Isabella Pov.

Her voice was shaking when she said it, like she was genuinely terrified that I might abandon Nathan because of everything I had learned. The pain in her eyes was so real and deep that it almost made me cry right there on the spot.

I leaned forward and gently kissed both of her weathered cheeks, trying to show her that I understood and that I wasn't going anywhere.

"Yes, of course, your highness. I would never do that to him. I love Nathan, and nothing you've told me changes that." I tried to sound as sincere and reassuring as possible, even though my own mind was spinning with confusion and fear about what all these revelations meant for our future together.

She immediately shook her head at me with a sad smile and patted my shoulder warmly with her rough, work-worn hands.

"No, no, please don't call me 'your highness' anymore. Those days are over for me. Just call me mother, please. That's all I want now. That's all I have left."

The way she said it, with such longing and sadness in her voice, made my heart break a little bit. Here was a woman who had given up everything - her title, her power, her comfortable life - and all she wanted was to be called 'mother' by her son's mate.

I smiled and nodded, feeling genuinely touched by her simple request, and then kissed both of them goodbye with real affection and respect.

I had to admit, despite all the confusion and secrets, I was genuinely glad that they seemed to accept me as a part of their family already. They were giving me their blessings for whatever complicated future Nathan and I were walking into together, and that meant more to me than they probably realized.

Even though they were living like refugees in a cave, they still had that warmth and love that real families have.

But as soon as we walked away from that dark cave and got back into the real world, I just snapped back to reality and started thinking about everything that had happened during our visit.

And that's when I really started to panic about the immediate future. I began worrying - really, seriously, desperately worrying - about going back to the castle and being around Luna and Ethan again.

Just thinking about facing them, about pretending everything was normal, about dealing with their schemes and plots, made me feel like I was going to pee in my underwear from pure terror.

"How am I supposed to act normal around them when I know they're planning something terrible?" I kept thinking. "How can I pretend I don't know they want to destroy me?"

I mean, yes, I knew I was strong and sturdy, I had confidence in my own abilities and my wolf's strength.

But they were genuinely evil people, experienced in manipulation and cruelty, and I was still relatively innocent when it came to their kind of twisted political games.

I had absolutely no idea what their next move would be to trap me, to hurt me, to completely eliminate me from Nathan's life and from the pack itself.

I knew deep down in my gut, with every instinct I had, that both of them were actively planning something absolutely terrible to get rid of me permanently. The way they looked at me, the way they whispered to each other when they thought I wasn't watching, the way they smiled those fake, cold smiles - it all screamed danger.

I honestly wouldn't have minded so much if it was just about me, if I was the only one at risk from their schemes. I could handle whatever they threw at me personally.

But I was way more concerned and terrified about Nathan's safety. What if they had planned to get rid of him too? What if their plan involved hurting him, betraying him, or even killing him to get to me?

What if they saw him as just another obstacle to remove? I knew absolutely nothing about Ethan's true relationship with Nathan, nothing about Luna's real feelings toward him.

Were they actually loyal friends, or were they just pretending to care about him while plotting behind his back? How long had they been planning this? How deep did their betrayal go?

But there was one thing I was absolutely sure about, one thing that made my skin crawl every time I thought about it - Ethan wanted to trap me in his bed for some sick, twisted reason that went way beyond just physical attraction.

There was something dark and calculating in the way he looked at me, something that made me feel dirty and violated even when he hadn't actually touched me.

And Luna? She hated me with every fiber of her being, with a burning, consuming rage, because she believed I had stolen Nathan away from her.

Even though he was never really hers to begin with, even though their relationship was more political than romantic, she saw me as the enemy who had ruined all her carefully laid plans.

The whole situation had become incredibly complicated and dangerous, like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

That's exactly why I had asked Nathan to make our relationship less public, less obvious, less of a target for their schemes and plots. But he didn't seem to understand the real danger we were in, the real threat that Ethan and Luna represented to both of us.

Once we were finally alone in Nathan's expensive car, just the two of us without anyone else listening in or watching us, I immediately blurted out what I'd been thinking about during our entire visit to his parents.

"Nathan, I want to move to the lake house. I want us to leave the castle." My voice came out more desperate and panicked than I had intended, but I couldn't help it. The fear was just too strong.

He turned his head to look at me with genuine confusion written all over his handsome face, like he couldn't understand why I would even suggest such a thing.

"Do you want us to go there for a weekend getaway? Some kind of romantic vacation? That's totally okay with me, babe. I think that sounds great. Let's go right now if that's what you want."

His voice was so casual and relaxed, like he thought I was just suggesting a fun little trip to relax and unwind.

He completely didn't catch my point, didn't understand the desperation behind my request, didn't realize that I was basically begging him to help us escape from a dangerous situation.

I tried again, speaking more clearly and urgently this time, hoping he would understand the seriousness of what I was asking.

