My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168

My Cheating Mate

Jeremy pov

The meeting location was a centuries–old estate in neutral supernatural territory–three hours from pack lands, owned by a witch coven who’d maintained strict neutrality for generations. Stone walls, high ceilings, a formal meeting room that felt designed specifically for exactly this kind of tense supernatural negotiation.

Maybe it was. Some spaces absorbed history.

every

We’d arrived an hour early. Standard tactical precaution–Cas had insisted on checking every exit, every sight line, potential concealment point before the Council representatives arrived. Victoria’s vampires were positioned outside. Marcus had twelve wolves in perimeter positions. The building itself had been swept twice.

If the Council wanted to turn this into an ambush, they’d face significant obstacles

Emma sat to my left. Cas to my right. My father next to Emma, steady and immovable as stone. Victoria–Cas’s second- completed our side of the table. Five representatives, as agreed.

We’d spent seventy–two hours preparing. Cas had briefed us extensively on Council negotiating tactics–the particular manipulation methods they’d refined over centuries. How they’d frame arguments. Which emotional pressure points they’d target. How to recognize when they were posturing versus genuinely offering.

I’d listened carefully. Had my responses prepared. Had my arguments organized and ready.

None of it fully prepared me for actually sitting across from them.

The Council sent four representatives plus an advisor. Madeline Corso–I recognized her from their previous visit to our pack house years ago, older now in the way supernatural creatures aged when stress finally caught up with their immortality. Thomas Vex, same. Two new faces-

s–an older vampire named Aldric who carried himself with the particular weight of extreme age, and a wolf Alpha named Governor Soren from a northern territory, his expression conveying absolute certainty in the righteousness of his position.

The advisor was a young witch who took notes and said nothing.

They settled across from us with practiced formality. Madeline’s eyes moved briefly to Cas–cataloging the wounds still healing on his face, the evidence that last night’s battle had been real and costly–then shifted to me.

“Alpha Trent. Thank you for agreeing to meet.” Her voice was measured. “We appreciate-”

“Let’s skip the pleasantries.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “You declared war on my family. Tried to kidnap my daughter. Attempted to execute Lord Castellan. We’re past pleasantries.”

A slight tightening around Madeline’s eyes. “Fair enough. Direct communication then.” She folded her hands. “The Council has requested this meeting because last night’s events demonstrated that direct conflict between our organizations carries costs neither party anticipated. We’re here to explore alternatives.” 1

“Alternatives to trying to murder our allies and steal our children?” Emma’s voice was ice.

“Alternatives to ongoing escalation.” Madeline kept her tone neutral. “We acknowledge that our tactical assessment was flawed. The coalition your alliance assembled exceeded our projections. The” She paused. “The defections from our aligned forces were unexpected and represent a communications failure within our organization that we’re addressing ”

“A communications failure,” my father repeated quietly. “Fifteen of your people watched wolves and vampires fighting side by side and decided they couldn’t support killing it. That’s not a communications failure. That’s people developing a conscience.” Governor Soren leaned forward. “With respect, Alpha Richard, what your people interpret as conscience represents centuries of careful supernatural order being dismantled. The natural separation between species –

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Chapter 165

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“Is neither natural nor working,” Cas said. Every head turned to him. He’d been silent since the meeting began–deliberately, I understood now. Waiting for the right moment. “Eight hundred years of separation. Of isolation. Of species sitting in their own territories pretending the others don’t exist. And what has that produced? Exactly the kind of fear and ignorance that sends fifteen intelligent supernatural creatures into battle against something they’ve never actually encountered and finds them unwilling to fight when confronted with the reality.”

Aldric–the ancient vampire–spoke for the first time. His voice had the quality of something very old, like sound being produced by something that had existed before modern language. “Lord Castellan. You were the primary target of our directive. I find it interesting that you’re sitting across from us rather than-”

“Rather than being dead?” Cas met the old vampire’s eyes. “You underestimated what I’ve become part of. That happens when you’ve spent centuries believing certain things are impossible.”

“What you’ve become part of.” Aldric studied him. “You’ve aligned yourself permanently with a wolf pack. Taken a familial role with a child who isn’t yours. Forgiven debts that represented significant political leverage. You’ve compromised your independence. Your power base.” He paused. “Your nature.”

“My nature.” Cas was quiet for a moment. “Aldric, how old are you?”

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