Isabella's Pov.

So what if everyone thought I was being crazy! I seriously couldn't wait anymore, not even for one more single day. I was so incredibly happy and my heart was practically bursting with joy when I received those beautiful, fragrant flowers on that very first day.

"Oh my gosh, these are absolutely gorgeous!" I had whispered to myself, holding them close to my chest and breathing in their sweet scent. I knew deep down in my heart that Nathan wanted me desperately, but he was trying so hard to pretend that I wasn't that important in his complicated life.

"Why does he keep doing this to himself?" I wondered out loud, pacing around my small room. "Why does he keep pretending like what we have doesn't matter?"

Although he had come to me with those intense, burning eyes and asked me to be with him forever, there was definitely a big, huge exclamation mark on his definition of forever. It honestly doesn't seem like the right word at all because what he really meant was for me to be his secret mistress, the one to fill his sexual desires and nothing more than that.

"Is that really all I am to him?" I had asked myself over and over again, staring at my reflection in the cracked mirror. "Just someone to satisfy his needs when his precious Luna isn't around?" The thought made my stomach twist into painful knots.

I finally decided to stop all this endless drama and just run after my own happiness and be with him, no matter what the consequences might be.

"Life's too short to keep waiting around," I told myself firmly, clenching my fists with determination. "I'm going to take control of my own destiny for once!" Everything in my life had been so incredibly complicated already since day one anyway. So, why not take this huge risk and choose for once in my entire life what would make me truly happy?! "What's the worst that could happen?" I whispered, even though deep down I knew the answer could be devastating.

That's exactly what I intended to do, and I planned to send him a clear message through Ethan the very next day. "I'm going to tell Nathan exactly how I feel," I decided, my voice growing stronger with each word. "No more games, no more waiting around like some lovesick puppy."

But to do that successfully, I knew I had to change myself quite a bit first. I was painfully aware that I was absolutely nothing compared to Alpha Nathan's beautiful Luna.

"She's perfect in every single way," I muttered bitterly to myself. She was already from the royal family with all their wealth and status; she was incredibly pretty as I had heard from everyone who had ever seen her, and she was extremely well-educated with fancy degrees and proper manners. But me? I was absolutely nothing at all, just a girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

"I didn't even get the chance to finish high school," I reminded myself sadly, feeling that familiar sting of shame. "How can I ever compete with someone like her?"

I made the decision to go shopping, just for basic necessities that might help me feel more confident--some pretty clothes that would flatter my figure and nice underwear that would make me feel beautiful. I wanted to buy a few educational books to teach myself later by reading more during those long, lonely nights.

"Maybe if I read enough, I can become smarter," I thought hopefully. "Maybe I can become someone worthy of his attention." All I could honestly say was that I almost didn't sleep at all that entire night; I hugged those precious flowers tightly against my chest all night long until the morning sun finally came up.

"Nathan," I whispered into the darkness, "please don't let this all be just a cruel game."

I stood up slowly and took a quick, refreshing shower, feeling incredibly excited to go out and get ready to win over the one I loved with all my heart.

"Today's the day everything changes," I told my reflection confidently, even though my hands were shaking slightly. "Today I'm going to fight for what I want." Yes, I truly loved him with every fiber of my being! He was definitely my mate, I was absolutely sure of it now.

"The way my heart races whenever he's near," I whispered, touching my chest. "The way everything feels right when we're together - that has to mean something." I honestly couldn't deny that he had made me incredibly suspicious for quite a while with his freaking weird denial of our obvious mating bond.

"Why does he keep fighting it?" I wondered aloud. "Why does he keep pretending like he doesn't feel what I feel?" But when I had clearly seen the deep emptiness and pain in his beautiful eyes because I wasn't there with him, I became completely sure that he was truly mine, and I was definitely his.

"I saw it," I said firmly. "I saw how much he was hurting without me." It was just a matter of time before we could finally be together properly.

Or at least that was what I desperately hoped and dreamed of every single night.

I walked for quite a while, taking my time and trying to calm my racing nerves, until I finally reached the busy highway. Yes, our Pack was literally in the middle of absolutely nowhere, surrounded by wilderness for miles and miles.

"Sometimes I feel like we're completely cut off from the rest of the world," I muttered, looking around at the endless trees. The lake house was especially far away from any kind of civilization or popularity. It was positioned right in the middle of the thick, dense forest but directly at the border of the other territory belonging to different werewolves.

"Mom always said this location was chosen for a reason," I remembered, feeling a chill run down my spine.

It was definitely a forbidden place to step into because the second Pack belonged to the most fearful and dangerous Alpha who had ever existed.

"Stay away from that border, Isabella," my mother had warned me countless times. "Nothing good ever comes from crossing into his territory." I had heard so many terrifying stories about him being a cold-blooded killer and completely merciless toward anyone who crossed him.

"They say he shows no mercy," I whispered to myself, feeling goosebumps rise on my arms. I almost peed in my pants when my mom had threatened me years ago that she would send me as a slave to him if I didn't behave properly.

"You don't want to end up in Alpha Kwan Bernard's hands," she had said with deadly seriousness.

I could even recall his terrifying name perfectly: 'Alpha Kwan Bernard.' Just thinking about it made me shudder.

I eventually reached the highway after what felt like forever and walked for around ten long minutes until I finally found a cab driving by.

"Please stop," I called out, raising my hand high to get his attention. I held my breath, hoping desperately that he would notice me. And thankfully, he agreed to drive me to the nearest shopping mall without asking too many questions.