My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 272

Chapter 272

Book 2: The Rejected Mate

Rose pov

I barely made it to the library before the tears started.

Three days. I’d been crying for three days straight now. Not constantly I wasn’t that pathetic-but in stolen moments when I could hide. In bathrooms and empty corridors and the privacy of the guest room. Lord Castellan had arranged for me in the Trent pack house.

Three days since I’d overheard Nate telling his friend Marcus that he “needed space to figure things out” before “committing to anything serious.” 1

As if our mate bond was “anything serious” instead of the most sacred connection the Moon Goddess could bestow.

I pushed through the library doors, heading straight for the small bathroom in the back corner. The one hardly anyone used because it was tucked away behind the historical archives section.

Safe. Private. A place to fall apart without witnesses.

The bathroom door closed behind me. I locked it. Turned on the water to mask the sound.

And broke.

Sobs came-ugly, wrenching, the kind that made breathing difficult. I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to stay quiet despite the running water, trying to maintain some shred of dignity even while completely alone.

He doesn’t want me.

Nathaniel Reed. My mate. The wolf the Moon Goddess had chosen specifically for me. The person who was supposed to be my perfect match, my partner, my future.

He doesn’t want me.

Two weeks. Two weeks since the mate bond had snapped into place when I’d arrived at Crescent Moon Pack. Two weeks since I’d felt that pull-immediate, overwhelming, absolutely certain-toward a tall, dark-haired wolf with his father’s eyes and his grandmother’s smile.

Two weeks since he’d looked at me with recognition and then-nothing. Just careful distance and practiced avoidance and flirting with other she-wolves like I didn’t exist. 1

I slid down to sit on the bathroom floor, not caring that it was undignified or that my great-uncle would be horrified if he knew! was having a breakdown on tile flooring.

Uncle Castellan. Great-Uncle Cas, as Grace called him. He’d been so excited when he’d arranged for me to spend a year at Crescent Moon Pack. “Rose, you’ll love it there. Grace and Connor’s family is-remarkable. You’ll learn about wolf pack dynamics firsthand. It’ll be invaluable for your diplomatic training.”

He hadn’t mentioned I’d find my mate there. Hadn’t warned me that the Moon Goddess might have plans beyond diplomatic education.

Hadn’t prepared me for the possibility that my mate might not want me.

Another sob escaped. I pressed harder against my mouth, trying to contain the sound.

The mate bond pulled constantly. A tether I couldn’t escape. Every time Nate was nearby–which was often since we lived in the same pack house-I felt it. The connection tugging at me. Demanding I go to him. Claim him. Complete what the Moon Goddess had started.

Chapter 37

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But I couldn’t. Because he was making it abundantly clear he wanted nothing to do with me.

He avoided tre at meals. Changed seats if I sat too close. Found excuses to leave rooms when I entered. And worst of all-flirted with other she wolves. Deliberately. Obviously. Like he was trying to prove to everyone (or maybe just to himself) that the mate

bond didn’t matter.

That I didn’t matter.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out with shaking hands.

Text from Great-Uncle Cas: *Rose, checking in. How are you settling in? Grace mentioned you’ve been spending a lot of time in the library. Excellent-their collection on modern pack governance is quite extensive.*

I stared at the message. Uncle Cas didn’t know. I hadn’t told him about the mate bond. Hadn’t told anyone except Grace, and that was only because she’d found me crying in her art studio three days ago and demanded to know what was wrong.

Grace had been-furious. In the quiet, dangerous way her father got when someone threatened his fatnily. “Rose, Nate is being an idiot. I’m going to talk to him—”

“No.” I’d stopped her. “Please don’t. It’s humiliating enough that he doesn’t want me. I don’t need his family pressuring him into pretending.”

“It’s not pretending. You’re his mate-”

“Who he’s actively avoiding. Grace, if Nate wanted me, he’d show it. He wouldn’t need his family forcing him to acknowledge me.” I’d wiped my eyes. “Please. Let me handle this my own way.”

She’d agreed reluctantly. But I could see her frustration. Could see her wanting to fix this for me.

But some things couldn’t be fixed. Some rejections were just-real.

I texted Uncle Cas back: *Settling in well. The library is amazing Learning a lot about pack governance. Thank you for arranging this.*

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