TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 308

Three hundred and eight

Isabella’s POV

The remaining days of the week passed, and there was no sign of Wesley in the office on Thursday or Friday. Now that I worked in Executive Administration, I had a clear view of the comings and goings of people. Wesley’s office door stayed shut, and I never saw him around the Alpha house either.

The absence gave me too much time to think, and somewhere between filing reports and lying awake at night, I gathered the courage to ask him directly about the bond if another opportunity came.

I was tired of running in circles, building theories from scraps, and chasing clues that refused to fit together. I had practiced the question countless times, staring at my reflection in the mirror, whispering it under my breath, even writing it down as if rehearsing would somehow make it easier.

Do you feel the bond?

It was such a simple question, yet every version of that conversation ended with a different disaster in my head. Still, it had to be asked. Better an ugly truth than endless uncertainty.

Wesley never appeared.

Now Friday was over, and I had to get ready for Anita’s event. Left to me, I wouldn’t have gone. Loud music, expensive drinks, and rich Alpha kids showing off their lives weren’t exactly my idea of fun. But I’d already promised Anita, and if I was being honest with myself, part of me was hoping Wesley would

be there.

I stood in front of the wardrobe, staring at my limited options. Most of the clothes Emma had given me were office wear, but I managed to piece something together. A shimmery gold halter top that caught the light whenever I moved, fitted black trousers, and my plain flats.

Grandma Cassidy had lent me her curling iron, and I managed to coax my hair into soft curls that framed my face. They weren’t salon perfect, but they softened my features enough. I studied myself in the mirror. At least I didn’t look like I’d wandered in off the street.

I dropped Maverick off with Miriam, the housekeeper, who had volunteered to watch him since Grandma Cassidy wasn’t home.

Cassidy had promised me he’d be perfectly fine. “Go and enjoy yourself,” she’d said. “We only get one life, dear. Before you know it, your youth is gone, and all you’ll have left are the things you never allowed yourself to do.”

Harrison was waiting outside the estate gate. He let out a low whistle that immediately made me roll my eyes.

“Well, look at you,” he said, grinning as he looked me over. “Who would’ve thought agreeing to fake-date you would turn out to be the best decision I’ve ever made?”

I chuckled. “You’re impossible.”

We climbed into a cab, joining the steady stream of traffic heading toward the entertainment district. Harrison spent most of the ride talking about his new responsibilities as my pretend boyfriend, proudly listing everything from opening doors to standing between me and strangers. At one point he demonstrated how he’d casually drape an arm around my shoulders.

I laughed and nodded when I was supposed to, but my thoughts kept drifting somewhere else. Every mile we covered brought me closer to seeing Wesley again after days of silence, and I couldn’t stop wondering how tonight would end.

The club came into view long before we reached it. Neon lights painted the buildings in shifting colors, and even inside the cab I could feel the bass vibrating through the floor beneath my feet. There was already a long line stretching outside the entrance.

Harrison climbed out first and hurried around to my side, opening the door with an exaggerated flourish.

“Come on,” he said, offering his hand. “Time to scare your newest admirer into giving up.”

I slipped my hand into his. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out to face whatever the night had waiting for

The club felt like another world. Security separated guests according to their invitation cards. Silver cards joined the endless queue that wrapped around the building, while our gold VIP cards got us waved straight past nearly fifty people waiting outside. A black satin wristband was fastened around each of our wrists before another guard checked our names.

“See?” Harrison whispered as we walked in. “One of the perks of knowing the star of the night. We skip the queues, the crowded bathrooms, and drinks that taste like disappointment.”

I laughed.

The VIP section sat above the main floor behind velvet ropes, with polished glass tables, oversized booths, and bottles already sweating in ice buckets. Everywhere I looked, people seemed effortlessly polished. Women glided around in satin dresses that shimmered beneath the lights, their hair sleek enough to catch the light. Men wore designer jackets thrown over fitted shirts. Anita wasn’t in the booth yet. Other performers were keeping the crowd entertained while house music pounded through the speakers, forcing Harrison and me to lean toward each other whenever we spoke.

A group walked past us, laughing among themselves.

It hadn’t. It had only made surviving harder. In the end, I had to run for my life.

The music rolled from one song into the next without pause. The crowd on the main floor had abandoned all dignity, dancing shoulder to shoulder beneath flashing lights. The VIP section was calmer, more polished, but even here people had begun leaving their seats, laughing and moving to the rhythm.

“We should dance,” Harrison said through the ridiculously long orange straw sticking out of his drink. His shoulders were already bouncing to the beat.

“Not yet.”

“Want something stronger?”

“Water’s fine.”

I wanted my head clear tonight. If Wesley was here, I couldn’t afford to be tipsy when I finally asked the question that had haunted me.

Harrison ordered sparkling water for me and whiskey for himself. Then we settled back to watch the room.

Nearly an hour passed before I sensed Wesley.

I hadn’t even seen him. His scent found me first.

It cut cleanly through alcohol and expensive cologne until it wrapped itself around me. My wolf surged beneath my skin so suddenly I clenched both hands into fists beneath the table.

When the Alpha entered a room, people noticed.

Heads turned. The DJ’s voice boomed through the speakers.

“Let’s hear it for Alpha Wesley and Alpha Charlie!”