The moment Thalor stepped into Riven's office, Eli had already linked Seren to the internal surveillance grid. The holographic interface glowed faintly across his palm, showing live readings—pheromone density, vocal inflection, neural stress indicators.
"Seren, maintain silent observation mode," Eli ordered, his voice calm but his pulse betraying him.
"Confirmed, Emperor. Monitoring active."
Lines of data streamed before him like a living pulse.
Pheromone field detected: two S-Class signatures.
The readings began to spike.
"They're clashing," Seren reported softly. "Subject Veyne has initiated a dominance probe."
Eli's jaw tightened. He could almost feel it through the data—the subtle vibration in the air, the shift in energy as Thalor tested Riven's control. Riven's stabilizing pheromones responded instantly, steady but defensive, like a wall against an invasive tide.
But then—something changed.
"Alert. Pheromone variance detected."
Eli's eyes snapped to the readings. Riven's chemical markers had begun to fluctuate, minute but distinct—an undertone that shouldn't have existed.
"Seren, isolate that wavelength."
"Isolated. Trace element detected—Omega-type pheromone resonance within Alpha profile."
Eli froze.
No.
He had always known Riven's scent was… unique. Calming, magnetic in ways even Alphas couldn't replicate. But he never thought anyone else would see it.
"Subject Veyne has detected the anomaly," Seren continued. "Verbal acknowledgment confirmed: 'An Alpha who smells like an Omega.'"
The words hit harder than Eli expected. He closed his eyes, every muscle coiled tight.
So Thalor knew.
And that changed everything.
"Seren," he said quietly, "record everything. Encrypt it under Protocol Shadow-One."
"Encryption active."
He exhaled slowly, forcing the anger down before it became visible in the sensors around him. "Run predictive sequence. What happens if Thalor exposes Riven's anomaly?"
"Processing… Outcome: destabilization of Nexus hierarchy at 87%. Risk of executive coup: high. Public reputation degradation: catastrophic."
Eli's hands curled into fists. "And Thalor?"
"Projected intent: leverage secret for dominance. Likelihood of coercion or manipulation: 92%."
Eli opened his eyes. The blue glow of the hologram reflected in them, colder now.
"I won't let that happen."
"Directive?" Seren asked.
Eli's tone was measured but quiet, each word deliberate.
"Track Thalor Veyne. Every movement, every digital trace. I want a full behavioral pattern before dawn."
"Affirmative."
"And Seren—scrub Riven's pheromone records from the Nexus mainframe. All of them. No trace, no backup."
"Understood. Deleting from secured archives. Estimated completion: three minutes."
Eli glanced up at the screen again. Inside the office, Riven stood alone now, composed but still breathing heavily. The last trace of Thalor's pheromones lingered around him, visible only as a faint shimmer in the atmospheric grid.
Eli reached toward the image—his fingers hovering just above Riven's projected outline.
"You did well," he murmured, almost to himself. "But he's coming back for you."
Seren's voice returned, low and almost human in tone.
"Would you like me to prepare a contingency, Emperor?"
"Yes," Eli whispered. "Activate Aegis Protocol. If Thalor tries to use that knowledge—if he even breathes it to anyone—I want his systems to collapse before he finishes the sentence."
"Protocol Aegis armed. Awaiting trigger."
Eli's expression softened briefly as he watched Riven turn away from the window, unaware of the silent war already forming around him.
Underneath the calm exterior, a vow took shape—quiet, dangerous, and absolute.
No one threatens what's mine.
The lights in the control room dimmed as Seren's voice faded into the background hum of data. Outside, the Nexus Tower glowed against the night, its glass walls gleaming like armor—yet Eli knew it was already under siege.
And this time, he wouldn't wait for the attack. He'd strike first.
The elevator doors closed with a muted hiss, sealing Thalor inside a private capsule of glass and quiet light. As it descended through the shimmering levels of Nexus Tower, his reflection stared back at him — poised, calm, the faintest curl of a smirk tracing his lips.
He could still taste Riven's pheromones in the air, faint but unforgettable — that subtle, impossible note of Omega beneath Alpha strength. The discovery pulsed in his mind like a secret vein of gold.
"An Alpha who smells like an Omega," he murmured to himself, rolling the words across his tongue as if savoring them. "Now, that is something worth keeping."
He leaned against the glass, eyes following the city lights that blurred past below. "So, the great CEO of Nexus carries a flaw… or a gift. I wonder if he even understands what he is."
A faint electronic tone interrupted his thoughts.
"Lord Veyne," came the voice through his earpiece — his personal AI, Lexion. "Your transport has been rerouted to the Helix landing platform."
"Good," Thalor said. "Inform the board that the meeting with Virellian went as expected."
"Meaning?"
Thalor smiled. "Meaning I've found something more valuable than any merger."
He could see it now, the pieces shifting on the board. Nexus, once untouchable, had cracks in its armor. And behind that armor, someone was hiding. Someone who had built an empire but never shown their face — the one they called the Unknown Emperor.
Every trace of Nexus's movements led back to that phantom. Not Riven. Riven was the shield — loyal, brilliant, predictable. But the Emperor… he was the ghost in the machine, the strategist who moved without scent or record.
And Thalor wanted him.
He touched the edge of his wrist console, pulling up a spectral map of Nexus's internal grid. Layers of encrypted systems shimmered before him — firewalls, blind spots, hidden nodes. All designed to mask one presence.
"Lexion," he said, his voice low, almost reverent. "Begin a search. Cross-reference today's atmospheric pheromone fluctuations with the building's AI signatures."
"Objective?"
"Find the anomaly. The moment Riven's secret reacted, someone else responded. Someone powerful enough to suppress an S-Class pheromone from miles away."
"You believe the Unknown Emperor intervened?"
Thalor's smirk deepened. "Not believed, Lexion. Felt."
The pheromone field inside that room had shifted — briefly, almost imperceptibly — just when Riven had steadied himself. It was like another Alpha's presence had whispered through the air, invisible yet absolute. A suppression field that didn't belong to Nexus's default systems.
And only one being could have activated that.
The Emperor.
"Once I find that ghost," Thalor murmured, "I'll find the leverage I need to bring Nexus to its knees."
"And Riven Virellian?" Lexion asked.
Thalor's eyes darkened, the city reflected in them like liquid silver. "He's my key. His secret — that beautiful, fragile scent — will lead me straight to whoever's protecting him."
He straightened as the elevator doors opened to the Nexus ground deck. The air outside was colder, crisper, but he could still sense the faint trace of Riven's pheromones clinging to his suit — a haunting reminder of the delicate balance he'd just disturbed.
He smiled as he stepped into the night.
"Riven may think I came for him," he said quietly, "but he's only the beginning."
"Destination?" Lexion prompted.
"Helix Tower," Thalor replied. "It's time to prepare the next move. Let's see how the Emperor of Nexus reacts when his most precious secret becomes my weapon."
The city wind carried his words into the dark — a whisper of challenge, a promise of war.
And far above, in the glass heart of Nexus Tower, invisible sensors flickered — recording his departure, transmitting it silently to someone watching.