Alpha Nathan Pov.

I gently pulled her against my chest and laughed warmly at her innocent reaction, finding her surprise absolutely adorable.

"That fast?" I said with amusement. "Well, I honestly don't know for certain, sweetheart. Maybe you are, maybe you're not - who knows?

But we certainly have been making love like a hundred times over the last few days, so there's definitely a possibility."

I wasn't completely sure about the pregnancy, but I was just making an educated guess based on how she had been looking lately.

I had noticed that she appeared somewhat pale and had gotten even skinnier than usual, though I didn't mind her tiny, delicate frame at all - in fact, I found it incredibly appealing.

I had known from the very beginning that she wasn't conventionally beautiful in the same way that my current Luna was, but true beauty wasn't just about surface appearances and physical perfection.

Real beauty came from the inside as well, from a person's heart and soul and character, and Isabella was honestly the purest, most genuinely good person I had ever encountered in my entire life.

Not to mention that she had completely captured my heart and soul from the very first moment I laid eyes on her, even when she was dirty and disheveled from her difficult circumstances.

I wrapped my arms securely around her waist, holding her close to me and breathing in her sweet scent.

"Let's go right now and get some proper food in you," I said decisively. "And then we can head back to the castle when we're ready.

By the way, I need you to understand something important - when we're around other people, I want you to say that you're my personal assistant, okay? Just my assistant, nothing more than that for now."

She pursed her lips together, and I could see various emotions crossing her face - shock, maybe some humiliation, or perhaps she simply hadn't expected me to ask something like that of her.

Before I could properly explain my reasoning and reassure her that this was only temporary, she looked at me with hurt in her eyes and asked,

"Nathan, do you mean you want me to tell everyone that I'm nothing more than your assistant? What kind of professional assistant shares a bed with her Alpha? And besides, everyone at the castle already knows about our relationship - it's not exactly a secret anymore!"

I quickly linked my arm through hers and began walking with her out of the lake house, wanting to explain myself while we moved.

"Isabella, listen to me carefully," I said gently. "I mean that you should say that to any strangers we might encounter, okay?

This is just for right now, just temporarily until I can find a proper solution for how to reveal everything about our relationship and your true identity.

You have to understand that I must, sooner or later, arrange a meeting with your father and tell him that we are true mates. That's going to be a very delicate situation that requires careful planning."

As I explained my reasoning, she nodded in understanding, and I felt my heart flutter with happiness in my chest as I realized that she understood I wasn't just planning to keep her safe and protected next to me.

I had already made the firm decision that I would eventually face everyone - my Pack, her father, all the political complications - and fight for our relationship no matter what the consequences might be.

"She knows I'm serious about us," I thought with relief. "She knows this isn't just some temporary arrangement."

She agreed immediately without any further hesitation, her voice filled with love and trust. "Yes, of course, Nathan," she said warmly. "Anything for you. I'll do whatever you think is best for our situation."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly, then pulled back to look into her eyes. "And I would do anything for you too, my love," I said sincerely.

"Actually, can I ask you for a special favor right now? Something that might seem a little silly but would make me very happy?"

I gently pinned her against the passenger door of my car, looking down at her with a playful expression.

"Isabella, can I take you on a tour on my back, just like we did in our early days together? Would you let me give you a piggyback ride?

I know it might seem childish, but I want to recapture some of that innocent fun we had when we first met."

She giggled lightly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she tried to determine whether I was being serious or just joking around with her.

"Nathan, are you actually serious about this?" she asked, her voice filled with delighted disbelief. "You want to carry me on your back like we're a couple of teenagers?"

I nodded enthusiastically, my expression completely serious despite the playful nature of my request.

"Very serious," I confirmed. "Isabella, I want to have genuine fun with you - our relationship isn't just about sex and physical intimacy, even though that's incredible between us.

Our life together is so much more beautiful and meaningful than just the physical aspect. And I want to make up to you somehow for being rough with you earlier when I was upset about that gift."

I gently grabbed her hand and helped her climb up onto my back, adjusting her position until she was comfortable and secure.

"Here we go, sweetheart," I said with excitement in my voice. "I can run incredibly fast - did you know that about me?

I'm going to show you just how quickly I can move, but I want to warn you about my speed first so you're prepared."

