Alpha Nathan Pov.

She immediately grimaced and inhaled deeply, her face falling with hurt and confusion at my unexpected words. "Really?" she asked quietly, her voice small and wounded. "You don't love me?"

I quickly jumped into my driver's seat and started up the car, driving fast while calling out loudly over the sound of the engine so she could hear every word clearly.

"I'm completely addicted to you, Isabella!" I shouted with passion and conviction. "I love you more than I love myself, more than my own life! You are everything to me!"

A few minutes later, as we were driving down the highway and I was thinking about how much I truly couldn't bear to let her be away from me for too long, I suddenly pulled her into my lap while continuing to drive, kissing her neck playfully with my tongue as I maneuvered the vehicle.

"Isabella, do you know that I want to make love to you right here and right now?" I said completely out of the blue, my voice filled with desire and spontaneity.

This wasn't because I was particularly aroused or horny in that moment, but simply because I wanted to experience everything with her, everywhere we went, in every possible way.

She made a perfect 'O' shape with her mouth in complete disbelief, her eyes widening with shock at my bold suggestion. "Really?" she exclaimed. "Nathan, that's absolutely insane! We're on a public highway!"

Her reaction only encouraged me further, and I made a dramatic U-turn with screeching tires, pulling over the car to the side of the highway where we would have some privacy.

Then I gently but firmly pushed her out of the driver's seat, stood up myself, and then carefully positioned her on her back in my seat. I licked the corner of my mouth with anticipation and desire. "Let's be completely insane then," I said with a wicked grin.

What happened next was truly incredible - I completely lost every inch of my sanity and rational thought as I lifted her legs up to rest on my shoulders, and together we shared what was probably the most passionate, intense public lovemaking session of our lives, even though we were completely hidden from view and not seen by anyone passing by.

It was absolutely scorching, unbelievable, and absolutely amazing in every possible way. I loved every second of it, and I especially loved the way she moaned my name while I was giving her all of my love, my heart, my soul, and my complete physical devotion, until we both reached our climax at exactly the same moment.

I had never in my entire life experienced such powerful, overwhelming emotions with anyone else, and with every single time I touched Isabella, I became more and more certain that my current Luna was nothing but a big lie and a political arrangement that I was absolutely ready to end very soon.

"This is what real love feels like," I thought as I held her close. "This is what I've been missing my whole life."

Once we had finished our incredible love session in the car, we both took time to adjust our clothes properly after I tenderly wiped away the extra fluid from her body with gentle care, and then she lovingly cleaned the sweat from my skin with soft napkins.

We both laughed heartily at our crazy, spontaneous love and the wild passion that had overcome us so completely.

She muttered with a soft chuckle, her hand resting on her stomach, "Nathan, my stomach is growling so loudly - I'm absolutely starving now after all that activity."

And so we made our way to the nearest restaurant, though unfortunately we were both so incredibly hungry that we couldn't afford to wait and travel all the way to the upscale restaurant I had originally made reservations at for us.

We practically jumped out of the car in our eagerness and barged through the doors of a small, cozy local restaurant.

But the moment we stepped inside the establishment, we both heard a scary, threatening voice clearly repeating the words "you're mine" that seemed to echo throughout the entire place, and the sound made both my heart and Isabella's heart stop beating for a terrifying moment.

I spun around quickly to see who was standing there, and man, what an unpleasant surprise it was! Of course I recognized her immediately!

But what totally caught me off guard was seeing her with my Beta, Ethan. It seriously looked like they had been following us around the whole time!

And for all I knew, maybe they were the ones who sent that mysterious gift! "Who else could it be?" I wondered to myself as my mind raced with possibilities.

The way they were standing there, looking at us with those expressions on their faces--it just didn't feel right at all.

But then I caught myself thinking these suspicious thoughts. "What am I even considering here? Ethan would never betray my trust like that!" I silently scolded myself.

He had been my loyal right-hand man for years, always watching my back, always giving me solid advice when I needed it.

There was absolutely no way he would go behind my back like this, especially with Lily of all people. He knew exactly how complicated that situation was.

But wait a minute--why was I so quick to defend him? Isabella had actually warned me about Ethan just last week, hadn't she?

She had pulled me aside after that pack meeting and whispered that something about him made her uneasy.

Come to think of it, Isabella seemed way more afraid to be alone with Ethan than she was about being with my Luna by herself! That was definitely saying something considering how Lily treated her.

"Remember how Isabella trembled when Ethan offered to drive her home?" I thought to myself. "She practically begged me to go with her instead."

Damn it all to hell! What kind of crazy thoughts were swirling around in my head right now? Was I seriously questioning my Beta's loyalty based on a hunch and some nervous behavior from Isabella?

I needed to get a grip on myself before I did something I'd regret. "Focus, Nathan," I muttered under my breath. "Don't jump to conclusions without evidence."

I snapped back to reality, pushing those troubling thoughts aside, and addressed my Luna with an icy tone that left no doubt about my feelings.

"What exactly are you doing here, Lily?" My voice was cold enough to freeze the summer air between us. I crossed my arms and waited for her response, already knowing I wouldn't like whatever excuse she was about to give me.

Lily folded her arms across her chest defensively and shot Isabella the most disgusted look I'd ever seen. If looks could kill, Isabella would have dropped dead right there.

Then Lily turned those fiery eyes back to me and practically spat out her words. "What am I doing here? Are you seriously asking me that question, Nathan?

Have you completely forgotten that I'm your Luna, not that worthless bitch standing next to you? Or do I need to remind you of your responsibilities to the pack and to me as your official mate?" Her voice dripped with venom as she glared at Isabella.

I immediately stepped toward Lily, my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white. I was ready to put her in her place once and for all, but Ethan quickly jumped between us before I could reach her.

"Please calm down, Alpha," he urged, placing a firm hand on my chest. "Remember where we are right now. You're the Alpha, and literally everyone in this restaurant knows exactly who you are.

You really can't afford to start a public scandal here--think about what that would do to the pack's reputation. Let's handle this more discreetly." His voice was steady and reasonable, which only irritated me more in that moment.

I didn't give a single damn about what Ethan was saying, especially when Lily decided to open her mouth again and practically shouted,

"SHE'S JUST A WORTHLESS BITCH WHO DOESN'T DESERVE TO BREATHE THE SAME AIR AS US! SHE'S NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING COMPARED TO ME!"