All Chapters of TEMPORARY MATES, PERMANENT CRAVINGS : Chapter 231 - Chapter 240

Lisa POV Cameron's attention didn't leave me, even when Franklin was saying something. He glanced toward everyone standing between us, as though he could snap his fingers and make them disappear. I caught myself holding my breath, wishing for the exact same thing."Are you all planning to stand there forever?" he asked, and Nadia snorted, trying to swallow a laugh."We're being cautious," Alpha Kieran said.Cameron pointed at Franklin. "He stabbed me with an injector to make me lucid. For all I know, it could be some bloody drug."That earned a laugh from Nadia, Franklin, and Kieran, and even my mom smiled."You did try to kill her, to be fair," Nadia said."I knew somebody was going to bring that up," he murmured. "Can I at least be alone with her? I'm fine." His eyes were on me, watching to see if I would freak out."Fine," Kieran said. "We're counting on you to keep your promise."He started toward the door. Franklin followed, then Nadia, and lastly my mom."And stop lurking out

Conversations gradually thinned as late arrivals slipped into empty seats. A woman near the front rose and walked down the center aisle with a black folder pressed against her side. Someone closed the entrance doors from inside and checked the handle before taking a seat.I watched as phones disappeared into bags and coat pockets without anyone being told, and did the same. The woman at the front delivered a summary of outstanding chapter matters, followed by another woman with updates from a neighboring district. Questions came from different parts of the room, but I understood none of it. Two members even openly clashed over resource allocation, dragging several others into the argument until an older woman seated in front raised a staff, and the hall grew silent again.My eyes stayed fixed on her. Was she the leader? She was dressed in dark clothing and wore no jewelry or visible marker of authority."Enough, ladies. We've heard both positions," she said. Her voice was calm and ma

The guard who'd driven me had already pulled away by the time I reached Cassidy's front door. She lived on the military base, perhaps trying to lose herself in the sterile routine of the place to forget what had happened to her.Cassidy opened the door before I could even raise my hand to knock."You're on time," she muttered, stepping back to let me pass.Her space was sparse but clean, filled with simple handmade furniture and collections neatly arranged on shelves."I need to use the bathroom."She pointed down the hallway. As I walked past, a wall of photographs caught my eye. There was a man who must have been her late husband, an older woman sharing Cassidy's face, and a blue-eyed boy captured at various stages of growing up. Given the timeline, it had to be Cassidy and Alpha Kieran's late son.I continued to the bathroom to avoid the awkwardness of Cassidy catching me staring. When I returned, she was standing in front of her open refrigerator."Apparently I forgot to feed myse

A strange reluctance settled over me as I followed Victoria out. Cassidy was the only familiar person in this place. Victoria was already halfway to the door by the time I caught up."How far along are you?" she asked as we headed down the hallway."Almost six months."She glanced at my stomach with a faraway smile. "You'll probably get tired of everyone asking you that.""I doubt it." I smiled. "You must be one of the older members."Victoria let out a scoff."Not even close. I've been here a month."I wondered what her story was. Every woman I'd met here seemed to carry one, but asking would be rude.We continued walking."So..." she said. "Which Alpha is your case tied to?""Alpha Cameron. Wild Fangs."She stopped. I didn't miss the flash of surprise that crossed her face before it disappeared. Then she whispered, "Evangeline.""You know her?""Sort of," she said.Questions rushed through my mind. Was she close to Evangeline? She didn't seem to want to say more, so I let the silenc

Lisa POVJoanna had asked for my expected delivery date. She explained that over the next few months, I would spend designated nights at the chapter house. The closer I got to giving birth, the more often they would ask me to stay because they were watching for opportunities.Over the next few days, the chapter house slowly revealed itself to me.It wasn't only a shelter. It was evidence. Preparation.The Daughters didn't treat every case the same because the Meridian didn't destroy every life the same way. They studied the damage, adapted to it, and built their response around it.The house ran on routines that felt ordinary until I looked closer.A board near the entrance listed rules instead of welcomes.Never reveal another sister's location.No visitors after curfew.No private contact with a partner still under Meridian influence while staying in the house.Older women who didn't bother greeting newcomers claimed the front porch every evening. They watched me come and go with di