TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 33

Thirty-Three

CAMERON POV

The Council chamber was one of the worst parts of being Alpha. It was filled with men who believed their bloodlines made them superior to everyone else.

Elder Council members flanked me on both sides, a row of gray-haired men who carried the stale scent of entitlement.

And then there was Matthias.

My cousin sat three seats down beside his strongest ally, Elder Richmond, looking every inch the heir he had always believed himself to be. Tall, broad-shouldered, the kind of polished Lycan appearance that came from generations of carefully preserved bloodlines.

“Alpha Cameron,” Richmond began, managing to turn my title into an insult. “We’ve called this emergency session to discuss the matter of succession.”

I remained seated at the head of the table and gave him nothing.

“The council is concerned-”

“Concerned about what?” I cut in. “Why does your reach always seem to dig so deeply into my affairs more than anyone else’s here? My mate is ill, and I have already taken steps toward choosing a womb to carry my child.”

Matthias leaned back in his chair with a slow smile. “Steps. Tell me, cousin, do these steps include hiring a werewolf surrogate? A twenty-year-old girl with traces of omega bloodline and, from what I understand, questionable family circumstances.”

Hatred tightened through my chest. It was classic Matthias, digging through anything I tried to keep buried.

“Her background was thoroughly vetted,” I said. “Evangeline and her family approved the selection. The girl is purely beta.”

“A werewolf approving a werewolf surrogate,” he replied. “How convenient.”

Several Council members shifted in their seats.

“What exactly are you implying, Matthias?”

He spread his hands in mock innocence. “I’m questioning the legitimacy of any potential heir from such an arrangement. You can’t produce a child with your own mate, and now you’re relying on a hired womb to secure your position. It’s almost poetic.”

The insult landed exactly where he intended.

“The Oracle chose me,” I said. “Not you. And that fact has been eating at you every day since.”

Matthias’s smile vanished.

“The Oracle made a mistake. I was raised to lead this pack. I have a mate bond, a legitimate marriage, and as of three weeks ago, a pregnant wife carrying twin boys.”

Murmurs spread around the chamber.

“Congratulations,” I said.

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“Meanwhile, you,” Matthias continued, rising from his chair and leaning over the table, “a bastard born from a desperate breeding arrangement, sit in a position that should have been mine. And now you’re repeating history, using another woman the same way your father used your mother. Doesn’t that shame you?”

I said nothing.

Because what could I say? 1

He wasn’t wrong.

I was a bastard. Born because my father couldn’t produce an heir with his mate. Born from a woman who was paid, bred, and discarded.

Just like Lisa.

The thought settled heavily in my gut.

“That’s enough,” Richmond said to Matthias, though the hint of satisfaction in his voice didn’t escape me. “The question before this council is whether we can accept an heir born under such… circumstances.”

“The surrogate contract is legal and binding,” I said. “Any child born from it will be legitimate under pack law.”

“Pack law,” Matthias scoffed. “But what about divine will? What about the Moon Goddess’s blessing? You expect us to believe a child conceived through a transaction, with no mate bond and no love, will carry the Goddess’s favor?”

“The same could be said of me,” I replied. “And yet the Oracle chose me.”

Matthias’s expression hardened.

“We’ll see how long that lasts. When the pack sees that you’re no better than the desperate bastard your father created, we’ll see if the Oracle’s choice still stands.”

Hours later, Matthias’s words still echoed in my head.

Bastard.

Desperate breeding arrangement.

Repeating history.

The memories came flooding back.

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