The sting of humiliation lingered in the air, sharp and unrelenting, as I watched Milana’s face pale under the weight of my indifference. She deserved it, after all. She had dared to entertain the idea of another male, as if I, Leon Jackson, Alpha of the Blackmoon Pack, wasn’t enough for her. The mere thought of her considering another’s number made my wolf bristle with irritation, though I kept my expression cool, detached, as befitting my rank.

Three days earlier, we had been at a pack gathering, the kind where alliances were subtly tested and hierarchies reinforced. Keegan, my Beta and confidant, had approached Milana with his usual meddlesome concern. I had been nearby, engaging in idle conversation with the Gamma of a neighboring pack, though my attention was never far from her.

“Milana, are you still unmated?” Keegan’s voice carried across the room, loud enough to draw my attention but not so loud as to be improper.

Milana, ever the poised Beta, managed a tight smile. “Why? Planning on setting me up?”

Her tone was light, but I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers tightened around her glass. Keegan, oblivious or perhaps deliberately ignoring her discomfort, nodded eagerly. “I know someone great. He’s an alumnus of our pack’s training program, a Delta in the Silverfang Pack. I mentioned you to him recently, and he’s very interested.”

My jaw tightened, but I kept my expression neutral, my Alpha mask firmly in place. Milana, however, didn’t look at me. Instead, she shook her head politely. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Keegan persisted, his voice carrying a note of exasperation. “Milana, you were the star of the research division back in the day, and yet you haven’t had a mate for years. Doesn’t your family pressure you?”

Pressure? I knew the answer to that. Her family, like every werewolf family, expected her to find her mate, to solidify her place in the pack. But she hadn’t, because I hadn’t allowed it. For three years, I had kept her close, my secret, my hidden treasure. And yet, here she was, entertaining the idea of another male, as if I hadn’t claimed her in every way that mattered.

Milana’s eyes flicked toward me briefly, and I saw the flicker of hope, the unspoken plea for me to intervene. But I remained silent, my gaze cold and unyielding. She bit her lip, her voice soft but firm. “At the moment, I’m not looking to start a relationship or bond with anyone.”

Keegan sighed, shaking his head. “Milana, you’re in your prime, tirelessly working as the Alpha’s assistant. A man should settle down, and a woman should wed; shouldn’t you let her go?”

That last sentence was directed at me, and I felt the weight of it settle on my shoulders. I turned slightly, my eyes narrowing as I regarded Keegan with a cool, dismissive gaze. “What’s that got to do with me?”

Keegan didn’t flinch, though his tone softened. “Milana talks about you all the time at work, Alpha. Because you’ve been quiet, we’ve been hesitant to introduce anyone.”

I shrugged, my voice indifferent, though the words tasted bitter on my tongue. “Go ahead. If you succeed in setting her up, I’ll definitely give a generous gift.”

The room fell silent for a moment, the tension palpable. Milana’s face flushed, and I saw the hurt in her eyes, though she quickly masked it. She nodded reluctantly, adding the contact on her phone, her movements stiff and mechanical.

From that day on, I made it clear that her actions had consequences. I treated her with cold indifference, my Alpha tone sharp and cutting whenever we interacted. She had dared to entertain the idea of another male, and for that, she would pay.

Today, she had seen me with Nova, my publicly recognized mate, her arm linked with mine as we walked into the pack hall. Nova was everything Milana wasn’t—confident, ambitious, and unapologetically mine. I had made sure Milana saw us, saw the matching mate bracelets that marked Nova as mine in the eyes of the pack. The look on Milana’s face had been worth it—pain, humiliation, and something else I couldn’t quite place.

But as I stood there, watching her shrink under the weight of my indifference, I felt a flicker of something I hadn’t expected—doubt. My wolf growled softly in the back of my mind, a reminder of the bond we had shared, the one I had never officially acknowledged. I pushed the thought aside, burying it deep. She had chosen this path, and now she would live with the consequences.

The pack hall buzzed with whispered conversations, the weight of my presence keeping them subdued but curious. I turned away from Milana, my focus shifting to Nova, who stood at my side, her smile triumphant. She was everything a Luna should be—strong, confident, and unyielding. Milana, with her quiet strength and hidden pain, was a reminder of a weakness I couldn’t afford.

But as I walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had made a mistake. My wolf stirred again, restless and unsettled. I silenced it, my Alpha tone sharp and commanding. She had made her choice, and so had I. And yet, as the doors of the pack hall closed behind me, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had lost something I hadn’t even realized I had.

My pack members tried all sorts of tactics to get Milana talking about our past relationship, offering her drinks to loosen her up. Unable to take the pressure, she seized the chance to escape by pretending she needed the ladies' room. I watched her go, my gaze lingering for a moment before I turned back to the group.

She texted me: *"I'm leaving now."* The notification showed a red exclamation mark. Suddenly, the fog in my mind lifted—I realized I’d blocked her. My jaw tightened, but I didn’t unblock her. She needed to understand her place.

Milana drifted back into the room, her steps unsteady. As she opened the door, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. Everyone’s familiar faces turned to her with guarded expressions, hinting that something big had gone down.

I sat in the center, lounging in my chair, enjoying the drama. Nova was clutching her phone, her expression triumphant, as if she’d uncovered something huge.

"Milana, turns out you were just a lovestruck puppy," she announced, her voice bold and cutting in a way Milana never dared to be in front of me.

Milana was caught off guard, gaping at her. Nova, even more pleased with herself, raised her voice.

