My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 217

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Chapter 217

My Cheating Mate

Connor pov

I read Courtney’s message three times, processing the apology, the acknowledgment, the hope that Grace and I would be happy. It felt–genuine. Broken, but genuine.

“She apologized,” I said quietly, showing Grace the phone

We were in the Trent family garden again–same bench where we’d talked for hours last night, where everything had changed. Grace was curled against my side despite the morning chill, my arm around her shoulders, both of us exhausted but unable to sleep.

Grace read the message silently. “She sounds sad. Really sad.”

“She should be sad. She tried to kill you.”

“I know. But Connor-” Grace looked up at me. “She’s also eighteen and she just lost something she thought was hers. I can–I can feel bad for her pain while also being glad she’s facing consequences.”

“You’re more generous than I am.” I pulled her closer. The need to hold my mate, to know she was safe, hadn’t diminished since last night. “Grace, I keep seeing that knife coming at you. Keep seeing-“I stopped. “Keep thinking about what would have happened if I hadn’t moved fast enough.”

“But you did move fast enough. I’m okay. You’re okay–well, mostly okay.” She touched the bandage on my shoulder carefully. ” Connor, we’re both alive. That’s what matters.”

“For now.”

She pulled back to look at my face. “What do you mean ‘for now‘

I hesitated, not wanting to burden her with fears that might be unfounded. But we’d promised honesty. No half–measures. So I told her the truth.

“Thomas Vex. Courtney’s father.” I shifted position, pulling Grace into my lap so I could hold her properly. “Grace, last night after he left–I know your father told you what he said. But there was more. Things he said when you weren’t in the office.”

“What things?”

“That he’s going to fight this. Fight the mate bond, the integration model, your family’s vampire alliance. He kept saying—” I paused. “He kept saying that vampires joining wolf packs is wrong. Unnatural. Against the Moon Goddess’s will. That your family has corrupted pack traditions and it needs to be stopped.”

Grace was quiet for a moment. “He’s been saying versions of that for years.”

“I know. But Grace, this felt different. More–determined. Like Courtney’s attack gave him ammunition he’s been waiting for. A concrete example of how integration supposedly causes problems.”

“Courtney’s attack had nothing to do with integration–

“I know that. You know that. But Thomas is going to frame it that way anyway. He already tried last night–told your father that I was ‘manipulated‘ by the mate bond because of your family’s ‘twisted worldview.‘ That Courtney was ‘provoked‘ by watching integration politics interfere with a legitimate relationship.”

“That’s insane. We’re mates. The Moon Goddess chose us–

“Thomas doesn’t care what the Moon Goddess chose. He cares about maintaining pack purity and traditional separation from vampires.” I held her tighter. “Grace, I have a bad feeling about this. About what Thomas is going to do with his Council contacts. About how hard he’s going to push.”

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Aalete

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“Uncle Cas says the Council has been observing integration for years. That they’ve seen it work. That Thomas’s framing won’t hold up-

“What if he’s wrong?” The question came out more worried than I infended. “Grace, what if Thomas manages to convince enough Council members that your family is a problem? What if he uses Courtney’s attack to launch some kind of–political assault on the integration model?”

She was quiet, processing. Her artist’s hands were playing with the edge of my shirt–a nervous gesture I was learning to recognize.

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