The glass doors of AlphaCorp slid open with a soft hiss.
I just stood there, staring up at the massive steel columns and the company's crest gleaming above my head, the same crest that had watched my fall five years ago.
I straightened my coat and stepped inside.
The lobby was everything I remembered: cold, bright, and built to impress. Polished floors reflected the sharp silhouettes of Alphas walking past, their presence heavy in the air. Every scent was clean and screaming dominance.
My steps echoed lightly as I crossed the marble. Heads turned, some out of habit, some out of curiosity.
I met every gaze without lowering my eyes.
No one flinched. No one frowned.
Not one of them could tell what I was.
My scent, once soft and easy to read, was gone, replaced by the crisp, controlled scent signature of an Alpha. The serum had worked. I felt the faint hum of it under my skin, a low vibration that kept my mask in place.
I pressed my badge to the elevator panel and the door chimed open. My reflection looked back from the mirrored walls, clean lines, pale lipstick, eyes sharper than they'd ever been. No one would see the girl from the Council Hall in this woman.
"Top floor," I said quietly, as if reminding herself.
The ride was silent except for the soft hum of the machinery. With every floor, the air felt heavier. The higher you climbed, the stronger the pheromones, a clear hierarchy you could breathe.
When the doors opened, the first thing I noticed was how quiet it was. The noise of the lower levels vanished here; only calm silence remained. Rows of desks. Glass walls. Controlled power.
I stepped out and a Beta assistant approached immediately. "Dr. Ren? Welcome to AlphaCorp. The director is expecting you."
"Lead the way." I simply said.
My voice didn't shake. That was something.
We walked through corridors lined with digital panels and lab doors sealed with retinal locks. Every step brought me closer to the man i'd built this new life for.
I told myself i was ready. I'd practiced the mask. The tone. The indifference. But when the assistant opened the final door, and I saw him, everything inside me stilled.
Kael Drayden stood by the window, back to her, his profile caught in the pale light spilling through the glass. His hair was shorter now, darker yet the sharpness of his shoulders, the calm strength in the way he stood, they were all still the same.
He turned at the sound of the door.
For a heartbeat, it was the same as before, the way his eyes locked onto mine. Except now, he didn't know who he was looking at.
"Dr. Ren," the assistant said quickly. "Your new department head, Director Drayden."
Kael nodded slightly. "Thank you, Mara."
The door closed behind her. The silence that followed almost ate me alive but I held his gaze. No flinching. No fear.
He studied my face, his expression unreadable. Something flickered in his eyes, curiosity maybe.
"I don't recall approving a transfer to my department," he said finally. His voice was deep, and smooth, just as I remembered.
"You didn't, the board assigned me directly. I don't need your invitation to belong here."
The corner of his mouth twitched, not quite a smile. "Confident."
"Competent," I corrected.
He walked closer, slow and deliberate. The air between us tightened. Even through the false scent I projected, I could feel the gravity of his pheromones pressing against me.
Every instinct in me screamed to yield, to lower my eyes, but i didn't, instead staring straight at him.
"Interesting," he finally murmured. "You don't smell like anyone I've met before."
My heart skipped but I quickly forced a small, cold smile. "I take that as a compliment."
"It wasn't meant as one."
He moved to the desk, picking up my file. "Dr. Vale Ren. Geneticist. Alpha designation. Impressive credentials."
"Are you doubting them?"
"I doubt everyone." His eyes lifted to mine again. "Especially those who walk in like they own the place."
"I don't own it," I said softly. "Not yet at least."
That made him pause. Just for a second. Then he set the file down, the faintest edge of amusement in his eyes. "We'll see how long you last then."
I inclined my head. "I always do."
Our eyes locked again but this time, neither of us looked away.
It was a strange thing, the sharp pull I felt in my chest, like gravity bending. He frowned slightly, almost as if he could feel it too but didn't understand why.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then Kael reached out his hand. "Welcome to AlphaCorp, Dr. Ren."
My pulse jumped. I hesitated, then took his hand.
The moment our skin touched, the world tilted.
My scent shield wavered, just for an instant. The serum's pulse faltered, a small spark of my true self slipping through.
Kael froze. His eyes darkened slightly, head tilting like an animal catching a trace of something familiar.
I quickly pulled my hand back. "Director."
He blinked, as if snapping out of something. "We'll continue this at the staff briefing tomorrow," he said, voice steady again.
"Of course."
I quickly turned to leave, my heartbeat thundering so loudly it felt like the room could hear it. The moment the door shut behind me, I pressed my hand to my chest and took a breath that didn't quite reach my lungs.
It had worked.
He didn't notice.
Mostly.