The ballroom had grown warmer.
Not physically—at least, not in any way the other guests seemed to notice.
But Damian felt it.
A strange tension lingered in the air, subtle yet persistent, like the atmosphere before a thunderstorm finally broke.
He moved carefully through the crowd with another tray of champagne glasses balanced in his hands, trying to ignore the restless feeling sitting heavily in his chest.
The encounter with Kendrick Walker had shaken him more than he wanted to admit.
Twice.
The alpha had approached him twice now.
That wasn't normal.
Powerful people like Kendrick didn't pay attention to catering staff.
Especially not omegas.
Especially not male omegas.
Damian forced himself to focus on work.
Offer drinks.
Collect empty glasses.
Move on.
But the unease refused to fade.
Because deep down, he knew something had changed.
The moment Kendrick had stepped close enough to smell him properly…
The entire atmosphere between them had shifted.
And Damian had felt it too.
That quiet, instinctive pull.
He hated it.
Across the ballroom, Kendrick Walker stood near the large balcony doors again.
The city lights glittered behind him through the tall glass windows, painting his silhouette in soft gold and silver reflections.
From the outside, he looked perfectly composed.
The calm, controlled heir everyone expected him to be.
But inside, his thoughts were anything but calm.
He could still smell it.
That omega scent.
Faint.
Persistent.
Impossible to ignore.
He had moved across half the ballroom in the last twenty minutes, speaking to guests, shaking hands, accepting congratulations.
And yet the scent followed him.
Not literally.
But in his memory.
His senses.
Like his instincts had memorized it.
Every time Damian passed within range again, Kendrick's awareness sharpened instantly.
It was irritating.
And fascinating.
Alehandra stood beside him, watching the crowd with quiet elegance.
She sipped her champagne slowly while observing the room.
Most people believed her attention rested on the important guests.
Investors.
Political figures.
Executives.
But tonight, her focus kept drifting somewhere else.
Toward the omega moving between tables.
Damian Roberts.
She had noticed the moment Kendrick reacted to him earlier.
The subtle tension in his shoulders.
The change in his breathing.
The way his eyes followed the omega's movements without realizing it.
Alehandra rarely missed details like that.
And the more she watched, the more curious she became.
Because Kendrick Walker was not a man who lost control easily.
Yet something about that omega had unsettled him.
She tilted her head slightly as Damian passed across the room again.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Meanwhile—
Damian was trying very hard not to look toward the balcony again.
But curiosity was stubborn.
His eyes lifted despite himself.
And immediately met Kendrick's.
Again.
The distance between them wasn't large this time.
Just a cluster of guests and a few tables separating them.
But the moment still felt heavy.
Focused.
Like an invisible line had connected them.
Damian quickly looked away.
His heart was beating too fast.
This is ridiculous.
He turned toward the service table to refill his tray.
But the moment he stepped closer—
The scent hit him again.
Stronger this time.
Sharp.
Dominant.
Alpha.
Damian froze.
Slowly…
He turned his head.
Kendrick Walker was walking toward him again.
You've got to be kidding me.
Damian glanced around quickly.
Other staff members were nearby.
Guests were everywhere.
Surely Kendrick wouldn't—
But the alpha stopped directly in front of him.
The scent intensified immediately.
Damian's instincts reacted before his brain could stop them.
Heat crept up the back of his neck.
His pulse quickened.
And for a split second, the room felt too small.
Too crowded.
"You're leaving," Kendrick said.
Damian blinked.
"What?"
Kendrick gestured toward the tray.
"You were heading toward the service hall."
"That's where we refill the drinks."
Kendrick studied him again.
Up close, the omega's scent felt even more complicated than before.
It wasn't just sweet.
There was something deeper beneath it.
Something warm.
Something that tugged strangely at Kendrick's instincts.
The alpha part of his mind kept whispering the same quiet thought.
Important.
Mine.
Kendrick pushed the instinct down immediately.
Ridiculous.
He had never reacted to an omega this way before.
And certainly not one he had just met.
"You should leave early tonight," Kendrick said suddenly.
Damian stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"This environment isn't safe for you."
Damian frowned.
"I work here."
"That's not what I meant."
Kendrick's gaze darkened slightly.
"There are too many alphas here."
Damian let out a quiet breath.
"Sir," he said carefully, "that sounds like a management decision, not yours."
For half a second, Kendrick looked surprised again.
Not by the words themselves—
But by the tone.
Damian wasn't being disrespectful.
But he wasn't submitting either.
Most omegas avoided contradicting dominant alphas entirely.
Yet this one kept doing it.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"You're stubborn," Kendrick observed.
Damian shrugged.
"I prefer practical."
A flicker of amusement appeared in Kendrick's eyes again.
But before either of them could continue—
The air suddenly changed.
It was subtle.
Barely noticeable.
But both of them felt it.
A strange shift in their instincts.
The alpha pressure in Kendrick's scent deepened slightly.
Damian felt it instantly.
His breath caught.
His omega instincts stirred sharply beneath the suppressor patch.
Something about Kendrick's proximity was triggering a reaction.
Not a heat.
Not yet.
But close enough to make his skin prickle uneasily.
Kendrick noticed the change too.
The way Damian stiffened.
The way his scent shifted slightly.
Warmer.
Stronger.
The reaction hit Kendrick like a quiet shock.
For a split second—
His control slipped.
His alpha instincts surged forward instinctively.
And the scent of dominance rolled off him before he could stop it.
Damian's eyes widened.
The pressure hit him immediately.
Every omega instinct in his body reacted.
His breath caught.
His fingers tightened around the tray.
And for a moment—
The entire ballroom seemed to hold its breath.
Because the invisible balance between alpha and omega had shifted.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
But something fundamental had changed.
Across the room—
Alehandra saw it happen.
The subtle shift in Kendrick's posture.
The tension in Damian's shoulders.
The way the air between them suddenly felt heavier.
Her sharp mind connected the pieces instantly.
Oh.
Her smile remained calm.
But inside, a quiet alarm bell rang.
Because that reaction—
That instinctual response—
Only happened under very specific circumstances.
And if she was right…
Then tonight's engagement celebration had just become far more complicated than anyone realized.
Back near the service table—
Damian took a slow step back.
Breaking the moment.
The pressure eased slightly.
Kendrick blinked.
As if waking from a brief trance.
Guests moved past them again, unaware of the silent battle of instincts that had just taken place.
Damian forced his voice to remain steady.
"I really do have work to do."
Kendrick said nothing.
He was still trying to understand what had just happened.
Because for a split second…
He had felt something dangerously close to claiming instinct.
And that was impossible.
Damian turned and walked away quickly this time.
He didn't look back.
Didn't stop.
Didn't slow down until he reached the service hallway.
Then he leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
"What the hell was that?"
His hand moved instinctively to the suppressor patch again.
Still there.
Still working.
But whatever had just happened between him and Kendrick Walker…
It had gone far beyond simple curiosity.
Back in the ballroom—
Kendrick stood very still.
Alehandra approached him quietly.
"You felt it too," she said softly.
Kendrick's gaze moved toward her.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"What are you talking about?"
Alehandra smiled.
But this time, it wasn't a pleasant smile.
It was the smile of someone who had just discovered a dangerous secret.
"The air," she said.
"Changed."