Alpha Nathan POV.

And so-- I went back home, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts about what had just happened. I covered my annoyed face with a weak smile to hide the pain and worry in my chest, trying to look like everything was normal when it definitely wasn't.

The whole drive back, I kept replaying our conversation over and over again, wondering if I'd said the right things or if I'd just made everything worse.

I couldn't tell if Isabella was going to accept my offer or not, but damn, I hoped she could do that for herself and me. "Come on, Isabella," I muttered to myself as I pulled into the driveway, "please just think about it. Please." It wasn't a bad deal! I mean, sure, it wasn't conventional, but it was something.

I didn't want to hurt my Luna's feelings either - she was a good woman, and she did nothing wrong to deserve being kicked out of my life. "This is such a mess," I whispered, running my hands through my hair. "How did everything get so complicated?"

The day started freaking slow as if every minute was a decade, and I kept checking my phone every five seconds like some lovesick teenager. Day one, I asked my Luna to let me sleep in another room, and boy, did that open up a can of worms.

"Nathan, what's going on?" she asked, following me around the house like a lost puppy. "Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me? Please talk to me!" But I didn't give her a reply because what was I supposed to say? "Sorry, honey, but I think I found my actual mate, and now I can't stop thinking about her"? Yeah, that would go over real well.

She was sweet and left me alone after a while, bless her heart. That's what I had thought until I felt a hand stroking my dick while I was in my deep sleep, dreaming about Isabella and our passionate nights together - the way she moved, the way she said my name, the way she looked at me like I was her whole world.

Somehow, I was reacting to the touches and the sucking, getting all turned on because I was sleeping, and I thought it was just another amazing dream about Isabella. Until I opened my eyes to be astounded by my Luna on top of me, riding me like her life depended on it and hungrily going up and down on my dick.

"What are you doing?" I frowned, completely confused and still half-asleep, watching her thrusting faster as if I had never fucked her before in our entire relationship.

She just moved up and down, her eyes wild with desperation, and said, "Fuck me! Fuck me now, Nathan! I need you to want me again!" And I couldn't reject her again because I'd already hurt her enough; I just did it, but it felt all wrong.

Fast and without feelings, no kisses were included, no sweet words, no tenderness - just raw, mechanical movements. Let's say it was a dreadful night and unpleasant touches that left me feeling empty inside. "I'm sorry," I whispered afterward, but she was already asleep, and I wasn't even sure what I was apologizing for.

The worst part-- I felt as if I'd cheated on Isabella, even though technically she wasn't even mine yet. "Fuck," I groaned, staring at the ceiling. "What kind of person does that make me?"

Day two was horrible; I almost freaked out when the idea came up to my mind that Isabella might leave the Pack entirely, just pack up and disappear forever. "No, no, no," I paced around my office, my Beta Ethan watching me with concerned eyes. "She wouldn't do that, right? She's got nowhere else to go."

But I held my breath and tried to start a normal day, going through the motions of being an Alpha. I had to, but I knew deep inside me that my brain and my heart wouldn't let me focus on anything else. Especially since a couple of days ago, I got the same feeling and left the castle without telling anyone and only went to check on Isabella and offered her to be my mistress like some kind of medieval king.

I knew that Isabella thought I was a selfish and horrible Alpha, and all I cared for was sexual satisfaction or having a secret affair on the side. "Great job, Nathan," I muttered sarcastically to myself. "Real smooth. Offer the woman you think might be your mate a position as your side piece. That'll win her over." But hell no, I just had no other choice in this fucked-up situation.

And being transparent with her from the start was the right thing to do, even if it hurt. "At least she knows where she stands," I told Ethan when he asked about my mood. "No false promises, no lies."

Why would I lie to her and give her false hope? If I did that, then later, she would hate me even more than she probably already does. And I wouldn't be able to face her, not even myself after that kind of betrayal. "I've seen what lies do to people," I explained to my reflection in the bathroom mirror. "They destroy everything good, and I won't do that to her."

So, the shortest path was to be straightforward and honest, but somehow I regret being so blunt with her now. She didn't send me a message through Ethan, didn't ask to see me, didn't give me any sign that she was even considering my offer. "Maybe I should have been more romantic about it," I wondered aloud. "Maybe I should have explained my feelings better."

