Isabella POV.

A mistress!

The word echoed in my mind like a curse, like a slap across my face that left me reeling and breathless.

I hadn't slept a single moment since he left me standing there in shock!

My eyes remained wide open, staring at the ceiling throughout the endless nights, replaying his words over and over again.

I couldn't force myself to eat anything substantial either, my stomach churning with a mixture of heartbreak and disbelief.

The emotional blow was far too strong and devastating for me to handle or process properly.

"A mistress," I whispered to myself in the darkness, the word feeling foreign and bitter on my tongue.

I had never imagined in my wildest dreams that he would offer me such a degrading and humiliating proposition.

"Is that really all I'm worth to him?" I asked the empty room, my voice cracking with unshed tears.

I missed him desperately with every fiber of my being.

I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything in my entire miserable life.

I was in heat too, my body burning with need and desire that only he could satisfy, making everything infinitely more difficult and confusing.

"Why do I still want him after what he said?" I sobbed into my pillow, frustrated with my own traitorous feelings.

I couldn't decide what to do, couldn't think clearly through the haze of emotion and physical need.

I had absolutely no one to talk to either, no friend or confidant who could offer me advice or comfort during this impossible situation.

"I'm completely alone," I whispered, the reality of my isolation hitting me like a physical blow to my already wounded heart.

I had been living on scraps and garbage my entire life, consistently shunned and rejected by my Pack members, eating whatever leftovers they threw my way and sleeping on the cold, hard ground as if I didn't belong to them at all.

"You're not one of us," they would say cruelly, spitting at my feet and treating me like I was less than dirt beneath their shoes.

Why was I treated so horribly?

Because I was the shameful result of one passionate, reckless night between my mother, a she-wolf, and a mysterious stranger who turned out to be a Bear shifter.

"Your eyes are a curse," my mother would tell me whenever she looked at me with disgust and regret.

So, I was born with one striking blue eye and one bright yellow eye, marking me as different and unwanted from the moment I drew my first breath!

Until I met Alpha Nathan, my unexpected savior and the first person to show me genuine kindness, I thought my fate had finally smiled upon me after years of suffering and rejection.

"Finally," I had whispered to myself when he first looked at me without disgust, "someone who sees me as more than a mistake."

Or at least, that's what I had foolishly thought back then before reality came crashing down around me.

I couldn't bring myself to reject his offer outright because it represented my only chance to finally sleep on a soft feather bed instead of the ground, to get pampered and cared for like I had always dreamed, and to eat delicious, nutritious food instead of scraps.

"At least I would have some comfort," I reasoned with myself, trying to find silver linings in this dark situation.

It was my only real chance at a better life, and at the very least, I would be able to sleep next to him occasionally, feeling his warmth and presence beside me.

I would be able to see his handsome face regularly and touch his strong hands when he allowed it.

"I wouldn't be alone anymore," I whispered hopefully, clinging to that single positive thought.

Weekly visits from him wouldn't be such a terrible arrangement.

At least I would have him in some capacity, even if it wasn't the way I had dreamed and hoped for.

"Maybe I can change his mind later," I told myself optimistically.

At least there was a possibility that I might eventually have him all to myself if I played my cards right and showed him how much I could mean to him.

I spent countless hours thoroughly dreaming and thinking about his proposition from every possible angle.

At times, I would decide firmly to reject his offer and insist on being his Luna or nothing at all.

"I deserve better than this," I would tell myself with determination and righteous anger.

And at other times, I would decide to simply accept whatever he was willing to give me, grateful for any attention and affection I could receive from him.

Until I heard unexpected knocks echoing through the house one afternoon.

My heart leaped with hope and excitement as I rushed to open the door quickly, thinking and praying that it was Nathan returning to apologize and offer me more.

But when I swung the door open eagerly, I only found a beautiful wicker basket filled with fresh, colorful flowers and an expensive bottle of wine sitting on my doorstep.

"What is this?" I asked aloud, looking around for any sign of who had left these gifts.

There was nothing else accompanying the mysterious gifts!

No explanatory words, no romantic letter, and even Ethan the Beta wasn't anywhere to be seen in the vicinity.

"Who would leave these for me?" I wondered aloud, bringing the basket inside and examining the beautiful flowers closely.

It was definitely weird and unexpected, but discovering those thoughtful gifts completely made my day and filled me with renewed hope.

The gesture made me think that Alpha Nathan really did want me and care about me more than his harsh words had suggested.

"Maybe he's trying to apologize," I said to myself, smiling for the first time in days as I arranged the flowers in a vase.

So, I decided to accept his proposition, but I was determined to do it entirely on my own terms and timeline.

I made the decision to wait patiently for his next move and never send him any response letters.

"If he truly wants me, he'll have to prove it," I declared to the empty house, feeling empowered by my choice.

If he was genuinely meant to be with me in any capacity, then I would let fate and destiny decide our future instead of making desperate choices based on fear and loneliness.

If only I had known that other dangerous eyes were watching me from the shadows, studying my every move with predatory intent!

If I had only known that there was another powerful wolf who wanted me for his own dark purposes, I would never have accepted Nathan's offer or continued waiting around like a sitting duck for something terrible to happen.