Isabella Pov.

"AND RESTRAIN HER!" he added, jerking his chin toward me. "Don't let her leave this room!"

I moved closer to Nathan, whispering urgently in his ear, "I did absolutely nothing wrong, I swear it. This is a lie, a setup to turn you against me."

I was practically begging him to use his reason, to see through this transparent ploy.

"Think about it, Nathan - why would I poison food that I would also be eating? Why would I harm a child when I'm carrying one myself? This makes no sense!"

My desperate logic fell on deaf ears as he stared at me with cold, unrecognizing eyes.

Instead of listening to my reasoning, he roughly pushed me away and pointed his finger directly in my face, his tone menacing and threatening:

"If anything happens to her or to my baby, I will kill you with my own hands, Isabella. That's not a threat - it's a promise."

His eyes had shifted to their wolf form, glowing with primal rage and protection.

"You've gone too far this time. I knew you were jealous, but I never thought you capable of something this vile."

I dragged myself backward, finally comprehending that this was all an elaborate performance orchestrated by his Luna, with Beta Ethan clearly involved as well.

I suddenly remembered with sickening clarity how Ethan had looked at me since my first day in the pack - the hunger in his eyes, the way he found excuses to be near me, to touch me when Nathan wasn't looking.

"Of course he'd help her," I thought bitterly. "He's wanted me from the beginning, and this is his chance to get me vulnerable and alone."

For several agonizing hours, I waited anxiously for some resolution, hoping against hope that Nathan would return to tell me everything was fine and that there had been no poison found in the food.

"He'll come back," I kept telling myself. "He'll realize the truth. He has to."

But deep down, I knew better - I knew exactly what was happening and what was coming next.

But no, rather than a rational discussion, Nathan stormed into my room and brutally grabbed my hair, yanking me to the floor as he screamed in my face:

"You! Did you honestly think you could murder my child and get away with it?! I will make you regret the day you were born!"

Spittle flew from his mouth as he towered over me, his face contorted with a rage I'd never seen before, not even during his worst moments.

"I trusted you! I let you into my home, into my life, and this is how you repay me?"

"Nathan, please! I did absolutely nothing wrong! You have to listen to me!" I desperately tried to reason with him, to break through his blind fury.

"Think about this logically - why would I try to poison Lily when I'd be eating the same food? Why would I risk my own baby's life? It doesn't make any sense!"

I reached for his hand, trying to establish some connection, some reminder of what we had once meant to each other.

But he was beyond reason, dragging me roughly down the stairs with such violence that I felt sharp pains in my heart and stomach, terrified for my baby's safety.

I didn't know what to do - whether I should attempt to escape or submit to this treatment to prevent further harm to myself and my child.

But I had no real options as he kicked me into the kitchen and growled with chilling finality:

"From now on, you will sleep here in the kitchen. Until you give birth to my child. Then--" His words cut off abruptly, as if he could barely bring himself to voice what would come next.

I struggled to stand, my legs shaking beneath me as I demanded, "Then what?!" I was already shivering with fear and shock, not afraid for my own life but terrified of what might happen to my innocent baby.

"What happens after I give birth, Nathan? Tell me exactly what you're planning to do to us." I forced myself to meet his gaze, refusing to cower despite the terror coursing through me.

And exactly as I had dreaded, he stated boldly and without a trace of emotion:

"Then I will take MY baby and throw you out of here like the garbage you are. And if you try to run away before then, I will hunt you down and kill you. I will kill your father and I will make sure you never see your baby again. Do you understand me?"

His voice was cold, clinical, as if he were discussing the weather rather than threatening to tear a mother from her child.

And he locked me in the kitchen! Like a slave! Like a common servant! He didn't even allow me to explain or defend myself.

I was the victim in this twisted scenario, yet I was being treated like a criminal.

"Is this really happening?" I asked myself as I heard the key turn in the lock. "Has it really come to this?"

I pressed my forehead against the cold door, tears streaming down my face.

"How could he believe I would do something so terrible? How could he not know me better than this after everything we've shared?"

But I knew I had to protect my baby at all costs, even if it meant enduring this humiliation temporarily.

If the situation became truly untenable, I would rather die fighting for my freedom than give birth only to have my child ripped from my arms.

That would be the final straw - I wouldn't allow it to happen, no matter what I had to do.

"They will not take my baby," I vowed, one hand pressed protectively over my stomach. "I don't care what I have to do or who I have to hurt - this child stays with me."

I made the immediate decision to find a way to escape as soon as possible, but I needed an ally, someone who could help me navigate the heavily guarded territory.

And guess who was the only person who offered to assist me? Beta Ethan himself!

He sneaked into the kitchen later that night and tapped my shoulder, making me jump in fear.

But before I could scream, he quickly whispered, "I can help you get out of here, Isabella. But I have one condition."

Without taking time to consider the implications, I agreed desperately, "Yes, anything. Please, just help me escape this nightmare."

My hands were trembling as I grabbed his arm, searching his face for any sign of deception.

"I need to leave before it's too late, before they can take my baby. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Come to my private quarters tomorrow after midnight. That's my only condition." He stated simply, giving me a suggestive wink before slipping away, leaving me dizzy and disturbed by the implications of his request.

"Wait!" I called after him. "What exactly are you asking me to do?" But he was already gone, the kitchen door closing silently behind him.

"What?" I whispered to the empty room, suddenly understanding the true nature of his offer.

My blood ran cold as I realized what he was suggesting - what he expected in exchange for his help. "Oh god, what have I agreed to?"

What if this was just another trap designed to further incriminate me? What if Ethan's real plan was to lure me to his room, only to claim I had tried to seduce him or attack him?

What if he simply wanted to use my desperation to finally get what he'd wanted from the beginning - to have me in his bed?

"What if he really does help me escape, but the price is..." I couldn't even complete the thought, nausea rising in my throat at the prospect.

What if! A thousand terrible possibilities raced through my mind, each more disturbing than the last.

I was trapped in an impossible situation with no good options - only choices between different kinds of suffering.

"What am I going to do?" I whispered, cradling my barely-there baby bump. "How do I protect you from these people? How do I get us out of here alive?"

The questions tormented me as I huddled in the corner of the kitchen, trying desperately to formula a plan that wouldn't require selling my soul to yet another wolf who saw me as nothing more than a body to be used and discarded.