TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 286

Twin hundred and eighty six

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Two hundred and eighty six

Isabella POV

I was packing my sketchbook and everything I’d need to work from home over the weekend when Iris leaned against my desk.

“You should come with me to the staff lodge,” she said. “Most of us who live there usually hang out in the courtyard on Fridays after work. Even people who don’t live there stop by sometimes.”

I wasn’t ashamed of Maverick. If someone asked whether I had a child, I’d tell them. I just didn’t see the need to bring it up when I wasn’t looking for friendships that extended beyond the office. I’d come here to work. That was all. Especially now that Barbara had made it clear she could walk into my room whenever she pleased.

“I’ll pass,” I said, zipping up my bag. “Maybe next time.”

“Oh, come on.” Iris folded her arms. “You can’t keep disappearing the second work ends. People will think you’re stuck-up.”

“I’m not stuck-up.”

“Then why do you run home every day?”

I smiled without answering.

How could I explain that some people could afford to treat work like work, while others were always thinking three steps ahead?

“At least come and see the place,” Iris said. “If you like it, you could apply for one of the staff apartments. There’s a spare room next to mine, and it’s free.”

The idea crossed my mind.

Living there would mean I wouldn’t have to keep looking over my shoulder every time I walked through the Alpha House. But it also meant registering Maverick in the staff daycare, and I wasn’t in a position to afford that yet. Worse, Luna Lisa might think I was trying to move out because I was uncomfortable

under her roof.

The truth was, I was uncomfortable.

Barbara wasn’t the kind of person whose threats you ignored and hoped would disappear. I’d known her too long for that.

“Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea,” I admitted. “I’ll come have a look.”

Iris grinned.

“So,” she said as we headed downstairs toward the shuttle stop, “how are the designs going?”

I sighed.

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“Miss Anita loved them. She wants me handling the entire line.”

“You’re kidding.”

She burst into laughter. It was somewhere between a cackle and a snort. It always made me smile, even when I was trying not to.

“Oh, Emerald is going to hate you.”

“But it isn’t my fault.”

“I know.” She nudged my shoulder. “That won’t stop her.”

If only Emerald were my biggest problem.

The shuttle followed the same road we’d taken every morning. A few minutes later, instead of turning onto the private road leading to the Alpha’s residence, it continued straight.

I’d never realized how close everything was.

The administrative complex, the staff housing, and the training grounds all sat within the same district. The Alpha’s home simply branched off onto its own private road, hidden behind another security gate.

The staff lodge stood in neat rows, each building painted in warm colors with balconies overlooking a shared courtyard. Children chased each other between the walkways while adults talked over drinks or carried groceries upstairs. I recognized several faces from the administration building, though seeing them in casual clothes somehow made them seem like completely different people.

“It feels like a little town,” I said.

“It is,” Iris replied as she led me to an outdoor table.

“Harrison!”

Oh no.

The guy from accounting.

I looked away. The last thing I had energy for was another conversation.

Too late.

He looked up, smiled, and waved us over.

“So we meet again.”

Iris dropped into the chair opposite him.

“Hope you don’t mind us joining you.”

“I’d be offended if you didn’t.”

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His eyes landed on me.

“I’ve never seen you here before. Do you live in the apartments?”

“She stays at the Alpha House,” Iris answered before I could.

His eyes widened.

“The Alpha House?”

He looked back at me.

“Family?”

“No.”

I left it there. Thankfully, so did he.

Harrison and Iris were the sort of people who could keep a conversation alive with almost nothing. Before long, they’d wandered into comparing departments.

“I’m telling you,” Harrison said, “Accounting is the safest department in the administration.”

“Please. No one wants your job,” Iris said.

I laughed before I could stop myself.

“That’s terrible.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “Everyone complains when Accounting emails them; nobody wants to become Accounting.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Iris said.

We ordered burgers from the canteen attached to the staff house while the conversation drifted from office gossip to upcoming events.

Then Emerald came up.

“I still can’t believe she picked a fight with you in your first week,” Harrison said.

I shrugged.

“I just wish she’d leave me alone. I’m not trying to take her job.”

He watched me.

“I can see why people would talk.”

I frowned.

“Luna Lisa hired you personally. Whether it’s true or not, people will assume you’re being favored.”

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“I never asked for special treatment.”

“I know.”

Although Harrison and Iris kept talking, my thoughts had already drifted somewhere else.

Emerald wasn’t acting alone.

The more I replayed everything that had happened, the less it felt like coincidence. Barbara had too much to gain from making my life miserable.

The problem was proving it.

Even if I found evidence, I’d have to explain why Barbara had singled me out in the first place. That explanation led straight to Maverick, my mother, and everything I’d spent years trying to keep buried.

“There is another option,” Harrison said, pulling me back into the conversation. “Why not tell Luna Lisa?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“It’s my first week. I don’t want to look like someone who runs to management over every little problem.”

He nodded thoughtfully.

“Want me to talk to Emerald?”

“No.”

I answered so quickly that both of them looked at me.

“I don’t want her saying I’m spreading stories about her.”

Iris laughed.

“That’s exactly what she’d say.”

“Bullying isn’t taken lightly in the administration,” Harrison said. “Give it another week. If she keeps it up,

report her to HR.”

“If it continues, I will,” I added. “If it stops, I’d rather leave it alone.”

“You have a kind heart,” Iris said. “Me? I would’ve marched straight into Luna Lisa’s office on day one.”

I smiled and took another bite of my burger.

“You should attend the rave tonight,” Harrison said. “It’s usually the best part of Fridays.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

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I looked down at myself.

“I’m not exactly dressed for it.”

“You look fine.”

I noticed Iris go unusually quiet. Harrison was being overly friendly to me, which somehow made it

worse for Iris.

“I really have to get home,” I said. “My son’s waiting.”

Both of them stared at me.

“Your son?” Iris asked.

“You have a kid?” Harrison added. “Are you married?”

I smiled.

“No. His father isn’t in the picture.”

Iris’s mouth formed an O.

“I get it now,” she said. “That’s why you’re always trying to stay out of trouble.”

She reached across the table and squeezed my free hand.

“We’ve got you.”

I returned the smile.

“Thank you.”

“You two should have fun,” I said as I stood. “Enjoy the rave.”

Harrison looked at Iris.

“I might call it a night too.”

I sighed. Either the man was completely oblivious, or he genuinely couldn’t see the way Iris looked at him. I wasn’t about to get caught in the middle of that.

I entered the Alpha House through the west gate, the entrance the household staff normally used, and headed straight for Grandma Cassidy’s rooms to pick up Maverick.

Before I reached the door, I spotted him in the sitting area playing with an older girl, maybe nine years old. She flashed me a gap-toothed smile.

I slowed.

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I’d never seen her before, but it was probably nothing.

After everything Barbara had said, though, my mind questioned every unfamiliar face before it found a sensible explanation.

“Where’s Grandma Cassidy?” I asked.

“In the kitchen,” the girl said. “She just got back.”

I thanked her and walked toward the kitchen.

The moment I crossed the doorway, something hit me so hard my steps faltered.

Pine. Cedar. The smell of earth after rain.

My heartbeat lurched, then began pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to force its way out of my chest. Every breath became shallow. My fingers tingled. The world seemed to tilt for the space of a

heartbeat.

The mate bond.

Grandma Cassidy stood beside the kitchen island, talking to Wesley.

“There you are,” she said, noticing me first.

Only then did Wesley turn.

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