Alpha Nathan's POV.

Okay, I knew I was being an asshole and that I was handling this whole situation completely wrong, but I swear I didn't mean to hurt Isabella. I never intended to humiliate her or disgrace her in any way. I hated seeing her serve me and Lily. I hated watching my Luna insult her, and I hated having to watch my sister defend Isabella while I stood there like a coward.

For God's sake, I had been playing the role of silent observer because I was trying to figure out what the hell I should do about this impossible situation.

But when I saw Isabella laughing with those guards, when I watched her flirting and touching that young Marcus guy, the blood rushed to my brain and I lost all control. Jealousy hit me like a freight train, and I couldn't think straight anymore.

I knew Isabella wasn't actually interested in those other men. I was her first – I had taken her virginity. I could sense that she was just trying to make me jealous, trying to get some kind of reaction out of me. She probably thought she was being clever, playing games to test my feelings.

What she didn't realize was that I could hear her thoughts. Every single thing that scrolled through her brain echoed in my head like thunder. The mate bond between us was so strong that her mental voice was as clear as if she was speaking out loud.

And the repetition of her thoughts about ignoring me, about making me suffer, about showing me she didn't need me – it was driving me absolutely insane.

"Damn it," I muttered to myself as I paced around my office after the confrontation in the courtyard. "How did everything get so fucked up?"

The truth was, I always had choices. I always had opportunities to handle things differently. Nothing was forcing me to keep Isabella as a secret. I was the Alpha – I was the ruler of this pack. I was one of the wealthiest and most powerful Alphas in the entire region. If I wanted Isabella as my mate, I should have just claimed her publicly from the beginning.

But I had been suspicious about so many things lately. Ever since Isabella appeared in my life, it was like someone had lifted a fog from my brain. Like I had been under some kind of spell for the past three years, and suddenly I was seeing clearly for the first time.

My relationship with Lily – how in the hell had she convinced me that we were mates? And why wasn't she able to carry my children? Why did every pregnancy end in miscarriage? And why had Ethan been acting so strangely lately, especially since Isabella started working in the castle?

"There's something going on here," I said to myself, staring out the window at the training grounds. "Something I've been too blind to see."

I had been staying silent, watching and waiting, trying to figure out what was happening behind my back. But seeing Isabella with those other men had pushed me past my breaking point.

The truth was, I was tired of pretending with Lily. I was sick of touching her and kissing her when every fiber of my being recoiled from the contact. That morning when Isabella had walked in on us, I swear on my life that I hadn't been awake. I had been in a deep sleep, and suddenly Lily was on top of me, moving and moaning like we were in the middle of passionate lovemaking.

It felt wrong, unnatural. Like she was trying to force something that was never meant to be.

"She planned it," I realized suddenly. "She knew Isabella was coming to clean our room, and she planned the whole thing."

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became. Lily and Ethan were up to something, and Isabella was somehow the key to whatever they were planning.

But regardless of their schemes, I had made my choice. If declaring my feelings for Isabella in front of everyone was what it took to keep her in my life, then I was ready for that battle. If claiming her publicly meant war with Lily and her supporters, then so be it.

The thing was, I couldn't explain what was happening to me. I had tried to stay away from Isabella, tried to stop thinking about her, tried to kick her out of my life and my castle. But the more I tried to resist her, the more desperately in love with her I became.

It wasn't just the mating bond – it was something deeper, something that felt supernatural. Like we were connected on a level that went beyond normal werewolf relationships.

"She's mine," I said aloud, testing how the words sounded. "Isabella is mine, and I'm not going to hide it anymore."

I made my way back to the courtyard, where a crowd was still gathered, whispering and gossiping about what they had just witnessed. When they saw me coming, most of them scattered, but Isabella remained where she was, standing tall and proud despite everything.

Lily was still there too, her face red with anger and humiliation.

"Nathan," Lily said, stepping toward me with tears in her eyes. "You can't be serious about this. She's just a servant girl. She's nothing!"

I looked at Lily for a long moment, really looked at her, and for the first time in three years, I saw her clearly. She wasn't my mate. She had never been my mate. Whatever had made me believe she was had been a lie.

"Isabella will have her own room in the main part of the castle," I announced loudly, making sure everyone could hear. "She will no longer be working as a servant."

"What does that mean?" Ethan had appeared from somewhere, his face still showing signs of the beating Isabella had given him. His nose was clearly broken, and there were dark bruises around his throat.

I looked at Ethan with suspicion. What the hell had happened to his face?

"It means," I said slowly, "that Isabella is going to be my official mistress."

The gasps from the crowd were audible. Having an official mistress wasn't unheard of for Alphas, but it was rare and usually controversial.

"A mistress?" Ethan questioned, his voice filled with disbelief. "Like a second Luna? Like a glorified sex slave?"

I felt my wolf stirring angrily at his crude words. "Watch your mouth," I warned.

"I would never agree to such a thing!" Lily shouted. "If you want a whore, then she can stay in the servants' quarters where she belongs!"

That's when I knew for certain that Lily didn't love me. A true mate would be heartbroken by this situation, not just angry about status and territory. She was more concerned about her position than about our supposed relationship.

I held up my hands for silence. "I said Isabella will live in the main castle and will be treated with the respect due to a second Luna."

But Isabella suddenly spoke up, her voice clear and strong. "I haven't accepted yet."

My heart stopped. I turned to look at her, afraid of what she might say next.

"I, Isabella Rodriguez, reject—" she began.

My mouth fell open and my eyes went wide. The thought of her rejecting me as her mate was terrifying beyond words.

"Are you going to reject me as your mate?" I interrupted, my voice cracking with emotion.

Isabella smirked and raised her eyebrows. "You haven't announced that we're mates yet, Nathan. You just called me your mistress."

Relief flooded through me so fast that I felt dizzy. "Fuck, Isabella, you scared me to death."

She continued, her voice firm and unwavering. "I refuse to be anyone's mistress. I refuse to be your dirty little secret."

Lily grabbed my arm, trying to drag me away from Isabella. "Come with me right now. You can't do this to me. You need to get rid of her immediately."

But Isabella spoke up again, and her next words changed everything.

"He can't get rid of me," she said calmly, "because I might be pregnant."

The silence that followed was deafening. Everyone in the courtyard was staring at us with shocked expressions.

"Pregnant?" I whispered, staring at Isabella in amazement.