TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 93

Ninety-Three

Evangeline

Nadia rubbed her temple and stepped closer to the bed. “Eva, stop. You’re not thinking clearly.”

I pushed myself upright against the headboard, the IV line tugging at my wrist. “I am thinking clearly. Can’t you see that? Everything got worse when this started, and you know it.”

Nadia moved to the foot of the bed.

“You’re scared. That’s normal. But you don’t get to make decisions about someone else’s body because you’re scared.”

“It’s not about control. It’s about survival.” I pulled the blanket tighter around my waist. “You should be on my side. You’re my best friend.”

She dragged a chair closer and sat. “No. I love you, but this is extreme. The contract is documented. She can report us for violating her body, and nobody will defend you. The agreement was natural conception, which means sex had to happen. Cameron might have gotten distracted, but we don’t need to panic. We wait. She gives birth. She leaves. If he still stays attached after that, then we deal with it. Then you’ll have reason to fight.”

Her words scraped across me. I dug my nails into the mattress. If this were her, I would be standing beside her without hesitation, right or wrong.

Cameron’s voice cut across the room. “We’re not discussing termination.”

I looked at him. He stood near the window with his arms folded, phone still in his hand. He held my gaze, then his jaw tightened, like he was choosing his words instead of speaking on instinct the way he always did with me.

He dragged a hand down his face. “I have a timeline to prove I’m Alpha enough. I am not sacrificing my heir because of rivalry. Yes, I slept with her. I don’t fully understand what I’m feeling, and I know I crossed lines. But I never told you I don’t love you, and I never said I wouldn’t stand beside you. I’m trying to manage this while dealing with my own mess. If you can’t focus on your health and recovery, then I don’t know what else to say. I will handle my responsibilities. That means protecting her and making sure you get the best treatment.”

Responsibilities.

The word landed heavy. I pressed my lips together and looked away from him.

“I’m falling apart, and this is what you say? Aren’t you the Alpha anymore? That girl did this for money. Pay her more and she’ll terminate it. I’m getting worse, Cameron, not better, and you’re telling me we continue like nothing is happening?”

“Lisa’s pregnancy isn’t what’s hurting you. You’re jealous. You’re stressed. You need stability, not another crisis.”

Nadia shot him a look. “Cameron. Take it easy on her.”

A laugh pushed out of my throat. “No, let him talk. He seems to enjoy hurting me. But I will not sit back, sick or not, and watch that girl take my place.”

“And she won’t sit back while you hurt her. After last night, she doesn’t feel safe here. She wants to leave.”

My fingers tightened in the blanket. “And?”

“Franklin and I are considering moving her somewhere else for now.”

For now.

1/2

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My hand brushed the IV taped to my wrist. The plastic pulled against my skin, irritation shooting up my arm. I pressed my palm against my ribs and forced air into my lungs.

Move her somewhere else. Away from this house. Away from me. Away from where I could see what was happening.

Nadia nodded. “That’s reasonable. Everyone needs space to calm down.”

I looked straight at Cameron. “You’re going to hide her.”

“Eva, that’s not what this is.”

“It is. You’re removing her from the situation so I can’t see what’s happening.”

His jaw set. “This is about safety.”

Safety. The word stuck.

If she left this house, I wouldn’t know when he saw her or how often. I wouldn’t know what was happening between them. Distance meant losing control, and losing control meant losing him. The thought hit hard enough that the room tilted. I gripped the mattress and stayed still until it passed. 1

Nobody spoke. I could hear the monitor beside the bed humming.

I had spent months holding onto Cameron even while knowing I might lose him. That fear had been there before Lisa ever showed up. I wasn’t losing the one thing that kept me standing.

Nadia reached over and adjusted the blanket around my legs, her fingers warm against my ankle. “You need to stay calm.”

Calm. While they moved another woman around like she was already part of his life.

I pressed my tongue against my teeth and steadied myself.

The plan started forming. If she left, I lost visibility. If I lost visibility, I lost influence. If I lost influence, I lost him. That wasn’t happening. If she disappeared somewhere I couldn’t reach, I lost leverage. I needed proximity. I needed information. I needed him within reach where I could see every shift in his behavior.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand and sank into the pillow.

Outwardly, I looked tired and finished with the argument. Inside, everything sharpened. I was not losing him, not to her, not to this situation, not to anything.

I would do whatever I needed to make sure of it.

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