My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 39

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Chapter 36

Chapter 30

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“You don’t,” I admitted. “Yougan’t know for sure. That’s what makes trust so hard-it requires a leap of faith. But Emma, I can tell you what’s different now. “‘

“Tell me.”

“Before, I took you for granted. Thought the mate bond meant you’d always be there no matter what I did. I didn’t value what we had because I was too busy wanting something else.” I paused, making sure she was feally hearing me. “Now? I know exactly what I lost. I’ve felt the emptiness of not having you in my life. And I would rather die than go back to that.”

“You almost did die.”

“I know. And every time I woke up and saw you there, even after everything I’d done, I knew I’d been given a gift I didn’t deserve. A chance to show you who I could be instead of who I was.”

Emma stood and moved to the window, her back to me. “The pack is going to judge us. When this comes out at the trial, when everyone knows the details-they’re going to have opinions about whether I should forgive you.” 1

“Fuck what they think.”

She turned, surprise on her face. “What?”

“I said fuck what they think. This isn’t about them. It’s about you and me. About whether we can build something real from the wreckage I created.” My voice was fierce now. “I don’t care if the whole pack thinks you’re crazy for giving me another chance. I don’t care if they think I should be exiled or executed or whatever. All I care about is you. What you need. What you want.”

“I wish I knew what I wanted,” she said, her voice breaking slightly. “Some days I want to forgive you and try again. Some days I want to run and never look back. And some days I just want to go back to before any of this happened.”

“We can’t go back.”

“I know.”

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“But maybe–” I stopped myself. “No. I’m not going to pressure you. I promised I wouldn’t.”

“Say it,” she said, moving closer to the bed. “Whatever you were going to say.”

“I was going to say maybe we don’t need to go back. Maybe we can go forward. Build something new. Something better than what we had because it’s based on honesty instead of obligation.”

“And Vanessa?” Emma’s voice hardened. “What do you want to happen to her?”

The question caught me off guard. But the answer came immediately, visceral and certain.

“Death,” I said flatly. “She hired rogues to attack pack members. She tried to kill you my mate, the future Luna. She orchestrated an assault that left seven of our wolves dead and dozens injured. Pack law is clear. That’s a capital offense.”

“You want her executed.”

“I want her to face justice for what she did. If the council decides that justice is execution, then yes. She deserves death.” Emma studied my face, looking for something. “You loved her once.”

“I thought I did. But Emma, what I felt for Vanessa was nothing compared to what I feel for you. She was a fantasy. You’re real. And she tried to take you from me. Tried to hurt you to punish me for choosing-” I stopped.

“For choosing what?”

“For choosing you. Finally. Too late, but choosing you anyway.” I met her eyes. “At that pack meeting, when you didn’t show the video, when you showed me mercy I didn’t deserve–that’s when I really understood. You’re not the weak, compliant mate I

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thought I could control. You’re strong. Stronger than fre. And that’s what I should have seen from the beginning.”

Tears streamed down Emma’s face now. “Stop making the cry in hospitals.”

“Sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

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“No, I’m not,” I agreed. A small smile. “But I am sorry for everything else. And I’ll keep being sorry, keep proving it, for as long

as it takes.”

She moved to the bed and sat on the edge, close but not touching. “The trial is going to change things. Once everything is public, once the pack knows all the details we won’t be able to hide in this hospital room anymore.”

“I know.”

“Are you ready for that?”

“No. But I’ll do it anyway. For the pack. For justice.” I paused. “For you.”

Emma finally took my hand, her fingers threading through mine. “Then I guess we face it together. The trial. The judgment. Whatever comes after.”

“Together?”

“For now,” she qualified. “I’m not promising anything beyond that. But Jeremy? For now, we’re in this together.”

It wasn’t everything. It wasn’t forgiveness or reconciliation or the future I desperately wanted.

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