My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Jeremy’s phone buzzed. He answered immediately. “Report.”

I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but I watched his face. Saw the tension increase, the lines around his eyes deepen.

“Understood. Keep me updated.” He hung up and finally turned from the window. “That was my father. They found the spy.”

My heart stopped. “Who?”

“Drake. Councilman Drake.” His voice was hard. “The one who argued I should be executed along with Vanessa. Apparently he’d been feeding information to Black River for weeks. Emma’s location, security schedules, patrol routes.”

“Why?” The betrayal felt personal, even though I barely knew Drake. “Why would he help them?”

“Money, Black River paid him fifty thousand to provide intelligence.” Jeremy’s hands clenched into fists. “Three wolves died because that bastard sold us out for money.”

I set down the coffee I’d been pouring, my hands suddenly shaking. “What happens to him now?”

“Execution. Immediate. My father’s not taking any chances.” He paused. “They’re also increasing security across the board, charging all protocols Drake might have compromised. It’ll take time to be sure the information pipeline is completely cut.”

“But we have to stay here.”

“We have to stay here,” he confirmed. “Even with Drake exposed, Black River still has the intelligence they already gathered. They know pack layouts, routines, weak points. We need to give my father time to change everything, make their intel obsolete.”

I nodded, processing. A spy in our own pack. A council member, someone trusted with secrets, with access. It made me feel sick.

“Coffee’s ready,” I said, needing to focus on something I could control.

We sat at the small kitchen table, the silence heavy between us. Outside, birds were starting to sing. Morning sounds. Normal sounds. Like the world hadn’t just exploded into violence and betrayal.

“Emma,” Jeremy said finally. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? You didn’t—”

“For all of it. The affair that started this. The choices that led to Vanessa hring mercenaries. The spy who existed because my behavior created opportunities for people like Drake to exploit.” He stared into his coffee. “Three wolves died last night. And it all traces back to me.”

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“We’ve been over this in therapy,” I said, my voice gentle but firm. “You’re responsible for your choices. The affair. The lies. But you’re not responsible for Vanessa becoming a murderer. Or Drake becoming a traitor. Those were their choices.”

“Choices that wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t-”

“Stop.” I reached across the table, taking his hand. “Jeremy, if you keep taking responsibility for everything bad that happens, you’re going to drown. And I can’t—” My voice caught. “I can’t watch you drown again. Not after last night. Not after watching you fight and bleed and nearly die. Again.”

His eyes met mine. “I’m terrified I’m going to lose you. To the mercenaries. To the violence. To the consequences of my own stupidity.”

“Then don’t lose me.” I squeezed his hand. “Be here. Actually here. Not drowning in guilt. Not punishing yourself. Just here, with me, figuring out how to survive this.”

“I don’t know if I know how to do that.”

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“Neither do L” I managed a small smile. “But we’ve got time to figure it out. Stuck in this cabin together. Might as well use it productively.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Talking. Really talking. Not in therapy, not with Dr. Chen mediating. Just us, honest, no filters.” I paused. “Jeremy, we’re going to be here for potentially weeks. We can spend that time avoiding each other and being miserable, or we can actually use it. To heal. To communicate. To figure out if there’s really an us worth rebuilding.”

He was quiet for a long moment. Then: “You’re right. And terrifying. But right.”

“I have my moments.”

The coffee helped. The morning light helped. The simple fact of being alive after last night’s chaos helped

But I couldn’t shake the image of Jeremy fighting. The way he’d thrown himself at that leader wolf without hesitation. The way he’d bled and snarled and refused to let them through to me.