I was shocked to find my Luna serving dinner when I finally dragged myself downstairs, oh yes, I completely passed breakfast because I couldn't stomach the thought of food. I didn't feel like waking early and doing anything productive when all I could think about was Isabella's face when I made that ridiculous offer. "Smooth move, Alpha," I'd been telling myself all day. "Real fucking smooth."

"Good morning, Nathan," she smiled widely and kissed my lips with way too much enthusiasm for my current mood. I didn't kiss back because it felt wrong, like I was betraying something sacred. I just smiled softly and pulled my head away, trying not to hurt her feelings. "Oh! So you decided to cook today?" I tried to act normal and interested, but I felt that she could sense something was seriously wrong between us. "That's... that's really nice of you."

She nodded eagerly and pointed to me with a bright smile, "Yes, and please do have a seat at the table. I will serve the dinner myself tonight, just the way you like it. Oh, and visitors are going to join us tonight - surprise!" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously because this was weird, even for her.

"What visitors?" No one ever did that without asking for my permission first, not only because I was the Alpha and had final say over pack business, but because I hated when anyone came to my house without prior notice. I was that dominant and possessive in real life, needing to control my environment and know what was coming. "You know I don't like surprises."

But not in sex, apparently, since Isabella had completely turned my world upside down in that department!

She just pushed me slightly out of the kitchen with her hands on my shoulders, acting way too mysterious for my liking. "Just go, Nathan; it's going to be a delightful visit, I promise. You'll see." I nodded my head and shrugged my shoulders, deciding not to fight her on this one small thing.

"Okay, I guess I'll be waiting in the living room, and they better be pleasant visitors, or I might just kick them out before dessert. You know how I get."

She grinned brightly like she knew some secret I didn't; I had no idea why she was acting so strange, but I just dropped my curiosity and walked out to the garden to fill my lungs with fresh air and try to clear my head. "Maybe some time outside will help," I thought, but I was wrong.

But somehow, being surrounded by all that natural beauty just made me remember Isabella even more! I didn't forget about her even for a second throughout this whole mess, but her beautiful face followed me everywhere like a ghost, haunting me. Just by looking at the colorful flowers in the garden, I could picture her smile, the way her eyes lit up when she laughed, the way she bit her lip when she was thinking hard about something.

I rubbed my face with both hands and mumbled internally, 'Dammit! Did she throw some kind of spell on me or what? This is insane!' And my wolf decided that was the perfect moment to send me into a complete maze of distraction when he mentioned internally to me, with way too much certainty, 'Isabella is our mate, Nathan. Stop fighting it.'

I quivered! I felt so cold all of a sudden, like someone had dumped ice water over my head. I guess I didn't want such a definitive, assuring answer to the questions that had been fucking up my mind for days already. "No, no, no," I whispered to myself. "That can't be right. That would make everything so much more complicated."

It was only three nights with Isabella, and everything had turned completely upside down in my life, or maybe the opposite-- everything had flipped from being down in the dumps to being up in the clouds, then crashing back down again. "Three nights," I repeated. "Three fucking nights, and I'm ready to throw away everything I've built."

I suddenly felt a small hand clutching into my pants; I moved my eyes down to see who it was, expecting maybe a pack member's kid. Only to see my sister's son, little James, looking up at me with those big innocent eyes.

I grinned widely and pulled him up to my chest, grateful for the distraction. "Hey there, buddy! What are you doing here? Did you sneak into Uncle Nathan's garden?"

He stuttered slowly in that adorable way three-year-olds do, but James was smart as a whip for his age. "Mom is here, Uncle Nathan. She came to see you and she looks really sad. She wants you to come inside right now." I tickled him gently, making him burst into those sweet little kid giggles that always made everything seem better.

"Nathan, huh? You little troublemaker, you should call me Alpha Nathan when other people are around, remember?"

He chuckled lightly, squirming in my arms, and I let him down again so he could run around. He immediately took off toward the house, calling over his shoulder, "No way, just Nathan! You're my uncle, not my Alpha!" He was teasing me playfully, and it felt good to have something normal and innocent to focus on.

