Sergio offered his hand. "Mr. Hale, it's a pleasure."
Both men stood tall, but Lewis carried the kind of quiet authority that didn't need to announce itself the natural ease of an Alpha who had never had to fight for his place. Sergio was something else entirely. His energy was tightly controlled, every muscle held just a fraction too still, like a current running beneath still water. Their handshake lasted only a second, but it crackled two dominant forces measuring each other without a single word. When they pulled apart, Sergio's interest in Lewis evaporated completely, like a door swinging shut.
"I have matters to attend to. Mr. Hale, please make yourself at home."
That was it. No offer of food, no drink, nothing. With me, Sergio always made a point of it fruit on the table, something warm to hold small gestures that landed heavier than they looked because they came from him. With Lewis, there was only cold air and distance.
