TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 331

Three hundred and thirty one

Isabella POV

Iris sat across from me, stirring her mango drink with a straw. We were in the open courtyard at the staff lodge, where a few umbrellas shaded small tables and plastic chairs. The evening had settled into a quiet lull, Most staff members had retreated to their rooms after dinner, leaving only a handful of us outside.

“It’s just dinner. He’s not proposing to you,” Iris said when my phone chimed again. Wesley had texted me four times now, each message telling me to get dressed.

I groaned.

“I just don’t want things to get complicated.”

“Then don’t ignore him,” she said. “Just tell him yes or no.”

Iris and Harrison had suggested I open up to Grandma Cassidy during or after the gala, since we’d already established a connection. With her influence in the Alpha House, she could let Wesley know. Harrison had even called it some kind of miracle that Wesley was already attracted to me without knowing about the bond. He’d sounded almost sorry for the man. Grandma Cassidy was well enough to understand what I was dealing with, and she was the safest person I could think of.

“I can’t go. I don’t have anything to wear,” I said.

“Liar,” Iris said, laughing. “What about that short black dress Emma handed down to you?”

I rolled my eyes.

“You should be discouraging me. Who’s going to stay with Maverick?”

“I will. Go to dinner.”

I picked up my phone and stared at Wesley’s message, weighing what to say. If I kept ignoring him, he was going to come here himself.

Then Iris gasped.

I looked up.

“What is it?”

She pointed.

I spun around, expecting to see Wesley.

My stomach tightened when I spotted Emerald, the witch from Luna Lisa’s office who had accused me of stealing.

I shoved my chair back and put some distance between us, just in case she had a knife- or something worse.

Emerald stopped and stared at me, confusion flickering across her face.

Then she raised her hands.

“I just want to talk.”

Iris scoffed, and I was glad she was here.

“What do you want?” she asked.

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With my phone still in my hand, I switched on the voice recorder.

“I need her help,” Emerald said.

The confidence and snark she’d carried around the Luna’s office had vanished. Her shoulders sagged, and exhaustion hollowed out her face. Desperation sharpened her eyes.

“Help with what?” I asked.

She stepped closer.

“Please, talk to Luna Lisa for me.”

Iris and I exchanged a glance.

“Ask her to reconsider,” Emerald continued. “I lost my job because of what happened, and I can’t find another one. Nobody wants to hire me after what happened.”

“Well, what did you expect?” Iris said. “You accused her of stealing. Who’s going to trust you after that?”

“Iris, please stay out of this,” Emerald said, her voice catching as she forced herself to ask me for help.

Iris took my hand. “We don’t have to listen to her. Let’s go.”

I raised a hand, stopping her.

“Why did you do it?”

Emerald’s expression darkened. Her gaze bounced between Iris and me before she let out a long breath.

“Look at you, spending time concocting lies. At least you’re fired and you can be honest about it,” Iris said.

“Fine,” Emerald said, folding her arms across her chest as if she could shield herself from us.

“I never liked you,” she admitted. “I thought your entry into the office was unfair, and Luna Lisa would have a special preference for you. But I didn’t come up with the plan. Someone told me what to do.”

Iris’s eyes widened.

“Who?” I asked.

Emerald hesitated.

“She’s lying,” Iris said. “Now she wants to drag someone else into this so she can save herself.”

“Hold on,” I cut in, already knowing where this was headed. “Emerald, you came here asking for help. If you want me to help you, you need to start telling the truth.”

She sighed and stared into the distance.

“I can’t,” she said.

“Then I can’t help you.”

“Come on, Isabella, please.”

I shook my head.

“You don’t understand. I lost everything. My husband doesn’t work. We can barely feed ourselves. It’s not my

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fault.”

“You chose to listen to someone else. And you’re still protecting them.”

Her lips parted, then closed again.

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