I ran after him, playing chase like we always did, shouting, "I'm going to catch you and tickle you until you call me Alpha, James! You can't escape the tickle monster!" He shrieked with laughter and ran inside the house as fast as his little legs could carry him.

In minutes, everyone was gathered in the dining room, ready for dinner. My sister Mila stood up when she saw me and kissed my cheeks, but I could see the sadness in her eyes immediately.

"Brother, I missed you so much. It feels like forever since we've talked." I cupped her cheeks gently, studying her face with concern. "Sure you did, Mila. Me too, sis. But what's wrong? You look like you've been crying."

I looked around the room, noticing someone was missing, and asked, "Mila, where's your mate? Shouldn't David be here with you and James? It's not like him to miss a family dinner." She coughed awkwardly and lowered her gaze to the floor, clearly uncomfortable with the question.

She quickly changed the subject, her voice shaky, "Oh, let's just eat before everything gets cold. I'm sure you're hungry." She looked despondent and was obviously trying to hide something serious from me, but I could read her like a book.

But I decided to drop the matter for the moment because little James was there, and kids didn't need to hear adult drama. I lifted James onto my lap, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Come here, buddy. Let's eat together, just like old times. You can help Uncle Nathan with his dinner."

But the moment I did that, my Luna blurted out tensely from across the table, her voice sharp and possessive, "No, Nathan. That's not happening." I raised my brows, completely taken aback by her tone. "What? What's the problem? He's just a kid."

And she shamelessly said after practically yanking James away from me, her grip a little too tight on his small arm, "It's my place to sit with you. I'm your Luna, not him." I blinked several times, confused and getting more irritated by the second, then glared at my Luna with growing upset. "What the hell do you mean, it's your place? He's my nephew!"

My Luna then sat on my lap without caring one bit about my younger sister watching or her three-year-old son standing right there looking confused and scared. She positioned herself like we were alone in our bedroom, completely inappropriate for the setting.

"Let's eat together, Nathan. Just you and me, the way it should be." I turned my head away and huffed in frustration and embarrassment. "You're being completely--"

And before I could protest or tell her how inappropriate she was being, my Luna cupped my cheeks with both hands and almost kissed my lips by force, sucking and licking my lower lip as if we were alone in our bedroom having foreplay. I could hear my sister gasp and little James asking, "Mommy, why is she doing that?"

I pushed her away firmly and stood up abruptly, throwing my Luna disapproving looks from head to toe. "What the hell is happening to you? Are you completely insane?! Can't you see that my sister and her son are here? This is a family dinner, not our bedroom!"

She made me even angrier when she said, crossing her arms defiantly, "Yes, exactly! She has a son, Nathan. A beautiful little boy. But I don't have one! I don't have anything! So let's make a baby right now, tonight!"

The room fell deadly silent except for James whimpering and hiding behind his mother's legs.

I raised my hand toward my Luna's cheek, my anger boiling over and almost ready to slap her face for being so disrespectful and inappropriate. But I managed to curb my rage at the last second and clenched my fist instead, remembering that violence never solved anything.

I pulled back and commanded my Luna in my Alpha voice, "Get the hell out of my face right now. Go to your room and think about what you just did."

That's when my sister said out of the blue, her voice breaking with emotion, "Nathan, I think David is cheating on me. I found messages on his phone, and he's been coming home late every night with excuses that don't make sense."

And suddenly, like the universe was playing some cosmic joke on me, my Luna said while placing her hands on her hips and gritting her teeth, "And I think Nathan is cheating on me too! I can smell another woman on him!"

"What the fuck!" I yelled, completely overwhelmed and confused, throwing my hands up in exasperation. I didn't know what I should say to both of them, how to handle two relationship crises at the same time. "This is not happening. This cannot be happening right now."

Until I caught a scent that made my wolf go absolutely crazy - a delightful and adorable fragrance that I recognized immediately. I saw an angel walking into the dining room wearing simple servant clothes, but she looked more beautiful than ever.

What the fuck! Isabella?! What was she doing here, and why was she dressed like staff?