron turned toward the door.

“Wait.”

The word rushed out before I could stop it.

“Please… just let me explain.”

His hand paused on the doorknob.

That was enough.

“The day Luna Catherine and Alpha Marcos announced this arrangement,” I said, “was the same day I found my father knotting his secretary in his office.”

Cameron didn’t react,

“My mom is legally blind. She lost her nursing job because the pack said it wasn’t safe for her to keep working with children. My father was the one supporting all of us.”

My throat tightened, but I forced the words out.

“After I graduated from the Academy, I worked as Luna Catherine’s personal shopper. It paid something, but not enough to support my mom and my brother. James is still in school.”

My hands shook as I grabbed my phone from the nightstand.

“I have proof.”

I unlocked it and opened the messages.

“Screenshots. Voice messages. My father’s been lying to everyone about the divorce.”

I turned the phone toward him.

Messages filled the screen. Flirting. Promises. Plans to leave.

Then I opened one of my mother’s voice notes and pressed play.

Her voice spilled into the room, thin and broken as she explained how my father drained their accounts, hid money, and walked away.

Cameron stayed where he was.

“I know my father,” I continued. “He’ll twist the story until he’s the victim. That’s what he’s doing now.”

My voice cracked.

“But I’m doing this for my family. For my mom. So we don’t lose everything.”

I lifted my head.

“Nobody gets to make me feel like a whore for standing up for my mother,” I said. “Nobody.”

Silence filled the room.

Cameron watched me for a long moment.

Then he turned and left.

The door closed with a soft click.

I stood there clutching the sheet until my hands started to shake,

The tears came after.

Not because of him.

Because the image of my father kept changing in my head. Every memory of the man who raised me was breaking apart and being replaced by someone I didn’t recognize.

I wondered what he told Cameron. What version of the story he sold.

I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water over my face.

The knock came while I was still staring at my reflection.

My heart jumped.

Had Cameron come back?

“Come in,” I called.

The door opened.

Evangeline stood in the doorway.

She wore a silk robe, her hair loose around her shoulders.

“May I come in?”

“Of course, my lady.”

She smiled gently.

“I’ve told you. Call me Evangeline.”

Her attention shifted to my face.

“Have you been crying?”

I shook my head.

“No, I-”

“Lisa.”

She crossed the room and took my hand.

“What happened?”

That small act of kindness broke something inside me.

The words spilled out before I could stop them.

I told her everything.

About my father. The affair. The divorce. The lies

The story came out messy and uneven, but she listened to every word.

When I finished, her eyes were wet too.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, pulling me into an embrace, “I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this.”

I let myself lean into the hug even though the situation felt surreal.

“You’re brave for doing this,” she said, stepping back to look at me. “And I’m going to make sure Cameron understands.”

“Thank you.”

She rested a hand over my stomach.

“This baby is for me,” she said softly. “Not for Cameron. He could remarry after I’m gone. But

I want something of us to live on.”

Her fingers squeezed my hand.

“I’m going to protect you,” she continued. “Your father won’t bother you again.”

Some of the tension eased out of my chest.

Then another thought surfaced.

“I still don’t understand how he got Alpha Cameron’s number. Only Alphas and Lunas have it.”

Evangeline frowned.

“Maybe Kade gave it to him.”

“Kade?”

“Cameron seems to be struggling with this process,” she said carefully. “And I want to make sure everything is being done correctly.”

“Here, let me.”

She stood and took the bottle from my hands.

“Lie down.”

I did.

Oil pooled in her palm before her hands moved across my thighs.

Her touch felt clinical, but the situation made my skin crawl.

“More here,” she murmured, adding oil along my lower stomach. “You don’t want bruising.”

If only bruising were the real problem.

She helped me into the nightgown and stepped back.

“Perfect,” she said. “You look beautiful.”

The compliment made me feel worse.

She returned to the chair.

“I’ll wait here.”

At exactly nine o’clock the door opened.

Cameron stepped inside and stopped.

His expression shifted from cold detachment to open anger when he saw Evangeline.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

Evangeline smiled calmly,

“My love, Lisa agreed to let me observe. I just want to make sure everything is done correctly.”

I stared at her.

She told me she would explain it to him.

Cameron’s attention snapped to me.

“You agreed to this?”

“I… she said she would tell you.”

“I must have forgotten,” Evangeline said lightly. “But Lisa approved.”

“Absolutely not,” Cameron said, his voice firm. “I’m not taking another woman in front of you. The Still Howl worked. The bond between us was muted exactly the way it was supposed to be. If you’re feeling pain, it’s coming from the illness, or from your mind expecting it. The bond only reacts when there’s real attachment involved.”

His gaze held hers.

“And you and I both know that isn’t the case here”

Tears spilled down Evangeline’s face as she stared at him.

“That doesn’t change how this feels.” She pressed a hand against her chest, drawing in an uneven breath. “I can feel something tearing through me. Maybe it’s the illness, Maybe it’s my mind playing tricks on me. I don’t know anymore.”

Her voice dropped.

“I’m dying, Cameron. I can feel my body getting weaker every day, and you keep pulling further away from me.”

She looked toward the bed where I stood frozen.

“I just wanted to see it for myself. To know the pain isn’t coming from something else. To know you’re not… feeling something for her.”

The room went quiet.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I didn’t mean to cause❞

Cameron raised a hand. That single gesture shut me up. He turned back to Evangeline and his tone softened.

“I feel nothing for her. She’s getting paid for her service.”

Shame burned through me as Cameron helped Evangeline to her feet and let her lean against him.

“Let’s get you back to your room.”

They walked out together. The door closed. I stood in the middle of the room, still wearing that stupid nightgown, and resentment twisted in my chest.

For Cameron, Evangeline, and for letting myself be manipulated.

I ripped the nightgown off and threw it across the room, then climbed into bed and pulled the covers over my head.

For the first time since arriving here, I stopped feeling ashamed. And let myself feel angry.