Chapter 10

My Cheating Mate

Jeremy pov

I'd made it halfway across the parking lot when the scent hit me—unwashed bodies, blood, and the distinctive wild musk of rogues who'd been without pack structure for too long.

My wolf surged forward, immediately on high alert. Rogues. Multiple rogues. And they were close.

Too close.

I spun around, scanning the dark parking lot. The motel's flickering neon lights created shadows everywhere, perfect hiding spots for attackers. My eyes picked up movement near the tree line behind the building—at least three, maybe four shapes moving with predatory intent toward the back rooms.

Toward Emma's room.

Ice flooded my veins. This wasn't random. Rogues didn't just happen to show up at the exact motel where the future Luna of Crescent Moon Pack was hiding. Someone had sent them.

And I had a sickening feeling I knew exactly who.

Vanessa.

The thought made rage burn through me. She wouldn't. She couldn't be that vindictive, that dangerous. Could she?

But the pieces fit too perfectly. She'd been furious when I told her to leave my office. Furious that I wasn't immediately rejecting Emma and claiming her instead. And Vanessa had always been ruthless when she didn't get her way.

I pulled out my phone, torn between calling for backup and dealing with this myself. Backup would take hours to arrive—we were three states away from pack territory. But going in alone against multiple rogues was suicide.

Except Emma was in there. My mate. And whether she wanted me or not, whether she hated me or not, I was not going to let rogues hurt her.

My wolf snarled in agreement, the first time we'd been in complete sync in months.

I shifted quickly, my clothes tearing as my body reformed into my wolf shape. As the Alpha's son, my wolf was larger than most—dark gray with black markings, built for power and dominance.

I needed every advantage I could get.

I circled around the building, keeping to the shadows, trying to track their scents and positions. Four distinct signatures, all male, all reeking of violence and desperation. Rogues who'd been promised something valuable enough to risk attacking pack wolves.

Money. That's what Vanessa would have offered them. Probably a lot of it.

The thought made me sick. She'd hired rogues to attack Emma. To hurt her. Maybe even kill her.

And it was my fault. If I hadn't had the affair, if I hadn't treated Emma so callously, none of this would be happening.

I pushed the guilt down. I could wallow in self-recrimination later. Right now, I needed to focus.

The largest rogue—a mangy brown wolf missing patches of fur—was creeping toward Emma's window. Another circled around to the door. The other two hung back, probably watching for witnesses or serving as backup.

I had seconds to act.

I launched myself at the brown wolf, hitting him with the full force of my weight and sending us both crashing into the side of the building. He yelped in surprise, then snarled and snapped at my throat.

We rolled across the cracked asphalt, teeth and claws tearing. I got my jaws around his shoulder and bit down hard, feeling flesh tear. He howled and kicked out, catching me in the ribs with enough force to knock the wind from my lungs.

The other rogues reacted instantly. The one at the door abandoned his position and charged at me. The two in the back rushed forward.

Three on one. Not great odds.

Emma's door flew open. She stood there in human form, eyes wide with shock as she took in the scene—me in wolf form, bleeding from several scratches, surrounded by snarling rogues.

"Get inside!" I tried to project through the bond, not sure if she'd hear me. "Lock the door!"

But Emma wasn't moving. She was staring at the rogues, at me, her face pale with fear but her stance steady.

Then she shifted.

I'd never seen Emma's wolf before. We'd mated before she was comfortable shifting in front of me, and I'd never pushed. Now I understood why she'd been shy about it.

Her wolf was beautiful. Smaller than mine but sleek and silver-white, her eyes the same warm brown as her human form. She looked delicate, feminine, nothing like a fighter.

The rogues saw an easy target. The brown one I'd injured lunged toward her, blood dripping from his wounded shoulder.

Emma moved like lightning.

She dodged his attack with fluid grace, then darted in and slashed her claws across his face. He yelped and stumbled back, one eye bleeding freely.

What the hell? Where had she learned to fight like that?

But there was no time to wonder. Another rogue was on me, his teeth sinking into my back leg. I twisted and caught him across the muzzle, feeling bones crack under my claws.

Emma was holding her own against two rogues now, moving with a speed and precision I'd never expected. She wasn't trying to overpower them—she was too smart for that. Instead, she was using their aggression against them, letting them overextend and then striking at vulnerable points.

Had she been training in secret? Taking self-defense classes I didn't know about?

The largest rogue, seeing his pack struggling, let out a howl—probably calling for more backup. We needed to end this now.

I caught Emma's eye and jerked my head toward the one I was fighting. She understood immediately, driving her opponent toward mine. We worked in tandem, herding them together, then attacking from both sides.

It was the first time we'd moved as true mates should—perfectly synchronized, anticipating each other's moves, covering each other's weaknesses.

My wolf sang with satisfaction even as we fought. This. This was what we should have been doing all along. Fighting together. Protecting each other. Being actual partners.

The rogues realized they were outmatched. The brown one, now missing an eye and bleeding heavily, let out a sharp bark—a retreat signal. They scattered, limping and injured, melting back into the woods.

I wanted to chase them, to make sure they were really gone. But Emma collapsed mid-shift, her body reforming to human as she gasped for breath.

I shifted immediately, not caring about my nudity, and rushed to her side. "Emma! Are you hurt?"

She shoved me away weakly. "Don't. Touch. Me."

But I could see blood on her arm, deep scratches from claws. "You're injured. Let me—"

"I said don't touch me!" She struggled to her feet, swaying slightly. "I can take care of myself. Obviously."

She could. She'd proven that spectacularly. But she was still bleeding, still shaking with adrenaline, and every instinct I had screamed to protect her, to care for her.

"Those rogues weren't random," I said, grabbing my shredded clothes from where I'd shifted. "Someone sent them. Someone who knew you were here."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "And who would know where I am, Jeremy? Who did you tell?"

The accusation in her voice cut deep. "I didn't tell anyone. I hired a private investigator, but he wouldn't—" I stopped. "Vanessa."

"What about her?"

"She's been calling. Demanding to know what I was doing about you. If she hired someone to track my investigator, if she found out where you were..." I met Emma's eyes. "She could have sent them."

Emma's face went white. "She tried to have me killed?"

"I don't know. Maybe just scared. Maybe hurt. But Emma, we need to get you out of here. If there are more—"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." She wrapped her arms around herself, blood still dripping from her wounds. "I'll handle this myself."

"Don't be stubborn! You're hurt, there could be more rogues, and—"

"And what? You'll protect me?" Her laugh was harsh. "You're the reason I'm in danger in the first place! If you hadn't cheated, if you hadn't planned to use me, if you'd just—" Her voice broke. "I don't need you, Jeremy. I don't want you. Just go."

But I couldn't. Not with her bleeding, not with rogues potentially circling back, not with Vanessa possibly orchestrating attacks on my mate.

"I'm not leaving you defenseless."

"I just fought off two rogues while you handled one," Emma shot back. "Who's defenseless?"

She had a point. But it didn't change the facts.

"Please," I said quietly. "Let me at least make sure you're safe. Then I'll go. I promise."

Emma stared at me for a long moment, and I saw the war in her eyes—her wolf's instinct to accept help from her mate versus her very justified anger at everything I'd done.

Finally, she nodded. "Fine. But you stay outside. And the second dawn breaks, you leave."

It wasn't much. But it was more than I deserved.

"Okay," I agreed. "I'll keep watch."

She disappeared into her room without another word, leaving me bleeding and half-dressed in a motel parking lot, wondering how the hell my life had gone so completely wrong.

And how I was going to fix it.