I was well known throughout the werewolf community as the quickest werewolf that had ever existed, and I was able to maintain that incredible speed even when I was in my human form rather than my wolf form.

She tightened her grip around my shoulders and said with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, "Okay, Nathan, show me what you can do. I trust you completely."

Her words of trust and encouragement only motivated me to run faster and faster, pushing my supernatural speed to its limits as I decided to travel all the way to the next town without bothering to use our car.

The wind whipped through our hair as I moved with inhuman speed through the forest paths. However, after several minutes of this exhilarating journey, she suddenly became frightened, as if she had seen a ghost or something equally terrifying.

"Stop! Please stop right now!" she called out urgently, her voice filled with genuine fear.

I immediately halted my movement, coming to a complete stop and carefully setting her down on her feet before turning to face her with concern.

"Isabella, what's going on?" I asked worriedly, searching her face for clues about what had frightened her so badly. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you somehow? Are you feeling sick?"

She was panting heavily and shivering with what appeared to be genuine terror, her whole body trembling as she tried to catch her breath.

"Nathan, please turn around right now," she said urgently, her voice shaking with fear. "You've passed into the territory that belongs to the rogue Pack. Please, we need to go back immediately before something terrible happens to us."

I carefully put her down on her feet and used my enhanced senses to search the area with my eyes, trying to determine exactly where we were and whether there was any real danger present.

After a moment of assessment, I looked back at her with confusion. "Isabella, who exactly told you that this Pack territory belongs to rogues?" I asked, genuinely puzzled by her reaction. "Where did you get that information?"

She nervously fiddled with her fingers, still speaking in a shaking, terrified tone that broke my heart to hear.

"My mother told me that," she explained, her voice barely above a whisper. "She used to threaten me constantly, saying she would sell me to the Alpha of this Pack to be his slave if I didn't behave properly. She made it sound like this place was filled with the most dangerous, violent rogues imaginable."

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, feeling confused because I knew for a fact that this particular Pack territory actually belonged to one of my closest friends and allies.

He definitely wasn't a rogue by any stretch of the imagination - quite the opposite, actually.

"Isabella, your mother was completely wrong about this," I said gently, wanting to reassure her.

"The Alpha who rules this Pack is actually a very good friend of mine, and he's a decent, honorable person.

Yes, he can be harsh and strict when it comes to enforcing rules and maintaining order, and he does use severe punishments for those who truly deserve them, but he's not a cruel person or a killer.

He's just very serious about protecting his Pack and maintaining discipline."

She widened her eyes in disbelief, still looking terrified and unconvinced by my reassurances. "Nathan, are you absolutely sure about that?" she asked anxiously.

"Can't we please just go back the way we came? I don't want to take any chances with our safety."

"Of course, sweetheart," I said immediately, not wanting to cause her any more distress or anxiety.

"Let's go back and take the car to the restaurant instead. And while we're out, I want to buy several things for you too - some items that you'll need for staying at the castle with me."

Her curiosity was immediately piqued, and she looked at me with interest. "Like what kinds of things?" she asked as we began walking back together at a normal pace until we reached my car.

"What do you think I need that I don't already have?"

"Well, for starters, you need several sets of nice clothes that are appropriate for living in the castle," I replied thoughtfully.

"And you definitely need some proper underwear and sleepwear - you can't just sleep naked every night, even though I certainly enjoy that view." I grinned at her playfully, making her blush prettily.

She suggested an alternative solution, "Nathan, can't we just go back to the lake house and get my clothes from there? I do have some belongings that would work perfectly fine for what you're describing."

I disagreed with her suggestion immediately, shaking my head firmly. "No, Isabella, you need to keep some clothes at the castle too," I explained.

"We're going to be coming back to the lake house every weekend for our private time together, so you'll need wardrobes in both places. I want you to be comfortable and have everything you need no matter where we are."

Her face lit up with joy and excitement, and she cheerfully and enthusiastically kissed my cheek with pure happiness.

"Nathan, I love you so much," she said, her voice filled with genuine emotion and gratitude. "I love how thoughtful you are, and I love how you're planning our future together."

I opened the passenger door for her, wanting to be a gentleman but also because I had the strong desire to hide her from the eyes of other people and keep her as my precious secret until I could properly settle all the complicated political and family issues that surrounded our relationship.

"Isabella, I need to tell you something," I said, pausing dramatically as I helped her into the car. "I don't love you."