TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 6

Six

“Lisa, I’m not okay with this.”

My mother shook her head repeatedly. The wrinkles around her mouth deepened. She looked at me with a devastated expression, as if she were the one who had failed to protect me from the world.

“Mom, I’ve told you a million times, it’s not your fault. I’m not a child anymore. No one is forcing me. And besides, he hasn’t chosen me yet Why are we already arguing?”

She wasn’t listening to me. She never listened when worry took over. She moved closer, her gaze scrutinizing mine. The whitish film in her left eye seemed thicker today.

“I can’t let you do this,” she sobbed. “I’ve already lost my marriage. I’m losing my home. And now, to save us, you want to rent your body to an Alpha Lycan?”

Her voice broke on the last word.

“The chances of you getting out of this unscathed are slim, Lísa.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. I reached out to her, but she pulled away, clutching her arms to her chest.

“I just want us to survive,” I continued. “With this money, we can find a better hospital. We can hire specialists. Maybe they can finally operate on your eyes.”

“I don’t care about the operation,” she retorted sharply. She stepped forward and grabbed my shoulders. Her grip was surprisingly strong. “I don’t care about going completely blind. All I want is for you and James to be here with me.”

She studied my face for a long moment. She recognized the look in my eyes. It was the same look I had every time I made a decision.

“You’re as stubborn as your father,” she murmured. “That inflexible side that just can’t be changed.”

I gave her a tired smile. It wasn’t a compliment, but it was the truth.

“Mom, stop blaming yourself,” I said. I took her hands. “This isn’t a love match. Alpha Cameron looked at me like I was just a line item in the accounting during the interview. He barely tolerated the process.”

I squeezed her fingers,

“You taught me how to fight when things get tough. Let me use that now.

Tears trickled down her eyelashes. “I let you down,” she whispered. “Look at me. I have nothing left. The only thing I was holding on to was 30 years of marriage, and it’s all gone. I have no savings, nothing to fall back on.”

She let out a ragged breath.

“Maybe it was my eyesight. Perhaps blindness drove your father into the arms of a woman who could see him.”

“Stop it, Mom.” I took her firmly by the shoulders. “It’s not your fault.”

She pulled away and walked to the window, staring at the darkening street. When she spoke again, her voice was monotonous.

“We have to tell him.”

“Hell no.” The word was curt. “I won’t tell him anything.”

I folded my arms.

“Did he tell us when he cheated with his secretary? I have lost every respect for him. By the time he finds out, I’ll already be on the other side of the border. If I am even selected.”

I took my suitcase out of the closet and opened it on the bed. The instructions were clear: be ready to leave immediately. Looking at the empty bag, the truth hit me hard. I owned nothing worth taking to a Lycan domain. My sweaters and jeans were no match for the life that awaited me.

“I don’t even have the right clothes to be around a man like him,” I whispered.

My mother turned away from the window. “I thought you were just a surrogate?”

I froze. I’d been vague about the details. I hadn’t told her the conception had to be natural. I hadn’t told her Alpha Cameron and I were going to sleep together. She saw my guilty look and gasped.

“Lisa! What are you doing? You can’t sleep with another woman’s mate. She’ll kill you!”

“He asked for this arrangement,” I replied. I zipped up the side pocket of my bag. “If his mate is okay with it, that’s their business. I just want the money.”

She glared at me with utter horror.

“They say she can’t have children, I’m sure she wants an heir as much as he does.”

She sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. She picked up a shirt and tried to fold it.

“I don’t know him well,” she said quietly. “But I heard your father tell a friend that Cameron is very rich and surrounded by people who want him dead.”

She tried again to fold the shirt, but it wouldn’t do. I took it from her and folded it myself.

“A man like that must have quite a temper,” she continued. “And if you don’t get pregnant soon enough, it could become dangerous for you

“Mom, I’ve not even been chosen yet. But if I do, we’ll leave this house and finally have a life where you don’t have to apologize for existing.”

Her shoulders slumped. She knew she couldn’t stop me. She stood up and took my face in her trembling hands.

“Come back to me,” she whispered. “Whatever happens, come back.”

I nodded. A lump formed in my throat, making it hard to swallow.

“Don’t do it,” I told him. “He’s not worth it.”

“You’ll regret it,” James said to our father. “One day, you’ll see what you’ve messed up.”

“You’re just a child,” Dad replied. “When you grow up, you’ll understand that relationships aren’t simple. Your mother and I don’t love each other anymore. Why stay in a house that makes me unhappy?”

“Because you made a promise,” Mom whispered from the shadows.

Silence fell over the room.

“Because I sacrificed my life for you,” she said. She stared blankly at him. “And because of you, our daughter volunteered to carry a Lycan’s child for money.”

My father paled. He turned to me.

“What?” he boomed. “This is madness! We’ve been talking about the Selection for weeks, but I never imagined you’d be one of them.”

I shrugged carelessly.

“Lisa,” he said sharply, entering the house. “You’re selling yourself to a Lycan like an orphan. You didn’t even ask for my permission?”

“Your permission?” I laughed harshly.

“This isn’t funny,” he barked. “Do you know what the pack will say? That I’m incapable of providing for my own children.”

“Well, are you?”

“I never said I wouldn’t help you. You’re ruining your life because you were offered a check.”

I stood my ground. “I’m fixing the damage you’ve caused.”

He turned back to my mother. “It’s your fault, Susan,” he yelled. “You turned them against me. You made her a martyr. If you’d been a better wife, she wouldn’t be desperate enough to do this.”

He looked at me again. “How much is he paying you to risk your life?”

“Five hundred thousand chips,” I said.

The silence that followed was heavy. Even my mother seemed shocked. I’d told her it was enough for a house, but I hadn’t given her the exact figure.

“Five hundred thousand?” James said, his eyes widened like saucers.

My phone vibrated.