Isabella Pov.

I considered his question for a long moment before answering truthfully. "No. There's no point dwelling on paths not taken. This is our reality now, and no amount of wishful thinking will change it."

I wasn't angry or heartbroken anymore - those emotions required an investment I was no longer willing to make.

I was simply existing day by day, waiting patiently for the next chapter of my life to begin with the arrival of my baby.

That's all that mattered to me now - my child and our future together.

"This baby is the only good thing to come from all of this," I told Nathan when he placed his hand on my growing belly. "The only part of you worth holding onto."

I saw the hurt flash across his face but felt nothing in response - no satisfaction, no regret, just a calm acceptance of the truth in my words.

I had considered returning to my father's territory, but truthfully, I wanted to give Nathan one final opportunity to correct his egregious mistakes - not for my benefit, but for the innocent child growing inside me.

I couldn't bear the thought of my baby growing up without knowing its father, without having that connection that I'd been denied for so much of my own life.

"I'm not doing this for you," I explained when he asked why I stayed after everything. "I'm doing it for our child. Every baby deserves a chance to know both parents, to be loved by both parents. I won't take that away unless you force my hand."

I didn't want my child to experience the same miserable upbringing I had endured.

Growing up with an absent father and later, a terrible stepmother had caused wounds that never fully healed.

Living with a cruel or neglectful parent figure was something I wouldn't wish on anyone, especially not my own flesh and blood.

So, for one last time, I was prepared to sacrifice my own happiness for my baby's wellbeing.

Not for myself - never again for myself - but for my child. And I knew with absolute certainty that I would never regret making this sacrifice.

"Sometimes being a parent means putting your child's needs above your own desires," I whispered to my belly late one night.

"And I promise you, little one, I will always, always put you first - even when it hurts, even when it's hard."

But I realize now how naive and innocent I was to believe that his Luna would simply accept the situation without retaliation.

It was as if she had been patiently waiting for me to recover from my injuries, biding her time until I could walk again, only to break me once more in a different way.

"You're a fool if you think she's just going to let you stay here," Ethan had warned me once when he caught me alone.

"Lily doesn't share what she considers hers, and that includes Nathan."

I had dismissed his warning, believing myself beyond further harm. "She can't hurt me anymore," I'd told him confidently. "There's nothing left in me to break."

His expression had been pitying as he replied, "Everyone has something left to lose, Isabella. Everyone."

Yes, that very day, Nathan had left early to attend some important pack meetings, promising he would return in time for dinner.

"I'll be back before dark," he assured me, his hand lingering on the doorframe. "Try to rest while I'm gone. Doctor's orders."

He smiled tentatively, and for just a moment, I almost smiled back before catching myself.

"I think I can manage to survive a few hours without your hovering," I replied dryly, turning away to hide the momentary softening in my expression.

I volunteered to prepare dinner for him, a gesture of goodwill after he had taken care of me for so long.

I didn't want to completely destroy our relationship in case we decided to reconcile for our baby's sake in the future.

"I'll make that venison stew you like," I called after him. "The one with the juniper berries."

He paused, looking back at me with surprise. "You don't have to do that, Isabella."

I shrugged, trying to appear casual. "I know. I want to. Go handle your Alpha business - dinner will be ready when you get back."

I was determined not to let hatred or thoughts of revenge consume me and lead me down a destructive path.

I wanted to reclaim some of the kindness and generosity that used to define me before all this happened.

"I won't let this change who I am at my core," I promised myself as I prepared the meal.

"I won't become bitter and cruel just because I've been treated badly. My child deserves a mother who chooses love over hate, even when it's difficult."

So, with genuine enthusiasm, I was finally able to walk freely in the garden, feeling the earth beneath my bare feet for the first time in weeks.

The sensation was absolutely liberating! I swayed my hips rhythmically and twirled in spontaneous dance movements, feeling truly cheerful while breathing in the gentle breeze that made my hair dance wildly around my face.

"This is what freedom feels like," I thought, spreading my arms wide and tilting my face toward the sun.

"This is what happiness could be - simple moments like this, without complications, without pain."

My pregnancy was still in its early stages, my belly just beginning to show the slightest curve.

I estimated I was only about three months along at that point.

After enjoying the garden, I returned to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner, completely unaware of Lily's machinations.

I had no idea how she had so calmly instructed the servants to let me demonstrate my cooking skills to them.

"I'd love to see what specialties Isabella can prepare," she had told them with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's so important that we all get along, for the sake of the pack and the children."

I should have been immediately suspicious of her unusually pleasant smile and eerily calm demeanor, but I was too caught up in my own contentment, feeling as though I had my own kitchen in my own home.

"This feels nice," I commented to one of the kitchen staff who was watching me work.

"Creating something with my own hands, following my mother's old recipes. It reminds me of simpler times."

The servant had nodded politely, though I noticed her exchanging a strange look with another staff member that I didn't understand at the time.

