I stepped into the menswear territory first, where the air always felt more controlled, almost territorial. Every rack carried a quiet pressure, like the space belonged to someone of higher rank, and the lighting was cooler here, more deliberate. The sales assistant approached quickly, her smile professional and practiced, but her attention shifted the moment Elliot followed behind me.
Her posture changed immediately.
Not fear, exactly. Recognition. The instinctive, automatic submission that every pack member showed when facing an Alpha whose presence filled a room without any effort on his part. Elliot hadn't said a word, hadn't done anything beyond walking through the door, yet the entire shop felt like it had quietly adjusted its breathing around him, rearranging itself to accommodate what he was.
