My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 192

Chapter 192

I rounded the corner into the common rooms and stopped dead.

There. By the window. A male wolf I’d known my entire life–Connor Reed, son of one of Daddy’s enforcers. Tall, dark–haired, classically handsome in that way that had half the unmated females in the pack interested.

He was my mate. The scent was unmistakable.

And he was with Courtney Vex. 1

Courtney–daughter of one of the wolves who’d most vocally opposed our vampire alliance over the years. Beautiful in that particular way that knew it and used it. And cruel. Deliberately, carefully cruel in ways that left no obvious evidence but left marks anyway.

She’d made my life difficult throughout school. Comments about my art being “weird.” About Unele Cas being “inappropriate.” About how integration was “diluting pack culture.” Never overt enough to be formally addressed. Always just subtle enough to be deniable.

My bully. The she–wolf who’d spent years making sure I knew she thought everything about me and my family was wrong

And Connor was with her. Laughing at something she’d said, his hand on her arm, looking at her with the kind of attention that

suggested they were together.

As I watched, frozen in the doorway, she leaned in and kissed him. Not a friendly kiss. A claiming kiss. A “he’s mine” kiss.

Connor responded. Kissed her back. His hand moved to her waist.

My mate. Kissing another wolf. Courting another wolf.

Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe he hadn’t turned eighteen yet, hadn’t scented me,

Connor’s head turned. His eyes met mine across the room.

Recognition flashed across his face. Shock. Realization.

didn’t realize-

He knew. He’d just turned eighteen last month I remembered because there’d been a pack celebration. He could scent mates. Could smell the bond between us as clearly as I could.

He knew. And he’d been with Courtney anyway.

Courtney followed his gaze. Saw me standing there. And smiled. That particular cruel smile that I’d learned to recognize over

r the years.

“Grace.” Her voice carried across the room. “Happy birthday. Eighteen today, right? Must be exciting, finally being able to find your mate.” She paused deliberately. “If you have one.”

Connor’s expression was complicated. Guilt. Confusion. Something that might have been regret.

But he didn’t pull away from Courtney. Didn’t come toward me. Didn’t acknowledge the bond that was screaming between us.

“I-“My voice came out sinaller than I wanted. “I need to go.”

I turned and ran. Not walked–ran. Out of the common room, down the hallway, out the back door of the pack house. My wolf was howling inside me, hurt and confused and angry.

My mate. My mate was Connor Reed. And he was with Courtney Vex. The she–wolf who’d made my life miserable for years. The she–wolf who’d just smiled at me like she’d won something.

I made it to the tree line before the tears came. Sat behind a massive oak where no one could see me and let myself break down.

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Eighteen years old. Birthday. Adult now. And I’d found my mate exactly the way the statistics said was unlikely.

Found him kissing someone else.

Found him with my bully..

The universe had a terrible sense of humor.

“Grace?”

Uncle Cas’s voice. Of course. He’d probably felt the emotional shift through whatever connection we had. Eighteen years of being family meant he knew when something was catastrophically wrong.

I looked up to find him standing a few feet away, his ancient eyes taking in my tear–stained face with instant understanding.

“Found your mate,” he said. Not a question.

“Found him with Courtney Vex.” My voice broke. “Uncle Cas, he’s with Courtney. He knows–he scented the bond, I saw the recognition–and he didn’t–he just-”

I couldn’t finish. The tears were back, harder now.

Cas moved closer, sitting beside me on the ground with complete disregard for his expensive clothes. Put his arm around my shoulders the way he’d done when I was small.

“Tell me everything,” he said quietly.

So I did. Told him about the scent, about following it, about finding Connor with Courtney. About the kiss. About Connor’s recognition and his choice to stay with her anyway.

“He knew,” I said again. “He scented the mate bond and chose to stay with her. With the she–wolf who’s made my life miserable for years.”

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