TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 362

Three hundred and sixty-two

sabella POV

It was clear that Wesley and Charlie weren’t speaking.

They sat at the same table, answered when someone addressed them, and behaved well enough that nobody older seemed to notice anything was wrong. I was relieved they had enough sense not to turn their argument into a family spectacle.

Charlie had been stupid. There was no denying that. But I had also seen enough of him to know that he loved Wesley. Barbara had found the part of him that wanted to protect people and used it against him.

Still, I understood why Wesley was hurt. If his relationship with Barbara had been real, could he have looked Charlie in the eye after learning that he had slept with her? Could he have stood beside him and pretended nothing had happened?

I didn’t think so.

Across the table, Luna Lisa caught my eye. She made a small gesture toward the doorway.

I leaned toward Wesley. “I’m going to use the restroom.”

He nodded without looking away from his conversation with Anita. I left the dining room and followed the direction Luna Lisa had indicated. The farther I walked, the quieter the house became until I reached another sitting area.

Cassidy was there with Joanna and two women I didn’t recognize. Luna Lisa stood beside them. She burst into tears, making my heart lurch.

I already knew what the results would say. I had felt the bond. I had watched what happened to Wesley’s body since we became involved. Still, seeing Luna Lisa’s tears made everything real.

She pulled me into her arms and wept against my shoulder. I didn’t know what to do with that kind of emotion directed at me. My hands remained at my sides until I wrapped them around her.

My own eyes burned.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

I shook my head, unable to find the words.

Joanna approached with a folder in her hands.

“We have the final results.”

She opened the folder and turned it toward me.

す

“We didn’t rely on the bond alone. We compared your markers with Wesley’s and tracked the changes in his condition since your relationship began. His episodes stopped progressing after you began having sex. His body began stabilizing in a pattern we couldn’t explain through the treatments we’d been trying.”

I stared at the highlighted pages. Joanna pointed toward one section.

“This marker is present in Wesley at a level we’ve never seen remain stable before. Your corresponding marker reacts to it. That’s what convinced us to run the mate-bond testing.”

She turned another page.

“The results confirmed that the bond is present. It’s currently one-sided because Wesley hasn’t recognized it yet.”

Joanna continued, “There’s more. The physical connection between mates can affect healing and regulation. In your case, it appears to be doing far more than that. Your intimacy with Wesley may be acting like an antidote to the instability in his wolf.”

My face heated.

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Liina Lisa was still crying.

Joanna didn’t seem bothered by my embarrassinent. “The more his body responds to the bond, the more stable he becomes. That gives us hope that we can help’reverse his fragmentation.”

I lowered my gaze.

So all those nights with Wesley had been doing something to him that neither of us understood. I had thought I was simply loving him. I hadn’t known my body was helping his.

Joanna closed the folder.

“We’re certain enough now. We need to tell him tonight.”

My heart began pounding. I had spent all this time dreading the moment Wesley learned everything. Now that it was here, I wasn’t sure I could face it.

Luna Lisa wiped her cheeks and drew a deep breath.

“Cameron has already thought about how we’ll handle this. We’ll gather everyone in the living room and make sure Wesley has people around him when we tell him. We could start with Isabella being Barbara and Beatrice’s sister, then explain everything else.” 1

Joanna shook her head.

“I wouldn’t.”

Luna Lisa frowned. “Why?”

“Because he’ll probably focus on the betrayal first. Why didn’t anyone tell him? Why did everyone know except him? He could become angry before he even understands what the bond means.”

Luna Lisa considered that.

“Then what would you suggest?”

“The bond should come first. It’s the most important piece of information. Once he understands that Isabella is his mate and what that means for his condition, everything else will be easier to process.” 1

Luna Lisa nodded.

“You’re right.”

She turned to me and took my hands.

“Go back before Wesley starts wondering where you are. When we return, you’ll know it’s time.”

My legs felt heavier as I turned toward the door. Tonight, I would finally tell Wesley the truth.

All of it.

A minute turned into two.

I sat there with my hands clasped in my lap, trying not to look toward the hallway. Every sound from the dining room made my stomach tighten.

Why were they taking so long?

I had thought waiting for the results would be the hardest part. I was wrong. Knowing the truth was sitting in a room nearby while I waited for someone to tell Wesley felt worse.

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I almost turned around.

I could go back to Luna Lisa and Joanna. I could tell them I wasn’t ready. I could ask them to give me more time.

But there was no more time.

Voices drifted from the dining room, followed by the scrape of chairs against the floor. Then Alpha Cameron tapped his fork against his wineglass.

The conversations faded.

“Let’s move to the sitting room.”

Everyone began making their way out.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

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Wesley came toward me with Anita beside him. He looked completely unaware of what was coming.

As he passed, Alpha Cameron caught my gaze.

His expression held no panic. He gave me a look that said I could handle this.

I drew in a breath and followed them.

Wesley walked beside me, still oblivious.

The doors to the sitting room opened, and his steps slowed.

Joanna stood there with Cassidy, Luna Lisa, and the women who had been waiting with them.

Wesley’s brows pulled together.

“What’s going on?”

Nobody answered. My palms grew damp as Joanna stepped forward with the folder in her hands.

“Wesley, we called you to the chapter house on Friday because we wanted to check some markers and confirm a few things.”

Wesley nodded.

“What did you find?”

Joanna glanced at me before looking back at him.

“We found the reason you’ve remained stable.”

Wesley stared at her. He shifted his weight.

“So what is it?”

Joanna held the folder against her chest.

“Your wolf hasn’t been spiraling because the trigger that has been destabilizing it is no longer overwhelming you. Something has been regulating it.”

Wesley’s forehead creased.

“Something?”

“Something that your body has been responding to.”

He looked increasingly confused.

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