My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 245

Chapter 245

He was quiet for a moment. “Im sorry for your loss. Even though Thomas tried to kidnap my daughter. Even though he led extremists against my pack. He was still your father. I’m sorry you lost him.”

The apology broke something in me. Tears came-hot and unexpected and impossible to stop.

“You’re apologizing?” My voice cracked. “Alpha Jeremy, I tried to kill Grace. I gave the Preservation Front her schedule. I attacked your family and you’re-you’re sorry I lost my father?”

“Both things can be true. You made terrible choices. And you’re also grieving. I can acknowledge both.” He pushed a napkin toward me. “Courtney, I’m not here to be cruel. I’m here because we need to discuss what happens next.”

Fear spiked again. “What happens next?”

“The Council wants to see you. To determine appropriate consequences for your actions.” He paused. “Courtney, you committed attempted murder with a silver weapon. Provided intelligence to terrorists. Those are serious crimes. The Council takes them seriously.”

“Are they going to execute me?” The question came out small. Terrified.

“No.” His answer was immediate. Certain. “Execution is off the table. Lord Castellan and I made that clear to the Council. Whatever your punishment, it won’t be death.”

“Why not? I deserve-

“You deserve consequences that match your crimes while acknowledging your cooperation and your age.” He leaned forward. Courtney, you gave us intelligence that saved lives. Warned us about Marcus Dane and Elena Frost. Helped stop your father’s assault despite knowing it might get him killed. The Council considers that.”

“Considers it enough to not execute me?”

“Considers it enough to look at rehabilitation instead of pure punishment. You’re eighteen. You were raised in Thomas Vex’s household, taught that integration was wrong from childhood. You made terrible choices-choices with real victims and real consequences. But you also-” He stopped. “You also tried to make better choices when it mattered most.”

I couldn’t process that. Couldn’t understand why Alpha Jeremy-whose daughter I’d attacked, whose pack I’d helped terrorists target-was sitting here talking about rehabilitation instead of execution.

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Alpha Jeremy, I don’t understand why you’re being why you’re not—”

“Why I’m not screaming at you? Demanding your death? Making sure you suffer for what you did to Grace?” He smiled slightly.

and violence and no Sad. “Because that’s what Thomas would have done. That’s how extremists handle enemies-with rage consideration for complexity.”

“I’m not saying you should be an extremist-

“No, but you’re expecting me to be cruel. To punish you the way your father would have punished someone who hurt his daughter.” He shook his head. “Courtney, I’m angry. Absolutely furious at what you did. At the knife attack, at the schedule, at all of it. But anger doesn’t determine justice. Context matters. Age matters. Cooperation matters.”

“What kind of consequences am I facing?” I forced myself to ask. “If not execution, then what?

“Honestly? I don’t know. The Council has options. Exile from your home territory. Mandatory service to an megration pack to learn firsthand what you tried to destroy. Supervised rehabilitation with restrictions. Possibly prison time depending on how seriously they view the cooperation versus the crimes”

“Prison.” The word felt heavy, Real “For how long?”

“I don’t know. Could be years. Could be conditional serve time unless you meet certain rehabilitation requirements.” He paused. “Courtney, I won’t lie to you This isn’t going to be easy. You’re facing real consequences. But they won’t be they won’t

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destroy your entire life. The Council understands you’re eighteen. Understands you were manipulated from childhood. Understands you tried to make it right.”

“Tried and failed. My father is still dead.”

“Your father made his own choices. Led his own assault. Died fighting for ideology he believed in.” Alpha Jeremy’s voice was firm. “Courtney, you didn’t kill Thomas Vex. I did. That’s on me. Not on you.”

“But the intelligence-” 1

“Saved lives. Including possibly Grace’s. Including pack members who would have died in a less prepared defense.” He met my eyes. “Courtney, your father died because he chose to lead a terrorist assault. Not because you gave us warning. Those are different things.”

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