Chapter 29 Betrayal or Misunderstanding
LISA'S POV
I confronted Nathan in his quarters late that evening, with Daniel's evidence clutched in my hand. My Third, my friend, the person who had stood beside me through Viktor's attack and my exile and every moment of pain in between. The thought that he might betray me felt like the ground crumbling beneath my feet, like discovering the sky was actually falling on me.
Nathan's face went pale when he saw the papers, then defensive, his wolf rising to the surface in his eyes
"Let me explain," he said, his voice tight with emotion I could not immediately identify. "Please, Lisa. It is not what Daniel thinks."
"Then what is it?" I demanded, hating how my voice shook. "Because these communication logs show you have been in contact with Sophia since she left with Viktor. Secret messages, hidden conversations, I am shocked. Explain that, Nathan."
He ran his hands through his hair in frustration which made his movements jerky and agitated. When he finally spoke, the words came out in a rush.
"Sophia has been threatening to expose pack secrets unless I help her get information about your emotional state and relationship with Ryan," Nathan admitted, meeting my eyes with painful honesty. "She wants to know if you are vulnerable, if Ryan is losing you, if there is an opening for Viktor to exploit if he decides to break his truce. She threatened to reveal things that could destroy pack alliances, Lisa. Things about Alpha Marcus's deals with rogues, his financial corruption, about secrets that would shatter everything you have worked to build."
I stared at him, processing information that changed my understanding like puzzle pieces rearranging.
"So you gave her information about me?" I asked, trying to understand betrayal that sounded like protection.
"I fed her false information," Nathan corrected, his voice now gaining strength. "Lies designed to make her think you are stronger than you feel, that Ryan is closer to winning you back than he actually is, that the pack is more unified than the reality. I have been gathering evidence of her plots, documenting every threat, building a case we can use against her if she breaks the exile terms."
"Why did you not tell me?" The question came out softer than I intended, hurt leaking through despite my best efforts at Alpha composure.
"Because you were dealing with everything else," Nathan said simply. "Viktor's attack, Emma's recovery, and Ryan's desperate attempts to fix what he broke, even Adrian's courtship weren’t left out. You did not need another burden or another betrayal to manage. I thought I could handle this quietly, protect you without adding to your stress."
I wanted to believe him. Desperately. But trust was complicated right now, my ability to discern genuine protection from manipulation damaged by too many people claiming to act in my best interest while actually serving their own agendas.
"Show me the communications," I said, keeping my voice level. "All of them. If you are telling the truth, the messages will prove it."
Nathan hesitated, and for a moment I thought he would refuse.
"Some of the messages include my private thoughts about you," he warned, his voice rough. "Feelings I was not ready to share. But if seeing them is what you need to trust me again, then yes. I will show you everything."
He pulled out his phone with hands that trembled slightly, scrolling through encrypted messages before handing the device to me. I read through conversations that confirmed his story, Sophia's threats explicit and cruel, Nathan's responses carefully crafted to mislead while appearing cooperative.
But woven through the strategic deception were other messages, Nathan's private notes to himself that he had apparently forgotten to delete. Painful admissions that made my heart clench with sympathy and complicated grief.
"I know she will never be mine. The mate bond ensures that. But I can still protect her, still be there when Ryan fails her again."
"Watching her with Adrian hurts worse than I imagined. But if he makes her happy, if he gives her what Ryan cannot, then I will support it. Her happiness matters more than my feelings."
"I have been in love with Lisa for over a year, long before Ryan completed their mate bond. I know it is hopeless. Doesn't make it hurt less."
The words blurred as tears filled my eyes. Nathan had been suffering in silence, loving me while knowing it was hopeless, protecting me while his own heart broke. I looked up from the phone to find him watching me with vulnerability, all his carefully constructed walls demolished because he was trying to prove his innocence.
"Nathan," I whispered, reaching up to touch his face gently. "I care about you deeply. You have been my anchor through all of this, my friend when I had no one else. But..."
"But I am not your mate," Nathan finished for me, his voice rough with emotion he could no longer hide. "I know, Lisa. I have always known. The bond chose Ryan before either of us had a say. Doesn't make it hurt less, knowing that destiny decided my feelings were irrelevant."
A single tear tracked down his cheek, and I caught it with my thumb, wishing I could take away his pain the way he had tried so hard to take away mine.
"I am sorry," I said, meaning it with every fiber of my being. "You deserve someone who can love you without reservations, without the complications of mate bonds and pack politics. You deserve to be chosen first."
"So do you," Nathan said softly, covering my hand with where it rested against his face. "That is all I wanted for you, Lisa. To be chosen freely, not because destiny said so."
Footsteps pounded down the hallway, urgent and fast, shattering the intimacy like glass breaking.
Adrian appeared in the doorway looking troubled.
"Lisa, I need your help," he said, slightly breathless. "My father has collapsed back in Western Pack territory. Heart attack. He is stable but critical. I have to return immediately to take emergency leadership until he recovers."
The request I had been avoiding for days suddenly transformed into something different. This was not about romance or courtship or choosing between mates. This was about one leader asking another for support during a crisis.
"I am coming with you," I said without hesitation. "You should not face this alone."
Adrian looked relieved, it made him look younger and more vulnerable than I had ever seen him. "Thank you. We leave in an hour."
I turned to Nathan, squeezing his hand once before letting go. "We will talk more when I return. And Nathan? Thank you for protecting me, even when it cost you."
He nodded, unable to speak past the emotion clogging his throat.
I walked quickly toward my quarters to pack, my mind racing through everything I needed to arrange before leaving Moonstone. Daniel could handle day-to-day operations. Emma was fully recovered enough to help. The pack could survive without me for a few days.
Ryan stepped into my path before I reached my door.
His green eyes blazed with emotions too complicated to name. He had obviously heard about Adrian's father, about my decision to leave, and the mate bond between us pulsed with his fury and fear and desperate heartbreak.
"If you leave with him, I will not wait here like a fool," Ryan said, his voice low and dangerous. "You want space? Fine. But do not expect me to watch you fall in love with someone else."