Chapter 15

My Cheating Mate

Emma pov

The pack house meeting room was packed. Every adult member of Crescent Moon Pack had shown up, sensing that something significant was about to happen. The air buzzed with speculation and whispered conversations.

I sat in the front row next to my father, my laptop clutched in my hands like a weapon. The video was queued up, ready to play on the large screen at the front of the room. All I had to do was connect the cable and press play.

One click, and everyone would see Jeremy's betrayal. One click, and his reputation would be destroyed.

My finger hovered over the touchpad.

Jeremy sat on the raised platform next to Alpha Richard, his head bowed, hands clasped between his knees. He looked... broken. Defeated. Nothing like the confident future Alpha I'd mated six months ago.

Good, part of me thought viciously. He should look broken.

But my wolf whimpered, distressed at seeing our mate in pain. She pushed against my control, begging me not to do this, not to humiliate him publicly, not to destroy what little we had left of the bond.

*He deserves it,* I told her firmly. *He betrayed us.*

*But he's ours,* she whined back. *Our mate. This will hurt him. Hurt us.*

I shoved her down and focused on Alpha Richard as he stood to address the pack.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began, his voice carrying the weight of authority that came with decades of leadership. "I know there have been questions about recent events. About my son and his mate. About Vanessa Quinn's sudden departure from pack lands. Tonight, we address those questions."

The room went silent. Every eye fixed on the Alpha.

"First, I want to address the matter of Vanessa Quinn." Alpha Richard's expression hardened. "Evidence has come to light that she hired rogue wolves to attack a member of this pack. Specifically, to attack Emma Smith-Trent, my son's mate and your future Luna."

Gasps rippled through the crowd. People turned to stare at me, shock and concern on their faces.

"Vanessa has fled pack lands and is currently being hunted by our enforcers. When she is found, she will face justice for her crimes against this pack." The Alpha paused, letting his words sink in. "Hiring rogues to attack pack members is one of the gravest offenses in our law. It will not be tolerated."

My father's hand found mine, squeezing gently. Supportive. Protective.

"Second," Alpha Richard continued, and I saw Jeremy tense, "there is the matter of my son's behavior during his mate's absence from pack lands."

This was it. The moment where everything would come out.

I pulled up the video file, my finger on the touchpad, ready to connect to the projector.

"Jeremy," the Alpha said, his voice heavy with disappointment. "Stand and address your pack."

Jeremy stood slowly, like a man walking to his execution. He turned to face the assembled wolves, and for the first time, he looked directly at me.

There was such profound regret in his eyes that my wolf whimpered again.

*Don't,* she begged. *Please don't hurt him like this.*

"I owe everyone here an apology," Jeremy began, his voice rough. "Especially my mate. Emma, I—" He swallowed hard. "I betrayed you. I betrayed the mate bond, betrayed my responsibilities as future Alpha, betrayed everything I was supposed to stand for."

Whispers erupted. People leaning toward each other, speculating about what he meant.

"For six months, I had an affair with Vanessa Quinn," Jeremy continued, and the whispers turned to gasps. "While mated to Emma, while promising her fidelity and partnership, I was sleeping with another woman. I lied to her. Manipulated her. Made her feel crazy for trusting her instincts about Vanessa."

My father's grip on my hand tightened. On my other side, Aria had appeared—I didn't even remember her sitting down—and she took my free hand.

"Emma discovered the affair when she came to bring me lunch and found Vanessa and me together in my office." Jeremy's voice cracked. "She's been gone for a week because I drove her away. Because I hurt her so badly that she felt she had no choice but to run."

I could show the video now. Could play it for everyone, show them exactly what I'd walked in on, exactly what Jeremy and Vanessa had said about me.

My finger hovered over the button.

"I know I don't deserve forgiveness," Jeremy said, his eyes still on me. "I know I've lost the right to call Emma my mate, lost the respect of this pack, probably lost my position as future Alpha. And I accept those consequences. I accept whatever punishment the council deems appropriate."

