TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 75

Seventy-Five

Cameron

Lisa turned and walked toward the stairwell, her steps fading across the rooftop tiles.

Anxiety stayed lodged in my chest. I knew I should not be thinking about another woman who was not my mate, yet the thought refused to loosen its grip.

Minutes earlier, standing beside her had felt easier than anything else I had done all day.

That was the problem.

She was not mine and never could be.

I had Evangeline. I kept telling myself the Moon Goddess did not make mistakes when she chose a mate. I had always believed a bond needed effort to survive. So why did mine feel like it was cracking, and why did I not know how to stop it?

I liked Lisa, and the pull toward her went beyond simple attraction. I wanted her body, but more than that, I wanted to stand beside her and stay there.

That was wrong.

Feeling anything for her beyond desire crossed a line I should not touch.

Evangeline’s face surfaced in my mind, and guilt pressed down harder the more I tried to push it away.

“What’s with the long look?” Nadia said as she walked into my study.

She dropped into a chair and swung one leg onto the table.

“Can you not?” I said. “I’m not in the mood.”

“When are you ever in the mood? That girl just scrambled your head.”

I lifted a hand, cutting her off. “Evangeline is trouble enough already. I’m still trying to convince her I do not love Lisa. Don’t add to it.”

She raised both hands in surrender

“Are you ready for the family dinner?”

She laughed as I pressed my fingers into my temple, trying to dull the ache behind my eyes.

“Come on. It’s just our sisters, Matthias, and their families. You’ve delayed this for months. They’ll start thinking we’re shutting them out, and that never ends well.”

“Fine,” I muttered. “Friday evening.”

I had no desire to sit across a table from my cousin. With my half-sisters, it was bearable. But how was I supposed to share a meal with someone openly against my leadership?

Nadia was heading out when I looked up and saw her stop short in front of Franklin.

Franklin looked at her a beat too long, the way people look when they forget themselves. I was starting to suspect my Beta had feelings for my sister. But wasn’t he already dating someone else?

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Nadia muttered under her breath and walked away. Franklin did not look away until she was gone.

He took the seat Nadia had left and slid the weekly military reports across the desk. I did not open them.

“So the girl you’re seeing,” I said. “Is she casual, or are you serious about her?”

“What? Am I not allowed to have a girlfriend?”

His defensiveness made me chuckle.

“I wonder how she’d feel if she saw the way you look at Nadia.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Nadia finds me irritating. She’s dating that Alpha anyway. Cora is easier to be with. She treats me with respect.

“Then I’m happy for you.”

He looked uncomfortable then the tension left his face, and I knew he was about to turn the conversation on me.

“How is Lady Evangeline?”

My sigh was enough.

“Cameron, I don’t think the bond is working. You can’t keep pretending everything is fine.”

“And what do you want me to do? Do you know what people would say if they thought I abandoned my sick mate?”

Franklin’s gaze drifted. “I’m just saying. I see the chemistry between you and Lisa.”

“It’s nothing. Lisa will pass through my life. I don’t want Evangeline to die. I want us to fix what’s broken.

“Invite Cora,” I added. “I want to meet her properly on Friday.”

He frowned. “What?”

I shrugged. “More people, less Matthias.”

Nadia was furious when she found out I had invited Franklin’s girlfriend to the family dinner.

“Who brings a heat-worker into the Alpha house? Is this place turning into a clubhouse? First your surrogate, now this.”

“You sound jealous,” I said, sipping my wine.

“I am not,” she shot back. “Shouldn’t you discourage him from seeing someone like that?”

The jealousy in her voice was obvious. “He can date whoever he wants. It’s not my business. If he’s happy, good for him. Maybe you should admit how you feel.”

“I don’t have feelings for him.” Her voice rose. “He’s

under me. I’m Alpha and he’s Beta. We’re not equals. It would never work.”

I shook my head, wondering if she heard herself.

“Then I’ll invite Desmond to dinner,” she said.

I shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Is this a couples thing now?” Evangeline asked as she walked in and sat across from me.Her scent hit me the

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moment she stepped closer. Goddess, it was choking.

I pulled her into my arms. I could do this. I would take care of her. I kissed her forehead, even as the heat under my skin made staying close to her difficult.

Friday arrived. My half-sisters came in that afternoon. Both were married to Alphas from neighboring territories, distant in the way family becomes when you only see them twice a year.

Evangeline and Nadia handled the hosting without missing a step. I buried myself in paperwork while their voices carried in from the living room.

Matthias arrived later with his mate, Nora, loud even before he crossed the threshold. I greeted them in the entrance hall with a smile that did not reach my chest.

“Thanks for the invitation, cousin,” he said, clapping my back a little too hard. “We should gather more often as a family.”

“Indeed,” I said.

His mate barely spoke. I wondered what she saw in him,

Alpha Kieran arrived after Desmond. He had been my mentor since my military school days, guiding me through pack politics and personal failures alike. If anyone could steady me tonight, it was him.

He pulled me into a firm embrace. “Son, it’s good to see you.”

“You too. Thanks for coming.”

“I wouldn’t miss it. Though I have to say, this feels more like a war council than a family dinner.”

I managed a small smile. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.”

The dining room gleamed with polished wood, set silverware, and chairs arranged with care. I had invited Lisa and her mother, a choice I had not explained to anyone. Franklin and Cora were already there, filling the room with extra movement and noise.

As the maids set the table, I kept my attention on Alpha Kieran and ignored Matthias entirely.

When Cora walked in with Franklin, Nadia’s reaction nearly made me laugh. Her eyes followed them across the room. She did not bother hiding her displeasure. Lisa greeted Cora easily, and the two of them settled into conversation without strain.

Matthias stepped in beside Kieran and me without invitation.

“You know, the pack has concerns about leadership stability,” he began. “The rumors about you and your mate hiring a surrogate are spreading. I can’t imagine putting my cock into someone who isn’t my mate.”

He grinned as he said it. “Don’t you think?”

“Your cousin’s personal life is not up for discussion,” Kieran said.

“Isn’t it?” Matthias asked. “When you’re Alpha, everything is up for discussion. Your bond. Your heir. Your judgment. I’m just saying what people are worried about. A leader who can’t maintain his own household and relies on outsiders to solve it.”

Heat climbed my chest, but I kept my voice steady.

“At least the pack is stable,” Kieran said. “The economy is strong. Any remaining concerns are being stirred by

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people who resent Cameron.”

Matthias shrugged. “I’m only saying what others are thinking.”

“You should make peace with your cousin,” Kieran said, his gaze flicking briefly to me. “You two are blood. Standing together would strengthen the leadership. The Oracle has already chosen, and that choice should be respected.”

Silence settled before Matthias said, “The Oracle carr make mistakes.’

I scoffed. “You keep blaming the Oracle, but this is about your insecurities. You think I’m unfit and that you could do better. Unless you’re prepared to formally challenge me, this conversation is over.”

“Oh, come on, Cameron,” Matthias said as I turned away. “Nobody is challenging you. I’m just expressing concern as family.”

I returned to the dining room.

Evangeline hugged me and rubbed my back. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. Then she turned to the room. “It’s time for dinner. Let’s eat.”

The room slowly filled as everyone took their seats.

Lisa stood beside her mother, steadying her, and my attention kept drifting back to her. I could not look away.

Alpha Kieran took the seat beside me.

“Who’s that?” he whispered.

“That’s Lisa, the surrogate,” I said, keeping my voice level.

He said nothing. I glanced at him and saw he had gone completely still.

“Not her,” he whispered. “The older woman.”

His eyes were fixed on Susan, unblinking.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I feel something. She’s my mate.”

As soon as he said it, Lisa gasped and reached for her mother, who had started to tremble. No one else noticed, only the four of us.

Lisa looked helpless. Her mother stared back at him. Alpha Kieran went pale and pushed himself to his feet.

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