The moment Nathan arrived home, I was just leaving the kitchen, proudly carrying the main dish I had prepared.

He glanced uncomfortably between me and his Luna, clearly uncertain how to appropriately greet both of us in the same space.

The tension in the air was palpable as he hesitated, caught between two worlds that couldn't peacefully coexist.

"Welcome home, Alpha," Lily said sweetly, approaching him with open arms. "We've been waiting for you."

He kissed Lily's cheek affectionately and then awkwardly nodded in my direction, saying simply, "Hi, Isabella."

Can you believe his audacity? After sleeping beside me every night for weeks, after all the intimate moments we'd shared, he acted as if we were barely acquaintances!

"Are you kidding me right now?" I wanted to shout. "After everything we've been through, that's all you have to say to me?"

But I held my tongue, refusing to give Lily the satisfaction of seeing me upset.

I shrugged indifferently, responding with a flat, "Okay, hi. Dinner is ready."

My tone was bitter, but I didn't bother throwing either of them a contemptuous look. What would be the point? It wouldn't change anything.

"I made your favorite," I added, addressing Nathan directly. "Though I'm not sure you deserve it."

I set the dish down perhaps a bit more forcefully than necessary, taking small satisfaction in the way both of them flinched at the sound.

His Luna whispered something into his ear, and then he turned back to me with exaggerated interest.

"Oh, so you prepared this entirely by yourself, Isabella?" He sounded as if he was both trying to confirm this fact and expressing genuine admiration.

"That's impressive, especially given your condition." His patronizing tone made my skin crawl, as if cooking a meal while pregnant was some kind of miraculous achievement.

I answered curtly, "Yes." What else was there to say? Should I have beamed with pride at his condescending praise?

Should I have thanked him for noticing my basic competence? The anger I thought I'd moved beyond began simmering again beneath the surface, threatening to boil over despite my best intentions.

Then Nathan snapped his fingers imperiously at the waiting servants, ordering, "Okay, serve the food now. I'm absolutely starving."

Throughout this exchange, he never once removed his hands from his Luna, their bodies pressed together as if they were physically fused, his arms wrapped possessively around her waist.

It was as if I were completely invisible to him - not a person with feelings, not the mother of his child, but merely a piece of furniture in the room.

"Did you have a productive day, my love?" he asked Lily, completely ignoring my presence. "I missed you terribly while I was gone."

I walked quickly to the dining room, watching with growing resentment as Nathan gallantly pulled out a chair for his Luna, seating her right beside him at the head of the table.

I huffed audibly and focused my attention on my empty plate, waiting impatiently for the meal I had worked so hard to prepare to be served.

"Don't react," I told myself firmly. "That's exactly what she wants - to see you hurt, to see you jealous. Don't give her the satisfaction."

I took deep breaths, one hand resting protectively over my barely-there baby bump.

Within minutes of the food being served, Lily dramatically clutched her stomach and began crying and moaning theatrically,

"Oh my god! I think I'm dying!" She could barely get the words out between her exaggerated gasps of pain, her performance worthy of a stage actress.

"Nathan! Something's wrong! The food... I think... I can't breathe!" She collapsed against him, eyes wide with fabricated terror.

I immediately stood up, genuinely shocked and concerned - that's how naive I still was!

My first instinct was to help her, to see what was wrong, medical training from my father's pack kicking in automatically.

"Lily? What's happening? Can you tell me where the pain is?" I moved toward her, hands outstretched, genuinely concerned despite our history.

"Let me help you - I know some healing techniques that might help."

But then Beta Ethan swooped in, grabbing Lily's plate and making a great show of sniffing it suspiciously.

With a dramatic flourish, he hurled it to the floor, shattering the fine china and sending food splattering across the tiles.

"There's poison in this food!" he declared loudly, his accusatory glare fixed directly on me.

"Why would you do something so despicable, Isabella? Trying to harm our Luna and her unborn child? Have you no shame?"

His eyes bored into me with a combination of manufactured outrage and what looked disturbingly like satisfaction.

I began trembling uncontrollably, turning desperately to Nathan, trying to make him understand the truth.

"I swear on my life, I did nothing wrong! Please, let me eat from the same food to prove it! I would never harm anyone, especially not an innocent child!"

I took a hesitant step toward Nathan, desperate for him to believe me, to defend me against these outrageous accusations.

"Nathan, you know me - you know I wouldn't do this! This is obviously a setup!" My voice cracked with the intensity of my plea, my hands shaking as I reached out to him.

But instead of listening, Nathan violently cleared the dining table with one sweeping motion, sending dishes and food flying everywhere.

He lifted his supposedly ailing Luna into his arms, bellowing for medical assistance.

"SOMEONE GET THE DOCTOR NOW! MY LUNA HAS BEEN POISONED!" His voice thundered through the dining hall, causing everyone to scramble in panic.