"No, Nathan, that's not what I mean at all. I want to move there permanently. I mean, I want us to live there full-time, make it our real home. I don't want to stay in the castle anymore with Luna and Ethan. I can't handle being around them every single day, pretending everything is fine when I know they're planning to hurt us."

My voice was shaking as I spoke, and I could feel tears starting to form in my eyes.

His entire expression changed in an instant, like someone had flipped a switch inside him. He looked angry, really angry, angrier than I had ever seen him before.

His jaw clenched tight, and he gripped the steering wheel with both hands so hard that his knuckles turned white, like he was going to break it completely in half with his bare hands.

Then he raised his eyebrows and asked me with this intense, almost aggressive tone that made me shrink back in my seat, "Look at me, Isabella, and tell me honestly - do I look weak to you? Because that's exactly what your words are implying right now. You're basically saying that I'm not strong enough, not capable enough, not Alpha enough to protect you from them. Is that what you really think of me?"

He was frowning so deeply that lines appeared on his forehead, and I could see the hurt in his dark eyes mixed with the anger. He looked like I had just insulted everything he stood for as an Alpha, as a leader, as a man.

I sighed heavily, feeling completely frustrated and helpless because I had no idea how to explain what I was feeling to him in a way that wouldn't hurt his pride or make him feel like I was questioning his strength.

This conversation was turning out to be so much harder than I thought it would be. "Nathan, it's not about you being weak," I started, trying to find the right words. "You're the strongest person I know, the most powerful Alpha I've ever met. But this is different. This isn't about physical strength or fighting ability."

I reached over and wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to soften the conversation and show him that I wasn't attacking him personally.

"You can protect me, Nathan. I know you can, and I trust you completely with my life. But the thing is, you won't be around me all the time. You have Alpha duties, pack business, important meetings with other packs, training sessions with the warriors, all kinds of responsibilities that take you away from the castle for hours at a time.

And during those times, I'm alone with them. I'm vulnerable. And I want you to come with me to the lake house too. I want us to be together, away from all the drama and the scheming and the constant threat of betrayal."

He narrowed his eyes and let out a bitter laugh, sounding confused and maybe a little bit offended by my suggestion.

"Are you seriously kidding me right now, Isabella? Are you out of your mind? The castle is my house! It's been my family's home for generations! I'm the Alpha of this pack, and I rule that entire territory and everyone in it!

How could you even suggest that I just abandon everything and run away like some kind of coward? What would the pack think? What would other Alphas think? How could I just leave my responsibilities behind?"

His frown deepened even more, and when I started trembling in front of him because of how intense and scary he was being, and when I pulled my arms away from him defensively because I was genuinely afraid of his reaction, he seemed to suddenly realize that he was being way too aggressive with me.

The anger in his eyes softened immediately, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He changed his tone to something much gentler and more understanding, like he was talking to a frightened child.

"Babe, listen to me carefully, okay? You're not weak, not at all. You're one of the strongest people I know. You can protect yourself too, I've seen you do it. You have good instincts and a strong wolf.

I honestly don't know what's going on in your mind right now, what's making you so scared and desperate. But there's really nothing in the castle for you to worry about. Nothing that I can't handle.

If you want me to kick Luna out of the pack completely, exile her to another territory, I'll do it. Just say the word and she's gone. If that would make you feel safer and more comfortable, I'll make it happen today."

Without even thinking about it for a second, without considering the political implications or the pack dynamics, I blurted out confidently and desperately,

"No, Nathan, I don't want you to kick out Luna. She's annoying and she hates me, but she's not the real threat. I want you to kick out Ethan. He's the one who's really dangerous. He's the one who's planning something terrible. I can feel it every time he looks at me. There's something wrong with him, something dark and twisted."

Nathan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering my words carefully, and then nodded slowly like he was starting to understand the seriousness of what I was telling him.

"Okay, Isabella. I hear you. I'll do it, I'll get rid of Ethan, but not right now. I need to handle it carefully, make sure it doesn't cause more problems or create enemies in other packs. These things have to be done the right way, with the proper procedures.

Okay? But for now, can we please go and spend a couple of days alone together at the lake house? Just the two of us, no pack business, no politics, no drama?"

He was suggesting it like a compromise, a way to give me what I needed while still maintaining his responsibilities as Alpha. And honestly, I couldn't reject the offer, even though it wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for.

I was actually desperately in need of getting away from the castle, from the constant tension and fear, and maybe this would be my chance to work on convincing him to make the move permanent.

"Okay, let's go," I said, managing a weak but genuine smile for the first time since we'd left his parents' cave.

He gently pulled my hand toward him and placed soft, tender kisses on the back of my hand, each kiss sending little shivers of warmth up my arm.

"Let's go and have our own little honeymoon, just you and me. We can forget about everything else for a while and just focus on us."