The music in the ballroom shifted into something slower.
Softer.
A string quartet near the stage began playing a gentle waltz, and several couples drifted toward the center of the polished floor.
Laughter floated through the air. Champagne glasses clinked. Cameras flashed occasionally from the press corner.
To everyone else, the evening continued perfectly.
But Damian felt like he was standing in the middle of a quiet storm.
The tray in his hands felt heavier than it should have.
Not because of the glasses.
Because of the awareness sitting in the back of his mind.
Kendrick Walker was still watching him.
Damian didn't need to look to know it.
Omega instincts were annoyingly sensitive to attention—especially the attention of a powerful alpha.
And Kendrick Walker wasn't just any alpha.
His presence filled the room like gravity.
Damian moved carefully between guests, offering drinks with polite efficiency.
A few people took glasses without even looking at him.
Others nodded briefly in thanks.
Normal.
Forgettable.
Invisible.
Exactly how he liked it.
Except one person in the room wasn't forgetting him.
Across the ballroom, Kendrick leaned casually against a tall table while speaking with two investors.
At least, that's what it looked like.
But his attention wasn't truly on the conversation.
His mind kept drifting back to the omega moving through the crowd.
Damian.
The name replayed quietly in Kendrick's thoughts.
It wasn't just curiosity anymore.
Something deeper had settled into his instincts.
A strange sense of awareness.
Every time Damian moved across the room, Kendrick noticed.
Every time the omega came within a certain distance, that faint scent brushed his senses again.
Soft.
Warm.
Subtle.
But unmistakably present.
And the more Kendrick noticed it…
The more impossible it became to ignore.
"You're distracted."
The voice came from beside him.
Kendrick blinked and turned his head.
Alehandra stood there again, elegant and composed as always.
She had a way of appearing quietly beside him when he least expected it.
"I'm listening," Kendrick replied calmly.
Alehandra raised an eyebrow.
"You haven't heard a word Daniel has said for the last thirty seconds."
Daniel—the investor standing nearby—laughed awkwardly.
"I was just explaining the expansion project in Singapore."
Kendrick nodded once.
"Of course."
Alehandra hid a smile behind her champagne glass.
Because she knew exactly what had pulled Kendrick's attention away.
The omega.
Again.
Across the room, Damian approached another table.
He offered drinks to a group of guests, keeping his posture relaxed and professional.
But his nerves were fraying slightly.
Because every time he moved, he felt that strange awareness again.
Like invisible eyes following him.
Stop imagining things.
He adjusted the tray slightly and turned—
And nearly collided with someone again.
Only this time, the impact was heavier.
A tall man stepped directly into his path.
Damian instinctively steadied the tray.
"I'm sorry—"
The words stopped halfway.
Because the man in front of him was another alpha.
A strong one.
Broad shoulders.
Sharp features.
Expensive suit.
His scent carried the unmistakable edge of dominance.
But unlike Kendrick's controlled presence…
This alpha's scent felt sharper.
More aggressive.
His eyes flicked down toward Damian's tray briefly before returning to his face.
"You should watch where you're going," the alpha said coolly.
Damian lowered his gaze automatically.
"Sorry, sir."
He tried to step around him.
But the alpha didn't move immediately.
Instead, he leaned slightly closer.
And inhaled.
Damian felt the moment his scent reached the man's senses.
The alpha's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Well," the man murmured.
"That's interesting."
Damian's stomach tightened.
The suppressor patch was supposed to dull his scent almost completely.
But powerful alphas could sometimes detect traces anyway.
Especially if they were close enough.
"Are you new here?" the alpha asked.
Damian forced himself to stay calm.
"No, sir."
"Hmm."
The man studied him for another moment.
Then finally stepped aside.
Damian didn't wait.
He moved past him quickly.
But he could feel the alpha's gaze lingering on his back.
Across the ballroom—
Kendrick had seen the entire exchange.
His conversation with the investors had ended several minutes earlier.
But he hadn't moved.
Not when Damian approached the other alpha.
Not when the man leaned closer.
And definitely not when that alpha inhaled Damian's scent.
Something sharp twisted in Kendrick's chest.
An unfamiliar reaction.
Annoyance.
Possessiveness.
Instinct.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Because the alpha who had stopped Damian was someone Kendrick knew well.
Victor Hale.
A rival family heir.
Clever.
Ambitious.
And always watching for weaknesses.
Kendrick's gaze darkened slightly.
Victor had clearly noticed Damian's scent.
And Victor Hale rarely ignored interesting discoveries.
Meanwhile, Damian tried to shake off the encounter as he walked toward the next group of guests.
But the uncomfortable feeling lingered.
That alpha had noticed something.
He could tell.
And powerful men noticing him was never good news.
He reached the edge of the ballroom again, near one of the tall windows overlooking the city.
For a brief moment, he paused.
Just long enough to breathe.
That was when a familiar scent wrapped around him again.
Stronger this time.
Closer.
Damian's shoulders stiffened immediately.
He turned slowly.
Kendrick Walker stood just behind him.
Much closer than before.
Close enough that the faint warmth of his presence brushed Damian's senses again.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The city lights shimmered through the glass behind them.
Soft music drifted through the room.
But the space between them felt strangely quiet.
"You attract attention easily," Kendrick said finally.
Damian frowned slightly.
"I'm holding a tray of champagne."
Kendrick's gaze remained steady.
"That's not what I meant."
Damian understood immediately.
Victor Hale.
Of course Kendrick had noticed.
Everyone important in the room probably knew each other.
Damian sighed softly.
"I didn't ask for his attention."
"I know."
Kendrick's voice was calm.
But there was something colder beneath it now.
"He noticed your scent."
Damian's pulse jumped slightly.
"That's not unusual."
"It is tonight."
Damian looked up at him.
Their eyes met again.
Close enough now that the tension between them felt stronger than before.
Kendrick studied him carefully.
"You should leave early."
Again with that.
Damian exhaled slowly.
"I already told you. I'm working."
Kendrick's voice lowered slightly.
"Victor Hale is not someone you want noticing you."
"And why would he care about me?"
Kendrick didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth was uncomfortable.
Victor noticed unusual things.
And Damian Roberts was definitely unusual.
Instead, Kendrick simply said:
"Trust me."
Damian hesitated.
Something in Kendrick's tone carried quiet urgency.
Not authority.
Concern.
And that confused Damian even more.
Why would Kendrick Walker care about his safety?
They were practically strangers.
Before Damian could ask anything else—
A voice interrupted them.
"Well."
Both men turned.
Victor Hale stood a few steps away.
Watching them.
A slow smile curved across his face.
"I was wondering why the heir of Walker Corporation was speaking privately with catering staff."
His gaze shifted to Damian.
"And now I see why."
Damian felt the tension snap tight in the air.
Because Victor Hale's sharp eyes had already figured something out.
And the look he gave Damian wasn't casual curiosity anymore.
It was interest.
The dangerous kind.
Kendrick's expression hardened instantly.
Because he knew that look very well.
Victor Hale had just discovered a mystery.
And Victor loved nothing more than unraveling secrets.
Even if it meant tearing someone else's life apart to do it.