The service hallway felt like a completely different world from the ballroom.
The music was muffled here, reduced to a distant echo behind thick walls. The air was cooler too, free from the heavy mixture of perfume and pheromones that had been suffocating the main hall.
Damian leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to steady his breathing.
His heart was still racing.
What just happened?
He rubbed the back of his neck carefully, fingers brushing the edge of the suppressor patch again.
Still secure.
Still firmly in place.
Which meant the reaction earlier couldn't have been because his scent was leaking out uncontrollably.
And yet—
The moment Kendrick had stepped close enough…
Everything had changed.
Damian had felt it instantly.
That surge of alpha dominance rolling off him.
The instinctive pressure that had hit Damian's omega senses like a wave.
It hadn't been aggressive.
Not exactly.
But it had been powerful.
Strong enough that for a split second, Damian's body had reacted automatically.
His instincts had stirred in a way they hadn't done in years.
And that alone was terrifying.
Because omega instincts were dangerous things.
Especially around powerful alphas.
"Get it together," he muttered under his breath.
He pushed himself away from the wall and grabbed a fresh tray from the nearby service counter.
The shift wasn't over yet.
He still had work to do.
And the faster he finished the night, the faster he could go home and forget this entire strange encounter.
Meanwhile, back in the ballroom—
Kendrick Walker stood perfectly still.
Alehandra's quiet observation lingered in the air between them.
"The air changed."
Her words replayed in his mind.
Kendrick's jaw tightened slightly.
"I don't know what you're implying," he said calmly.
Alehandra tilted her head.
"You felt it."
Not a question.
A statement.
Kendrick didn't answer immediately.
Because denying it would be pointless.
He had felt it.
That sudden shift in his instincts when he stood too close to Damian.
The way his alpha senses had surged forward without warning.
It had been brief.
Only a second.
But it had been strong enough to surprise him.
And Kendrick Walker was not a man who liked surprises.
Alehandra studied him quietly.
"You reacted."
Kendrick finally looked at her.
"That's a bold assumption."
She smiled faintly.
"Not really."
Her gaze flicked briefly toward the service hallway where Damian had disappeared.
"Your control slipped."
The words were soft.
But they carried weight.
Because both of them knew something important.
Kendrick Walker's control almost never slipped.
Not in business.
Not in social situations.
Not even in private.
He had spent years mastering his instincts.
Training his mind to remain calm under pressure.
Yet a random omega had just triggered a reaction in him in the middle of a crowded ballroom.
That fact alone was deeply unsettling.
Kendrick exhaled slowly.
"You're overthinking this."
Alehandra shrugged lightly.
"Maybe."
But her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"Or maybe something interesting just happened."
Before Kendrick could respond, another group of guests approached to congratulate them.
Alehandra's attention shifted instantly.
Her polite smile returned.
The perfect future alpha bride.
But somewhere beneath that calm exterior, her thoughts were already racing.
Because instinctual reactions like the one she had just witnessed didn't happen randomly.
There was usually a reason.
And Alehandra intended to find out what it was.
Across the ballroom—
Damian returned from the service hallway with a fresh tray of drinks.
He stepped back into the warm, crowded room cautiously.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the familiar scents returned.
Wine.
Perfume.
Alpha pheromones.
The noise of the party washed over him again.
For a moment, he considered staying near the edges of the room.
Keeping as much distance as possible from Kendrick Walker.
But that would only make things more suspicious if anyone noticed.
So he did what he always did in uncomfortable situations.
He worked.
Quietly.
Efficiently.
Invisible.
He offered drinks to a group of guests near the dance floor.
They barely glanced at him as they took their glasses.
Perfect.
That was exactly how he preferred it.
But the uneasy feeling from earlier refused to fade.
Something about that moment with Kendrick had felt…
Different.
Like a quiet connection neither of them had meant to trigger.
Damian hated that thought immediately.
Don't be dramatic.
Alpha instincts were unpredictable sometimes.
Maybe Kendrick had simply been irritated by the scent of an omega nearby.
Maybe Damian's suppressor patch had briefly weakened.
There were plenty of logical explanations.
Still…
His mind kept replaying the moment when the alpha's control had slipped.
The way the air had grown heavier.
The way his own instincts had responded without permission.
It had felt almost like—
Damian stopped the thought immediately.
No.
That was impossible.
Those kinds of connections didn't just happen randomly.
Especially not between people from completely different worlds.
Across the ballroom—
Kendrick noticed Damian re-enter the room instantly.
His eyes moved toward the omega before he even realized it.
There.
Near the dance floor.
Speaking quietly to a pair of guests while offering them champagne.
Kendrick studied him carefully.
The omega looked calm again.
Professional.
Focused on his work.
Like the strange moment earlier had never happened.
But Kendrick knew better.
Because he could still feel the faint echo of that reaction lingering beneath his skin.
Something about Damian's presence kept triggering his instincts.
Pulling his attention in ways he didn't understand.
And the more he thought about it…
The more irritated he became.
Because he hated mysteries.
Especially ones involving his own behavior.
Alehandra noticed his gaze shift again.
She followed it.
And saw Damian once more.
Her curiosity deepened slightly.
The omega didn't look particularly remarkable.
Yet Kendrick's attention kept drifting back to him.
That alone made the situation more interesting.
Alehandra turned her attention back to Kendrick.
"Are you planning to keep staring at him all night?"
Kendrick didn't look away.
"I'm observing."
Alehandra smiled.
"Of course you are."
Her voice was light.
But the underlying meaning was clear.
She knew exactly what he was doing.
And she wasn't fooled by the calm explanation.
Kendrick finally looked at her.
"You're enjoying this."
"Immensely."
Alehandra took another sip of champagne.
"Watching the famously composed Kendrick Walker lose focus is very entertaining."
"I haven't lost focus."
"No?"
Her eyes flicked toward Damian again.
"Then why does your attention keep returning to the same omega?"
Kendrick said nothing.
Alehandra leaned slightly closer.
And spoke quietly enough that no one else could hear.
"You know what reactions like that usually mean."
The words hung between them.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Because both of them understood the implication.
Kendrick's gaze hardened slightly.
"That's impossible."
Alehandra's smile softened.
"Maybe."
But her tone suggested she wasn't convinced.
Across the ballroom—
Damian turned suddenly.
The strange awareness returned again.
Like someone was watching him.
His eyes scanned the crowd automatically.
And landed on Kendrick once more.
The alpha wasn't looking away this time.
Their gazes met.
Across the crowded ballroom.
And something unspoken passed between them.
Not words.
Not even clear emotion.
Just a quiet recognition.
A silent acknowledgment of the strange connection neither of them fully understood yet.
Damian looked away first.
But his heart was beating faster again.
Because deep down—
A small, uneasy thought had begun forming in his mind.
Something about tonight felt like the beginning of a very complicated problem.
And he had the sinking feeling that problem's name was Kendrick Walker.