My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 247

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Chapter 277

My Cheating Mate

Grace pov

The Council chamber was imposing ancient stone walls, high ceilings, formai seating arranged in a semicircle that put the accused directly in the center under scrutiny from every angle.

Courtney sat in that center seat. Small. Broken. Nothing like the confident, cruel she-wolf who’d made my life difficult for years.

I sat in the witness section with Connor beside me, my hand in his, both of us here to provide testimony about what she’d done. What she’d tried to do.

The knife attack. The schedule given to extremists. The betrayal.

But watching her now-two weeks after my father had talked to her in that interrogation room-I fert something complicated that wasn’t quite anger.

She looked awful.

Too thin, like she’d barely eaten despite my father’s insistence. Dark circles under her eyes suggesting sleep was rare and troubled. Hands that trembled slightly as she held the glass of water the Council had provided.

Eighteen years old and completely destroyed by grief and guilt.

“Miss Vex.” Madeline Corso spoke first-the same Council member who’d negotiated the ceasefire years ago. “You stand accused of attempted murder with a silver weapon against Grace Trent, heir to Crescent Moon Pack. Of providing intelligence about Grace’s routines to known extremist organization the Preservation Front. Of-” She paused. “Of actions that enabled a terrorist assault on pack territory resulting in multiple casualties including your own father. How do you plead?”

“Guilty.” Courtney’s voice was barely audible. “To all of it. I’m guilty.”

Murmurs from the assembled witnesses. A guilty plea simplified things legally but also meant Courtney was accepting full responsibility for everything.

“Miss Vex, you understand that pleading guilty means this hearing is about determining consequences rather than establishing guilt?” Another Council member-Christopher Dane-spoke carefully.

“I understand. I did everything I’m accused of. I’m not-I’m not trying to avoid responsibility.” She took a shaky breath. “I just want to explain. If the Council will let me.”

“Proceed.”

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Courtney looked down at her hands. “I attacked Grace Trent with a silver knife because I was jealous. Because Connor Reed-my boyfriend at the time-recognized his mate bond with Grace and I couldn’t accept losing him. I wanted-” Her voice cracked. “I wanted to scare her. Hurt her. Make her understand there were consequences to-to taking what I thought was mine.”

She paused, drinking water with trembling hands.

“Connor isn’t a possession,” she continued. “Wasn’t mine to keep. The mate bond is sacred and I-I violated that by attacking his fated mate. I know that now. Understood it even then, really. But jealousy made me-made me terrible.”

Connor’s hand tightened on mine. I could feel his tension through the bond-listening to his ex-girlfriend confess to trying to kill me.

“After the attack, I apologized.” Courtney’s voice was steadier now. “Sent messages to Grace and Connor. Meant them at the time. But then–” She stopped. “Then my father’s associates from the Preservation Front contacted me. Three days after the knife attack. They said they were concerned citizens who thought the Trent integration model was dangerous. Asked questions

about Grace’s routines. Her schedule. When she was alone.”

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“And you provided that information.” Madeline’s voice was flat.

“I did. I told toyself they just wanted to talk to Grace. To show her there were wolves who disagreed with her family’s choices. To “Courtney laughed bitterly. “To scare her, I guess. Make her uncomfortable. I didn’t” She stopped. “I told myself I didn’t know they’d actually hurt anyone. But that was a lie. I knew. When you give extremists reformation about when someone is alone, you know what you’re enabling.

Silence in the chamber.

“I gave them Grace’s class schedule. Her studio hours. Information about pack house security. Everything they asked for.” She was crying now. Quiet tears that she didn’t wipe away. “I gave it to them because I wanted Grace to suffer. Wanted her to be scared. Wanted-wanted revenge for Connor choosing her over me.”

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