TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 92

Ninety-Two

Evangeline

I woke with a coated mouth and a bitter film stuck to the back of my tongue, the taste dragging when I swallowed. My eyelids resisted when I opened them, and when I moved, the blanket pressed down across my legs like extra weight.

I pressed my lips together because I knew exactly why I was in that bed. The argument, shouting and fainting.

I pulled the blanket higher, hiding my face from the room even though everyone had already seen/Cameron’s hand slid under my pillow and lifted it, adjusting the angle under my neck.

My chest loosened when I saw him, and I grabbed onto that feeling before anything else could push in. His hair stuck up where he had been dragging his hands through it.

“You’re awake.” He leaned closer, searching my face.

My throat scratched when I spoke. “What happened?”

“You fainted. The doctor gave you something to settle your system.” His hand stayed near my shoulder, like he was ready to catch me again.

I glanced at the bedside table. I looked past him and found Nadia by the window.

Nadia pushed off the wall and walked closer. “Hey warrior. You scared the shit out of us.”

I didn’t answer. I dragged the blanket over my stomach and picked at the edge of the fabric instead.

Cameron pulled the blanket back into place when it slipped down my side. His fingers slid over my arm, and I closed my hand around his wrist before I thought about it.

He used to pull me into him without thinking. Now he measured the distance.

That change scared me more than the blackout.

The space between us felt deliberate, and I hated that I noticed it.

The doctor stood near the end of the bed, packing instruments into a leather case. Metal tapped against metal, and the sound drilled straight into my skull.

“You need rest.” She looked straight at me. “Your body cannot handle emotional stress right now. If you keep pushing, recovery slows and complications follow.”

“I said I’m fine.” I snapped.

Nadia pushed off the window frame. “Eva…”

“I am fine.” The last word broke anyway.

The doctor looked at Cameron while she zipped the bag. “Please keep her calm. Minimal stimulation. No confrontations.”

Minimal stimulation.

The doctor left, and the door clicked shut. The room went quiet except for the air conditioner humming above us.

Now it was only us.

1/3

+15 Benus

“I’m sorry.” The words spilled out. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want things to get like that.”

Cameron shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize.”

My breathing turned uneven, and the tears spilled over. I covered my face with both hands. Nadia was watching He was seeing me like this. I hated it.

“I feel ridiculous. I look ridiculous. I hate this. I hate feeling like I’m losing everything and I don’t even know why.”

Cameron caught my wrist and pulled my hands down. His thumb wiped under my eye; clearing tears that kept coming.

“You’re not losing anything.”

His voice dropped at the end.

I noticed.

“I am. You don’t look at me the same.”

Nadia stepped closer. “Eva, that’s not-”

“It is.” I turned toward her. “You think I don’t see it? You think I don’t know him? I know every shift in his mood. I know when something is wrong. He’s distracted. He’s distant. And it started when she came here.” 1

Cameron exhaled, and that sound told me I was right.

“She needs to terminate the pregnancy. This situation isn’t healthy for anyone. Not for me. Not for you. Not for the pack. You know that.”

Nadia looked at Cameron, then back at me. “Eva, calm down. It hasn’t reached that point.”

I let out a broken laugh and wiped my face with the back of my hand. “It already has. You’re both pretending it hasn’t because you don’t want to face it.”

Nadia stepped closer to the bed, like she was bracing for impact.

Cameron said nothing.

His silence landed heavier than anything he could say.

“We can find someone else later. There are options. There are always options. Why are we risking everything for this?”

No one moved.

Cameron’s face shifted, and tension cut through his eyes.

I hit something real.

Fear flooded in before I could stop it.

If he chose the baby over me, I didn’t know who I was anymore.

2/3