My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 1

Emma pov

The scent hit me first—jasmine and vanilla mixed with Jeremy’s pine and earth. My wolf recoiled instantly, a wounded howl echoing through my mind that I barely managed to keep from escaping my throat.

I’d come to surprise him. Stupid, naive me. I’d actually baked cookies, his favorite chocolate chip ones, still warm in the container I clutched against my chest like armor that had already failed to protect me.

The door to Jeremy’s office wasn’t fully closed. Through the gap, I could see everything.

Jeremy—my mate, my Jeremy, the man who’d promised me forever just six months ago when the mate bond snapped into place—had Vanessa pinned against his desk. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, her perfectly manicured nails digging into his shoulders as he thrust into her with an urgency he hadn’t shown me in weeks.

“God, Van, I’ve missed this,” he groaned, his voice rough with pleasure.

Vanessa laughed, breathy and triumphant. “Mmm, worth the wait? I told you that little mouse wouldn’t satisfy you for long.”

Little mouse. The nickname made my stomach turn. I’d heard her call me that before, always with a sweet smile that never reached her cold blue eyes. Jeremy had laughed it off. “She’s just teasing, Em. Don’t be so sensitive.”

The container slipped from my numb fingers, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Cookies scattered across the hallway tile like broken promises.

They didn’t even stop. Didn’t even hear.

How long? The question screamed through my mind. How long had this been going on?

I thought back to all the times Jeremy had told me not to worry about Vanessa. His “best friend since childhood.” The woman who’d been at his side for every pack event, every dinner, every moment that should have been ours.

“She’s family, Emma. You’re being paranoid.”

“I can’t just cut her out of my life because you’re insecure.”

“Why can’t you be more understanding? More mature about this?”

He’d made me feel crazy. Made me swallow my instincts, my wolf’s snarls of warning every time Vanessa touched his arm, whispered in his ear, looked at him with those predatory eyes.

And now here they were. Not even trying to hide it in some seedy motel or tucked-away corner of pack territory. Right here, in his office, in the heart of the Crescent Moon pack house where anyone could walk by.

Where I could walk by.

The realization hit me like a physical blow—they wanted me to find out. Or at least, they didn’t care if I did.

Vanessa’s moans grew louder, more theatrical. “You should just reject her already. We both know I’m your real match. We were meant to be together, Jeremy. You’ve always known it.”

“I know, baby, I know.” Jeremy’s voice was strained. “Soon. I promise. I just need to handle it carefully. Her father’s the pack Beta—”

“So? Your father’s the Alpha. What’s he going to do?”

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