The Beta's Burden

Kaden

I’m sitting in my study, surrounded by the leather scent of old books and the muted light filtering through the heavy drapes. The room, once a sanctuary where I buried myself in work and pack matters, now feels like a cage. A trap. 

I flip through some documents on my desk but don’t really register what they say. My mind is a mess, a whirlwind of thoughts I can’t, and won’t, share with anyone. Especially not Roman.

God, Roman. My brother, my closest friend. He seems so happy these days, so settled with Aella and their son. His life has taken a turn for the absolute best, and it stings. Not out of jealousy, I’m thrilled for him, but out of the sharp contrast it creates with my own concealed turmoil.

I think about Elena, my wife. She’s beautiful, loving, and loyal to our pack. But she doesn’t know. She can’t know. The secret I’m holding is too damaging, too explosive. It would tear us apart, tear the pack apart. And so, I’ve distanced myself. Retreated into a shell to protect everyone from the storm I know is coming.

Elena has noticed, of course. How could she not? We were starting to grow closer, and now... now I flinch when she touches me, avoid eye contact like a guilty child. It’s no wonder we’re moving out of the pack house, away from prying eyes and pointed questions. 

Roman’s worried; I could see it in his eyes when he looked at me earlier. But he respects my privacy, or perhaps he’s too absorbed in his newfound happiness to dig deeper.

Either way, it’s better this way. Better to keep my struggles separate from the pack, separate from my brother’s blissful existence. Roman has enough on his plate being an Alpha and a new dad; he doesn’t need to shoulder my burdens too.

I stand up abruptly, my chair scraping harshly against the wood floor. I need air. I need to escape this room, escape the ever-tightening walls of my own making. 

As I make my way to the door, my eyes catch a family portrait taken a few years ago. Roman and I stand side by side, shoulders touching, grins matching. God, we were so happy then. So blissfully unaware of the twists and turns life would soon throw at us.

“Kaden, are you okay?” Elena’s voice from behind startles me. I hadn’t heard her approaching me at all.

I force a smile. “Yeah, just some stuff on my mind.”

She nods, but the concern doesn’t leave her eyes. I wish I could tell her. I wish I could tell Roman. But some secrets are too heavy, even for the strongest of bonds.

So I keep my silence, adding another brick to the wall that separates me from everyone I love. I step out of the room, but not before taking one last glance at that photograph. It serves as a bitter reminder of a simpler time—a time before the secret that now defines my life.

Elena takes my hand as we walk down the hallway, and for a moment, I let myself squeeze back, let myself pretend that everything is as it should be.

But it’s not, and as we step out into the fresh air, the weight of my secret presses down on me even more. 

I’ve betrayed Roman in the worst way possible … I don’t deserve to be his Beta or his brother.

There’s a storm coming, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to weather it. One thing’s for certain—I have to try. Because the alternative is a truth too devastating to face.