Chapter 9

My Cheating Mate

Jeremy pov

I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white as I drove through the night toward the address my private investigator had finally tracked down. Emma was three states away, holed up in some seedy motel that made my wolf snarl with protective instinct.

She shouldn't be in a place like that. She should be home, safe, in our house where she belonged.

Even though I was the reason she'd left.

The thought sat heavy in my chest. It had been weighing on me more and more over the past week, especially after my last encounter with Vanessa. The way she'd talked about Emma, the casual cruelty, the complete lack of empathy—it had repulsed me in a way I couldn't ignore.

When had Vanessa become so... callous?

Or had she always been like this, and I'd just been too blinded by desire to see it?

My phone buzzed. Vanessa's name appeared on the screen. I ignored it. She'd called six times today, each message more demanding than the last, wanting to know what I was doing about "the Emma situation."

The Emma situation. Like my mate was a problem to be solved instead of a person I'd hurt.

I'd hurt her. Badly. The realization had been growing steadily over the past week, fed by Marcus's barely restrained violence every time he looked at me, by my father's disappointment, by the gaping hole in my chest where Emma's presence through the mate bond used to be.

She knew. She had to know about the affair. There was no other explanation for why she'd leave so completely, taking only what was hers and blocking me almost entirely through the bond.

The question was: how much did she know?

Just the affair? Or had she heard Vanessa and me talking about using her as a broodmare? About the plan to get her pregnant and then reject her?

The thought made me sick. If she'd heard that, if she knew I'd been planning to use her so callously...

My wolf whined, actual distress bleeding through. He'd been increasingly agitated all week, fighting me constantly, snarling whenever Vanessa came near. It was like he'd finally woken up and realized what we'd done.

What we'd lost.

The GPS announced I was five minutes from the motel. My heart rate picked up, anxiety and anticipation warring in my chest. What would I say to her? How could I possibly explain?

I couldn't. There was no explanation that would make this better, no excuse that would justify betraying my mate.

But I had to try. Had to at least see her, talk to her, figure out what she was planning to do with whatever proof she had.

The motel came into view—a run-down place with flickering neon lights and cracked parking lot asphalt. My wolf snarled again. This was where my mate had been staying? This dump?

I parked and sat for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts. Through the mate bond, I could finally feel her clearly now that I was close. She was awake, her emotions a chaotic mix of anger, hurt, and something else.

Fear.

She was afraid of me.

The realization hit like a physical blow. Emma, my sweet, gentle Emma, was afraid of her own mate.

I got out of the car and headed for room 47, the one the investigator had identified. Light showed under the door. She was definitely awake.

I raised my hand to knock, then hesitated. What if she ran? What if seeing me made her bolt, and I lost track of her again?

Before I could second-guess myself further, I knocked. Three sharp raps.

Silence from inside. Then, carefully: "Who is it?"

Her voice. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed her voice until this moment.

"Emma. It's me. Jeremy. Please, I just want to talk."

More silence. I could practically feel her panic through the bond, her wolf pushing at her to either run or attack.

"Go away, Jeremy." Her voice was stronger now, harder. "I have nothing to say to you."

"I know you're angry. I know I—I know things have been complicated. But please, can we just talk? Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."

"No." Flat. Final. "Leave, or I'll call the police."

My wolf whined at the rejection, at the coldness in her tone. This wasn't my Emma. My Emma was soft-spoken, accommodating, eager to please.

But then, she'd never been *my* Emma, had she? She'd been the Moon Goddess's choice, and I'd spent six months trying to shape her into what I wanted instead of appreciating what I had.

"Emma, please. I drove three states to find you. Just let me see you. Let me explain—"

"Explain what?" The door flew open, chain lock still engaged, and Emma's face appeared in the gap. She looked different. Thinner. Harder. Her eyes blazed with a fury I'd never seen in her before. "Explain how you've been fucking Vanessa in your office? Explain how you were planning to use me as a broodmare and then throw me away? Explain which part, Jeremy?"

My blood ran cold. She knew. She knew everything.

"Emma, I—"

"You what? You're sorry? You didn't mean it? It wasn't what it looked like?" Her laugh was bitter, nothing like the sweet sound I remembered. "Save it. I heard everything, Jeremy. Every word. Every plan. Every disgusting detail of how you were going to use me."

"You heard?" The words came out strangled. "Emma, how much did you—"

"I walked in on you." Her voice cracked slightly, the first sign of vulnerability. "I made you cookies. I was going to surprise you at work. And instead, I got to watch my mate fuck another woman while planning my future as his breeding stock."

Oh God. She'd seen it. Witnessed it firsthand. No wonder she'd run.

"Emma, I'm so sorry. I never meant—"

"Never meant what? Never meant for me to find out?" Her eyes were wet now, tears threatening to spill. "You're not sorry you did it, Jeremy. You're sorry you got caught."

She was right. The truth of it sat like lead in my stomach.

"I was wrong," I said, the words feeling inadequate even as I spoke them. "Everything I did was wrong. The affair, the planning, all of it. I was selfish and cruel and you deserved so much better."

"I still deserve better." She wiped at her eyes angrily. "Which is why I'm not coming back. Ever."

"Emma, you're my mate. We can work through this—"

"Work through this?" Her voice rose, genuine disbelief coloring her words. "You had an affair with your 'best friend' who you've been in love with for years. You planned to impregnate me and then reject me. You made me feel crazy for being uncomfortable with Vanessa. You gaslit me, used me, and betrayed me in every way possible. There's no working through that."

"The mate bond—"

"The mate bond means nothing if you don't honor it!" She was crying now, angry tears streaming down her face. "You think because the Moon Goddess chose us that I'm obligated to forgive you? To come back and play happy mate while you continue fucking her behind my back?"

"I ended things with Vanessa."

She laughed again, that same bitter sound. "Congratulations. You want a medal? You ended your affair after I found out and ran away. Real noble of you, Jeremy."

"Emma, please." I pressed closer to the door, desperate. "I know I messed up. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. But we're mates. We're bound together. We can't just—"

"Watch me." Her voice turned cold again. "I have evidence of your affair, Jeremy. Video evidence. Audio of you and Vanessa discussing your plans for me. And if you don't leave me alone, if you keep trying to force me back, I will show it to everyone. Your father. My father. The entire pack."

The threat hung between us.

"You wouldn't," I said, but even I could hear the uncertainty in my voice.

"Try me." Her eyes met mine through the gap in the door, and what I saw there made my wolf whimper. Not love. Not longing. Just cold, hard resolve. "I'm done being your victim, Jeremy. Done being compliant and easy to control. You wanted to use me and throw me away? Fine. Consider me thrown away. But it's going to be on my terms, not yours."

"Emma—"

The door slammed in my face.

I stood there for a long moment, staring at the peeling paint, my wolf howling in my head. She had evidence. She had proof. And she was willing to use it.

I'd lost her. Completely.

And I had no one to blame but myself.