"I took the liberty of unblocking the puppy and snooping around on WhatsApp. Guess what? The puppy’s profile is brimming with your photos."

"You’ve stayed single because you couldn’t win Alpha Leon over, right?"

Nova relayed her discovery with mock enthusiasm, displaying a confidence Milana lacked in my presence.

"If I were you, I’d have disappeared ages ago from sheer embarrassment."

I sat there, a slight smile on my lips, the indulgent fondness obvious. Milana and I had known each other for years, seen each other at our worst, yet right now, I felt a twisted satisfaction watching her squirm.

The mood was tense until Keegan, ever the peacemaker, chimed in, suggesting everyone drink. Only then did I casually dismiss Milana:

"Milana’s just my Beta. That’s why I marked her as such—she can be annoying."

"There’s not much difference between subordinates and lovestruck puppies."

Nova kept pressing: "What kind of Beta texts to ask if you’ve eaten?"

I just shrugged off the question, replying instead, "You want to be my Beta if she leaves?"

"I can handle it. I’m preparing for my pack’s advanced training exams—what can’t I do?"

"I’m afraid I’m underselling you. Having you as my Beta would be a waste of talent."

Milana remained quiet, watching us banter. Nova suddenly seemed to notice her, pointedly gesturing at the beer on the table.

"Milana, since you’re so keen on seducing the Alpha, why not finish this bottle?"

She smirked at Milana. "Otherwise, I’ll spill all your flirty texts to Alpha Leon."

Before I could intervene, Milana grabbed the bottle and emptied it. Her stomach turned, and she managed to say, "Miss Harper, would you please help Alpha Leon clear the messages and just erase me."

Holding her churning stomach, Milana walked out, hearing Nova’s last stinging remark:

"Alpha Leon, I’m preparing for my Gamma exams, hoping to join your pack post-training."

"Your pack needs strong warriors, not Betas looking for a shortcut."

"Getting such mediocre staff would be disgraceful."

Mediocre Beta. I chuckled bitterly. Seven years by my side, three years together, and that’s what she’d become.

My stomach felt like it was in knots. I watched her stagger out, almost collapsing in the hallway. Unexpectedly, right before she blacked out, she fell into a reassuring and warm embrace.

In the daze, a concerned male voice came from above. "Are you okay?"

It was Colten, the Gamma from the rival pack. My jaw clenched as I watched him hold her, his protective stance making my wolf stir with irritation. He had no right to touch her—she was still mine, even if she didn’t know it yet.

Inside the private booth at the upscale café, I sat with a detached expression, sipping my coffee, cup after cup. Nova Harper, my publicly acknowledged mate, was talking excitedly beside me, her voice blending with the soft hum of the pack’s elite around us. I neither responded nor interrupted her, my focus distant. Eventually, she sensed my mood and quieted down, though her hand remained possessively on my arm, the matching mate bracelets glinting under the dim light.

Keegan Hernandez, my Delta and closest confidant, rubbed his neck awkwardly as he drank. His tone was cautious, but the words carried weight. “Alpha,” he began, using the title out of respect even though we were alone, “I’ve often thought Milana had feelings for you all these years. But stringing her along like this isn’t right, don’t you think?”

I glanced up slightly, my Alpha aura making his posture stiffen even as he held my gaze. “She made her choice,” I said, my voice calm but laced with authority. “She’s obsessed with me, and no matter who you introduce her to, she’s not interested.”

Keegan, caught up in the moment, retorted instinctively, though his voice softened immediately after. “My friend Colten, a Gamma from the Crimsonclaw Pack, really likes Milana. They could actually make a good match. Same field, under the same mentor—it’s practically written in the stars. If you don’t want her, just let her go. Why keep her hanging?”

I leaned back, my expression unchanging. “I already told you,” I said, my Alpha tone cutting through the air. “She only wants me; she’s not interested in anyone else. No matter how I treat her, she won’t leave. You could introduce her to anyone—even a Lycan Prince—and she’d still turn them down.”

Keegan turned his head slightly, a flicker of defiance in his eyes. “Well, maybe she might just fall for Colten,” he said, his voice low but firm.

I stayed calm, scoffing dismissively. “Go ahead. But it’s pointless.”

Nova, catching bits of our conversation, hesitated before speaking. Her voice was sweet but tinged with something sharper. “Alpha, have you known Milana for a long time? I always thought she was just a Beta in the pack. Had I known...” She let her words trail off, the implication clear to everyone.

“Just a Beta,” I replied casually, deleting her contact on my phone. “She’ll be dying to add me back within an hour.”

I lazily pulled out my phone and checked my messages. The expected notification didn’t appear, causing a slight furrow of my brow that soon smoothed out. My wolf stirred faintly in the back of my mind, a low growl of irritation, but I silenced it.

“She’s holding out longer than usual this time; I guess she’s making progress,” I remarked, setting the phone down. I looked across at Nova, her golden hair catching the light, and suddenly said, “You mentioned you want to study under Selena Stephens, the pack’s renowned healer and scientist, right? I’ve already arranged that for you.”

Nova’s face lit up with excitement, and she clung to my arm with renewed enthusiasm. “Thank you, Alpha! I knew you were always looking out for me.”

I drank another cup of coffee, my face obscured by the flickering lights, my thoughts unreadable. The scent of vanilla and rosemary—Nova’s mate scent—filled the air, but for a moment, my mind wandered to the faint, almost forgotten scent of Milana’s floral fragrance. I pushed the thought aside, my Alpha instincts reasserting control.