Three hundred and twenty one
Isabella POV
The silence between Harrison and me had reached the point where we simply didn’t speak to each other anymore Iris stopped pretending she didn’t notice and tried bringing it up several times.
“You two barely look at each other. Did something happen at work?”
I fished my keys from my bag.
“No.”
“Did you reject his advances?”
I shook my head.
“Then what happened?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” I said, opening my door and heading into my room.
Later that evening, she sent a text.
Come to my room. I want to show you something.
I looked down at the purple sleepwear I was wearing, one of the few things I’d bought with my first salary. I tied the rope around my waist and headed to her room. I opened the door without knocking and found Harrison sprawled across the only chair, flipping through television channels with the remote in one hand while eating roasted peanuts with the other.
He sat up when he saw me.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Iris.
Iris stepped in front of him.
“You’re not leaving. I’m tired of this silence. Whatever is going on, you two must sort it out tonight.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ve spent the entire week walking around each other. One of you leaves before the other comes downstairs. You take different buses. We don’t even have lunch together anymore, and I’m not comfortable not knowing what’s eating you two up.”
Harrison scoffed. “I’m not the one with a problem.”
Iris looked at me.
“Isabella?”
I sighed.
“He saw me with another man.”
She tried to swallow a laugh.
“Is that it?” she said to Harrison. “Seriously? You stopped talking to someone because she’s seeing someone else?
1/3
“Ask her who it was,” Harrison snapped. The calm he’d been forcing onto himself disappeared.
Iris looked between us. I remained silent.
“Come on, guys. This suspense is crazy.”
“It’s Wesley.”
Iris stared at me, then Harrison, then back at me.
“I only know one Wesley. Alpha Cameron and Luna Lisa’s son. The future Alpha.”
My silence made her gasp.
“What?! You and the future Alpha?”
She turned toward Harrison.
“Wait. You found them together in her room?”
Harrison kept scowling without responding.
“Okay. I need to sit down,” Iris said, dropping onto the edge of her bed.
“I don’t get it, Isabella. Why did you keep this to yourself? I thought you and Harrison were seeing each other?”
“She made me pretend to be her fake boyfriend, claiming that Alpha Wesley’s sister was flirting with her,” Harrison said with a dry laugh. “Instead, all along, she only wanted to keep Anita away while sneaking around with Wesley?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“She used me as a shield, and I stupidly fell for it,” Harrison said to Iris, ignoring me. “Because of her, I got punished at work. Remember those reports I had to work through the night?”
Iris nodded.
“She knew Wesley was targeting me, yet she had the guts to provide emotional support.”
“I was trying to help you.”
“You were trying to help yourself! Was I ever anything more than convenient?” His voice rose. “No one in their right mind wants to find out they’ve been deceived and used.”
“I didn’t use you. I never promised you anything.”
“See what I mean?” Harrison said, laughing as he looked at Iris. “She’s good at making lies sound reasonable. I pity any man who thinks he’s helping her when she’s already figured out how to manipulate him.”
“Harrison, that’s enough,” Iris said.
My face burned. He thought I’d made a habit of using men, and then moving on when they had served their
purpose.
Harrison turned toward the window while Iris shot me an apologetic look.
“I’m not going to lie, Isabella. I’m disappointed,” she said, “but I’m not going to call you a manhunter because I don’t know what happened between you and Wesley yet, so I’m not going to make up a story about it. But you can at least explain why you thought you needed to rope Harrison into all of this. Do you realize you could have cost
213
him his job? That is one of the most bizarre things I’ve heard in a while, and trust me, I hear a lot of bizarre things
She shook her head.
“So stop making us guess. Tell us what’s actually going on between you and Wesley.”
“I don’t owe anyone an explanation.”
Iris looked genuinely shocked, and Harrison glared at me as I turned toward the door.
“If staying angry at me helps you sleep better, then good luck to you,” I said to Harrison as Iris reached for my
arm.
I pulled away.
“I’m tired, and I have a headache. Please, just let me go.”
I walked out before she could stop me. By the time I reached my room, I realized I was burning up. I’d noticed it happening more often in the evenings, especially when the moon showed itself through the window.
The bond pulled at me, and I pressed my palm against my stomach as another ache ran through me. My body felt hotter than usual, especially around my face, neck, and stomach. I groaned, shifting restlessly in bed, but the blanket that normally felt comforting suddenly felt irritating against my skin.
I covered Maverick with it so I wouldn’t disturb him and changed position, yet my muscles only grew tighter, as if they might lock up. My stomach clenched and released on its own, and my breathing turned shallow. Lying still felt worse than moving.
The room wasn’t warm, yet sweat dampened my skin until my hands turned clammy. The heat between my thighs only made it worse, no matter how many times I tried to clean myself.
I left the room and headed to the veranda and let the moonlight wash over me, hoping for some relief. I already knew I’d wake with a headache from lack of sleep, all thanks to my restless wolf, who was pressing against my thoughts and craving our mate.
Maybe a shower would help. I headed to the bathroom and turned the water cold. I stood beneath it, staring at my body as if it had a mind of its own. Even washing myself sent a shiver through me, and I muttered under my breath.
“What is this?” I whispered, my voice breaking with frustration.
COIN BUNDLE: get more free bonus
Comments
ப
Support
Share
GET IT

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS