TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 360

Three hundred and sixty

sabella POV

Wesley’s head rested on my lap as my fingers moved through his hair, massaging his scalp while he stared at the ceiling. He had >een calmer since everything that happened with Charlie and Barbara, though I could sense the tension beneath his silence.

‘What are you going to do about Charlie?” I asked. “Do you hate him now?”

He turned his head slightly to look at me. “I could never hate Charlie.”

That answer surprised me.

‘He was a coward,” he added. “I’ve never known him to hide things from me, especially something this big. I’m angry with him, but I won’t force myself to get over it because everyone thinks I should. I’ll deal with it when I’m ready.”

continued running my fingers through his hair.

‘Do you think Barbara is obsessed with you?”

He chuckled. “I never saw it that way before. I thought she was hurt and refused to accept that things were over. Now I’m not so ¡ure.”

He shifted on my lap.

‘She’s still trying to reach me. I’ve blocked her number, but she keeps calling from other numbers. I’m not reading anything she sends. If a message looks like it’s from her, I block it. Eventually, I stopped checking altogether.”

My fingers slowed.

That explained why Wesley hadn’t heard anything about the summons. Luna Lisa had told me not to say anything yet about the >ond or about Barbara and Beatrice being my sisters. We were supposed to wait until the tests were complete and everything had >een confirmed. Thankfully, it would only be a matter of hours.

dreaded the conversation as much as I wanted it to happen. Wesley was going to learn that I was his mate, that Barbara was my half-sister, and that Beatrice was my sister too. So many pieces of his life were about to collide, and I had no idea how he would react when they did.

Later, I watched Wesley play with Maverick.

Maverick laughed as Wesley chased him around the room, then scooped him up when he tried to escape. Wesley carried him back, and Maverick immediately reached for him again, demanding another round.

I smiled as I watched them.

If someone walked in without knowing anything about us, they could have mistaken them for father and son. There was something natural about the way Wesley handled him, the way Maverick trusted him, and the ease with which they fell into their little game.

The sight warmed my heart.

I left the room and knocked on Iris’s door. It was locked from the inside, which wasn’t unusual, but I knew she was there. I was about to turn away when the door opened.

Iris stood there with her hair disheveled and a guilty smile on her face.

I heard Harrison’s voice from inside and my nose crinkled, making her laugh.

“We were exercising.”

“Indeed.”

12

Her laughter grew louder, and I refused to look past her into the rootn

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“I came to tell you I’m going to dinner at the Alpha House tonight. Wesley’s extended family will be there, along with the test results.”

Iris’s amusement faded.

“Oh goddess. Tonight?”

I nodded.

“So this is judgment day.”

“I guess it is.”

“How do you feel?”

“I don’t know.” I rubbed my palms together. “There are too many secrets, Iris. I don’t know how Wesley will take everything when it all comes out. I wish I could tell him some of it now instead of letting everything fall on him at once, but Luna Lisa wants us to wait until the results are confirmed.” 1

Iris reached for my hand.

“I wish I could be there to watch everything unfold.”

“If everything goes well, I’ll probably spend next week at the chapter house. Can you help me look after Maverick?”

“Of course.”

Her answer came without hesitation.

We headed downstairs together, and when Wesley, Maverick, and I finally left, I looked up and saw Iris standing by the window, waving at us. I raised my hand to wave back.

My eyes stung.

Tonight was it.

The night everything would finally come out. I didn’t know if I was ready for the truth to change everything.

Sunday dinner felt different from the moment I walked into the dining room. couldn’t explain it at first. Wesley’s family tried to act normal, talking and laughing, but I kept catching people looking at me.

Luna Lisa’s parents were there, along with Emma’s parents. Emma and Anita sat together, while Charlie was nearby with an older woman I hadn’t met before. Everyone seemed relaxed, yet their eyes kept finding me.

A small smile here. A glance there. Someone would look away when I caught them. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but I wasn’t used to being observed by so many people, especially people who had never had a reason to pay attention to me before.

Wesley didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps he assumed they were looking because he had chosen to be with me. Before we sat down, he led me toward Luna Lisa’s mom.

“Grandma Susan, this is Isabella. My girlfriend.”

She stood and pulled me into a hug. I stiffened at first, then relaxed into her arms. When she pulled away, she kept her hands on my arms and smiled at me.

There was something in that smile that made my throat tighten. It felt like gratitude, as though she were thanking me for something I hadn’t done yet.

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