He looked away from me then, addressing the pack as a whole. "But I want everyone to understand something. This wasn't Emma's fault. None of it. She was a perfect mate—kind, supportive, patient. Everything I did wrong, I did of my own free will. And she deserves better than what I gave her."

The room was silent except for the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.

Show them, part of me screamed. Show them the video. Make him hurt the way you've been hurting.

But another part—the part that sounded suspiciously like my wolf—whispered: He's already hurting. He's already confessing. Is public humiliation really what you want?

"Emma has evidence of my affair," Jeremy continued. "Video evidence that she has every right to share with this pack if she chooses. I won't fight it. Won't defend myself. Whatever she decides, I'll accept."

Alpha Richard looked at me then. "Emma? Would you like to speak?"

This was my moment. My chance for revenge, for justice, for everyone to see exactly what Jeremy had done to me.

I stood slowly, my laptop in my hands. Every eye in the room turned to me.

I looked at Jeremy. Really looked at him. Saw the split lip where my father had hit him. The barely healed gashes from the rogue attack—wounds he'd gotten defending me. The genuine remorse in his eyes.

Then I looked at the pack. At faces I'd known my whole life. At the teenagers in the back who looked up to Jeremy, who saw him as their future Alpha.

If I showed this video, I wouldn't just be destroying Jeremy. I'd be destroying their faith in leadership, their belief in the mate bond, their trust in pack hierarchy.

And Vanessa would win. She'd succeed in tearing apart everything Crescent Moon stood for, even from exile.

My wolf pushed forward, lending me strength. *We're stronger than this. Stronger than revenge.*

I closed my laptop.

"I do have evidence," I said, my voice carrying through the silent room. "Video and audio of Jeremy's affair with Vanessa. But I'm not going to show it."

Surprise rippled through the crowd. Jeremy's head snapped up, shock clear on his face.

"Not because I forgive him," I continued firmly. "I don't. What Jeremy did was inexcusable, and I will never forget it. But showing that video won't heal me. It won't fix what's broken. It'll just spread the pain around, hurt more people, damage this pack that I still love despite everything."

I turned to face Jeremy fully. "You betrayed me in the worst way possible. You made me doubt myself, doubt the mate bond, doubt everything I thought I knew. And there's no coming back from that. We're done, Jeremy. Truly done."

His face crumpled, but he nodded. "I understand."

"However," I looked at Alpha Richard now, "I don't think Jeremy should lose his position as future Alpha. He's a good leader when he's not being an idiot about his personal life. The pack needs strong leadership, especially now with Vanessa's crimes and the rogue threat."

"Emma—" my father started, but I squeezed his hand.

"I'm not doing this for him, Dad. I'm doing it for the pack. For everyone here who depends on stable leadership." I met Jeremy's eyes again. "But I want a formal dissolution of our mate bond. I want pack law changed to allow separation in cases of proven infidelity. And I want Jeremy to publicly acknowledge that he has no claim on me, that I'm free to live my life as I choose."

Alpha Richard studied me for a long moment. "Those are reasonable requests. Jeremy?"

"Agreed," Jeremy said immediately. "All of it. Emma's free. Completely free. And I'll support whatever laws she wants changed to protect other wolves from what I did to her."

"Then it's settled." The Alpha's voice rang with finality. "Jeremy Trent remains future Alpha, but his mate bond with Emma Smith is formally dissolved, pending the proper ceremonies. Emma will be granted full autonomy and pack protection. And we will convene a council to discuss amending our mate bond laws."

I sat down, suddenly exhausted. My father pulled me into a hug, and Aria squeezed my shoulder.

I'd done it. Made my choice. Taken the high road instead of the vengeful one.

My wolf settled, finally at peace with the decision.

Jeremy was still standing on the platform, looking at me with an expression of such profound gratitude and loss that it made my chest ache.

But I'd meant what I said. We were done.

Now I just had to figure out how to live with that decision.

And how to heal from the mate I'd loved and lost.