During my hundredth hospital stay, I stumbled upon the comments section online. It was then I understood my role—forever the frail Omega marked for an early exit while my mate, Kasen Ruiz, Beta of the Silver Moon Pack, played the hero. As I lay unconscious in a hospital bed, Kasen was busy being the knight in shining armor for the insecure Delta warrior, Juliet Payne, whom he supported financially. Even when I was rushed to the ICU for emergency care, he still had a condom in his pocket, ready for a rendezvous with her.

The comment section was a chorus, wishing me gone, eager to see Kasen unshackled. Eventually, I granted their wish—I left Kasen’s world one autumn. But Kasen lost his mind, forever stuck in that autumn.

When Kasen burst into the hospital room, his hair humorously tangled with colorful birthday streamers, he remained oblivious to them. Anxiously, he urged the nurse to remove the needle gently. As soon as the needle left my skin, he wasted no time switching spots with the nurse, tenderly pressing the needle mark himself, his head bowed in guilt.

“It’s my fault for not being around,” he murmured, his Beta authority softening into a plea. “Pack duties had me tied up, and I missed your messages. Can you forgive me this time?”

In the air, a text flashed:

[Today is the lead girl’s first birthday celebration, what's the supporting girl up to?]

[He left the party halfway to be with the supporting girl. Waiting for the lead to regret losing her true love.]

I pulled my hand away and glanced at my phone. My plea for help was ignored in the chat thread. He claimed he was busy, yet he had posted a story, forgetting to block me from viewing it. In the video, he held Juliet close, protecting her from the shower of streamers, wishing her a happy birthday with a fond grin. His inner wolf, Shadow, would have been proud of his protective stance, though I could only imagine it.

And what was I doing then? Right, at that moment, my heart was betraying me, leaving me breathless and in pain. The man who vowed to guard me forever was preoccupied with another woman, insisting he was just too busy with pack responsibilities.

I reached out, brushing the streamers from Kasen’s hair. My tone was calm and genuine, though my wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind. “Tables at The Crescent are hard to book, especially for a Beta. How did you manage to get back so soon?”

I locked my gaze onto his eyes, capturing every flicker of emotion. “Will Juliet be upset?”

The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken tension. His silence was answer enough.

As messages filled with blame towards me flashed across the screen, I felt a rising frustration.

["The protagonist has already stepped back; what more does she want?"]

["Juliet doesn’t come from a prominent pack. It’s her first birthday celebration, so wouldn’t it make sense for Beta Kasen to be with her as her sponsor?"]

Kasen fiddled with his phone, looking uneasy, and quickly erased a post from his Instagram. His apology to me was quiet, but his tone still defended Juliet, the Delta warrior he had recently decided to support.

"You know, this is Juliet’s first time ever having her own birthday cake," he reasoned calmly, his deep voice carrying the weight of his Beta status. "She looks up to me like I’m her hero. If I don’t attend, it would really disappoint her. She’s not like you; she hasn’t experienced any of life’s pleasures. Since I chose to help her, I feel obligated to stick to it."

Kasen’s words were sincere, but Juliet’s tough situation wasn’t my responsibility. Why should I be the one to pay the price? I scrolled through my phone, pulling up a document, enlarging it for Kasen to see. My frail hands trembled slightly, a reminder of my weak constitution.

"My father, Alpha Mustafa, sponsors thousands of students every year, and I’ve never had to show up to each one’s birthday just because I’m their sponsor."

"So why is she so special that she needs you with her all the time?"

Messages kept pouring across the screen.

["The antagonist is just causing drama; the protagonist will continue to drift apart from her."]

["The protagonist and the antagonist were meant for each other; nothing beats a knight-in-shining-armor romance!"]

Kasen was momentarily taken aback, his broad shoulders stiffening as he prepared to counter my argument. The aura of a Beta, commanding yet conflicted, radiated from him. Then there was a knock on the hospital room door, interrupting the tension.

I glanced at the door, my heart pounding. My wolf stirred faintly in the back of my mind, a quiet whisper of unease. I could feel the weight of Kasen’s presence, the way his dominance filled the room, yet it no longer brought me comfort. Instead, it felt suffocating, a reminder of how far we’d drifted apart.

Kasen turned towards the door, his expression shifting to one of mild irritation. "Who is it?" he called out, his voice carrying the subtle authority of his rank.

The door creaked open, and a nurse stepped in, her eyes respectfully averted. "Miss, your father’s assistant, Valentina, is here to see you," she said softly, her tone deferential.

I nodded, my throat tight. Kasen’s gaze flicked back to me, his dark eyes searching my face for a reaction. I avoided his stare, focusing instead on the nurse. "Send her in," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

As the nurse stepped aside, Valentina entered the room, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the storm raging inside me. She bowed her head slightly in Kasen’s direction, acknowledging his rank, before turning to me. "Miss, your father has arranged everything. He’s waiting for your return," she said, her voice gentle but firm.

Kasen’s jaw tightened, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. He knew what this meant—my father, Alpha Mustafa, was stepping in. The weight of his authority, even from a distance, was enough to make Kasen hesitate.

I took a deep breath, my wolf’s whisper growing fainter. "Thank you, Valentina," I said, my voice soft but resolute. "Tell my father I’ll be ready soon."

Juliet stepped into the room, her cheeks streaked with tears, her posture trembling with fragility. She approached me with a hesitant bow, her head lowered in a gesture of submission that was almost too perfect. Her scent—rosemary, sharp and poignant—filled the space, a reminder of her presence in Kasen’s life.

“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” she said, her voice quivering with a fragility that felt rehearsed. “I shouldn’t have taken so much of Beta Kasen’s time. There’s nothing between us, truly.”

Her words were smooth, practiced, but her eyes flickered to Kasen for a fleeting moment, a silent plea for validation. When she turned back to me, her eyes were wide, brimming with tears, her sincerity almost convincing.

“I’m inexperienced, and Beta Kasen only felt sorry for me. He spent Thanksgiving with me out of pity. Please don’t be upset with him because of me.”

She wore a Victorian-style dress, the kind that made her look delicate and out of place in the modern world of our pack. It felt like a performance, her attempt to seek forgiveness while subtly staking her claim.

The live comments on the screen beside me exploded with reactions.

“Why is she inserting herself between the Beta and his mate? Can’t she see she’s the problem?”

“He’s been supporting her for months. Isn’t that enough?”

Watching Juliet’s pitiful attempt to leave, Kasen’s composure cracked—a rare sight. My memories of him were of a man always in control, his alpha aura steady and commanding. The last time I saw him this unraveled was when I was rushed to the pack hospital for my heart condition. Back then, he was a mess, his eyes bloodshot, his voice breaking as he stayed by my side for three days and nights. When I finally woke up, he knelt beside me, his voice thick with relief as he vowed to always protect me.

So why was he implying he was being pressured now?

Now, the man who once focused solely on me was holding another girl’s hand, his voice heavy with resignation.

“Charlotte, I’m tired,” he said, his alpha tone softer than usual, but still carrying the weight of his rank. “Juliet reminded me of who I used to be. I just wanted to help her.”

His words stung, but it was the way he looked at her—protective, almost affectionate—that cut deeper.

“Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”

Juliet’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, her posture shrinking as if she were a wounded omega seeking refuge. But there was a glint of something else in her gaze—a subtle triumph that made my wolf growl softly in the back of my mind.

*He’s falling for her act,* my wolf whispered, her voice laced with bitterness. *Don’t let her win.*

But as I stood there, feeling the weight of Kasen’s words and the weight of my own frailty, I couldn’t help but wonder if she already had.