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.

I remained silent, fixated on their intertwined fingers. A wave of nausea swept over me.

The hospital room was cloaked in an unsettling silence. Suddenly, the phone rang sharply. It was Kasen Ruiz’s phone. As soon as he answered, my father’s voice, filled with fury, boomed through the room.

Unlike the gentle and cautious way he usually spoke to me, my father, Mustafa Sullivan, the Alpha of the Crimson Fang Pack, was a seasoned and commanding leader. His tone was sharp, laced with the unmistakable authority of an Alpha, the kind that made even the strongest wolves bow their heads.

“Beta Kasen,” he began, his voice low and dangerous, “I entrusted my daughter to you, not for her to be neglected.”

The air grew heavier, the weight of my father’s aura pressing down on the room. Kasen stiffened, his grip on Juliet’s hand tightening.

“You accepted the resources I provided, so you must fulfill your responsibilities. If I hear again that my daughter ended up in the hospital alone…” His voice trailed off, the threat hanging in the air like a storm about to break.

“Don’t expect me to be so accommodating.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Even Juliet, a Delta warrior with her own strong aura, seemed to shrink under the intensity of my father’s words.

My father had always been a protector, offering Kasen lucrative projects and opportunities within the pack to secure my future. He had insisted that Kasen treat me well, but now, it seemed, those words had fallen on deaf ears.

Comments scrolled across the screen of my phone, each one a tiny dagger to my already fragile heart.

[Why so high and mighty? Isn’t the supporting character supposed to help the protagonist?]

[Thinking money could secure the protagonist’s future is just wishful thinking.]

[Once the protagonist reaches the top of the pack hierarchy, the supporting character’s family will be left in the dust!]

I clenched my fists, the bitterness rising in my throat. My father, the Alpha, had done everything to ensure Kasen’s loyalty, yet here we were. Kasen, the Beta of the Silver Moon Pack, had once vowed to protect me, to stand by my side as my mate. But now, his words from moments ago kept ringing in my ears. He was weary.

I could still hear the way he had said it, the weariness in his voice as he stood there, Juliet by his side. My wolf stirred weakly in the back of my mind, a soft whimper of pain echoing my own.

I looked at Kasen, his broad frame towering over me, his dark eyes avoiding mine. He had once been my strength, my protector. But now, he felt like a stranger, his loyalty divided, his promises broken.

The room felt colder, the weight of my father’s words still lingering. I knew what was coming, what had to come. But for now, I remained silent, the storm of emotions raging within me, waiting to break.

Kasen’s eyes flickered with unease before he finally relented, his voice heavy with reluctant agreement. “I promise, this is the last time.” From the shadows, Juliet’s piercing gaze locked onto mine, burning with defiance. Hearing Kasen’s words, my father, Alpha Mustafa Sullivan of the Crimson Fang Pack, visibly relaxed, his dominant aura softening just slightly. He smoothed things over with Kasen by offering him a lucrative project—a gesture that would secure Kasen’s position as Beta of the Silver Moon Pack and, by extension, my future. Yet, even with this opportunity, Kasen remained distant. He avoided Juliet’s stare and turned to me, his tone earnest. “If you’re upset, I’ll set boundaries with her. I’ll handle everything through my assistant. Does that sound okay?”

I didn’t respond, but Juliet, who had been so confident in her innocence moments ago, suddenly looked at me with tear-filled eyes, playing the victim. She muttered several apologies before running off. Kasen didn’t chase after her, but his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, his inner wolf no doubt wrestling with conflicting instincts.

In silence, he rolled a chair over for me and gently draped his jacket over my shoulders. “Even though it’s spring, there’s still a chill in the air. Be careful not to catch a cold.” He always showed this kind of meticulous care, and despite myself, I felt a small flutter in my chest—a fleeting warmth that was quickly extinguished.

But then I saw the online comments, and a wave of coldness swept over me.

“Poor Kasen, trapped under the antagonist’s thumb.”

“He even had protection ready, but it was all thwarted by the frail girl.”

“If only she realized, Kasen and the protagonist could be happy!”

Tentatively, I reached into Kasen’s pocket and, as expected, found an unopened pack of condoms. Given my health issues and the frailty of my wolf, it had been a long time since we’d been close. The discovery felt like a dagger to the chest, a reminder of how far we’d drifted.

As I continued taking deep breaths, Kasen looked at me, puzzled, asking what was wrong. I simply shook my head calmly, not shedding a tear. It turns out, when your heartache reaches its peak, it leaves you speechless. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a faint echo of the pain I couldn’t voice. But I ignored her, focusing instead on the cold, hard reality before me. Kasen might still be here, but his loyalty—his heart—was no longer mine.