The music in the ballroom softened as the evening settled into a slower rhythm. A string quartet near the stage began playing a gentle waltz, and several couples drifted onto the polished floor. Laughter carried easily through the room, blending with the quiet clink of champagne glasses and the occasional flash from the press cameras.
To everyone else, the night continued flawlessly.
But Damian felt like he was standing in the center of a quiet storm.
The tray in his hands felt heavier than usual, not because of the glasses, but because of the constant awareness lingering at the back of his mind. He did not need to turn around to confirm it. His instincts already knew.
Kendrick Walker was still paying attention to him.
Damian moved carefully between guests, offering drinks with practiced efficiency. Some accepted without looking at him. Others nodded briefly in thanks. Everything about the routine was predictable and safe. That invisibility had always protected him.
Except tonight.
One person in the room refused to overlook him.
Near one of the tall cocktail tables, Kendrick appeared to be engaged in conversation with two investors. He responded politely to their questions, his posture relaxed and composed. To anyone watching, he looked fully present.
He was not.
His attention kept drifting back to the omega moving through the crowd.
Damian.
The name repeated quietly in Kendrick's thoughts. What began as curiosity had grown into something harder to ignore. A persistent awareness followed the omega's movements, sharpening each time he came within range.
The sensation unsettled him.
And the more he noticed it, the more difficult it became to dismiss.
"You are distracted."
The voice came from beside him.
Kendrick turned his head slightly. Alehandra stood at his side once again, elegant and perfectly composed. She had a habit of appearing at exactly the right moment.
"I am listening," he replied calmly.
Alehandra raised an eyebrow. "You have not heard a word Daniel has said for the last thirty seconds."
Daniel, the investor standing nearby, laughed awkwardly. "I was explaining the expansion project in Singapore."
Kendrick nodded once. "Of course."
Alehandra hid a faint smile behind her champagne glass. She knew exactly what had drawn his attention away.
The omega.
Again.
Across the room, Damian approached another table and offered drinks to a small group of guests. He kept his posture steady and professional, but tension crept steadily into his muscles. Each step carried the same uneasy sensation, as though unseen eyes followed his movements.
Stop imagining things.
He adjusted the tray and turned.
This time, the collision came without warning.
A tall man stepped directly into his path, forcing Damian to halt abruptly. He steadied the tray instinctively.
"I am sorry."
The apology stopped midway when he realized who stood in front of him.
Another alpha.
Strong. Confident. Unmistakably dominant.
The man wore an expensive suit and carried himself with quiet authority. His presence felt sharper than Kendrick's, edged with something colder.
His gaze dropped briefly to the tray before returning to Damian's face.
"You should watch where you are going," the alpha said coolly.
Damian lowered his eyes automatically. "Sorry, sir."
He attempted to step around him, but the alpha remained in place for another second. Then he leaned slightly closer and inhaled.
Damian felt the exact moment his scent reached the man's senses.
The alpha's expression shifted.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Damian's stomach tightened.
The suppressor patch was designed to dull his scent, but powerful alphas could still detect faint traces if they were close enough.
"Are you new here?" the man asked.
Damian forced himself to remain calm. "No, sir."
The alpha studied him a moment longer, then finally stepped aside.
Damian did not hesitate. He moved past him quickly, resisting the urge to look back. Even so, he could feel the man's attention lingering.
Kendrick had watched the entire exchange.
His conversation with the investors ended several minutes earlier, but he remained where he stood, observing in silence. He saw Damian approach the other alpha. He saw the man lean closer. And he saw the unmistakable moment when that alpha tested the omega's scent.
Something tightened sharply in Kendrick's chest.
An unfamiliar reaction.
Irritation.
Possessiveness.
Instinct.
His jaw clenched slightly.
Because the man who stopped Damian was someone he recognized immediately.
Victor Hale.
A rival heir.
Ambitious. Calculating. Always searching for advantage.
Kendrick's gaze darkened.
Victor had noticed something unusual, and Victor Hale rarely ignored anything that might be useful.
Damian tried to shake off the encounter as he continued working, but unease lingered. That alpha had sensed something. He could see it in the man's expression.
And powerful men noticing him was never a good sign.
He reached the edge of the ballroom near one of the tall windows overlooking the city. For a brief moment, he paused to breathe.
Then a familiar presence settled behind him.
Closer than before.
Damian's shoulders stiffened instantly.
He turned slowly.
Kendrick Walker stood only a short distance away.
Close enough that the warmth of his presence brushed against Damian's senses.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
City lights shimmered beyond the glass. Music drifted softly through the room. Yet the space between them felt strangely still.
"You attract attention easily," Kendrick said at last.
Damian frowned slightly. "I am carrying a tray of champagne."
Kendrick held his gaze. "That is not what I meant."
Damian understood immediately.
Victor Hale.
Of course Kendrick had noticed.
Everyone important in the room seemed to know one another.
Damian exhaled quietly. "I did not ask for his attention."
"I know."
Kendrick's voice remained calm, but tension lingered beneath the surface.
"He noticed your scent."
Damian's pulse quickened. "That is not unusual."
"It is tonight."
Damian looked up.
Their eyes met again.
This time the distance between them felt smaller, and the tension felt stronger.
Kendrick studied him carefully. "You should leave early."
Damian released a slow breath. "I already told you. I am working."
Kendrick lowered his voice slightly. "Victor Hale is not someone you want noticing you."
"And why would he care about me?"
Kendrick hesitated.
Because the truth was simple.
Victor noticed weaknesses.
And Damian Roberts was becoming one.
Instead of explaining, Kendrick said quietly, "Trust me."
Damian paused.
Something in Kendrick's tone carried urgency. Not authority. Not control.
Concern.
That realization unsettled him more than anything else.
Before he could respond, another voice cut into the moment.
"Well."
Both men turned.
Victor Hale stood a few steps away, watching them with open interest. A slow smile spread across his face as his gaze moved between them.
"I was wondering why the heir of Walker Corporation was speaking privately with catering staff."
His attention settled on Damian.
"And now I understand."
The tension in the air tightened instantly.
Because Victor's sharp eyes had already begun connecting the pieces.
The curiosity in his expression had changed.
It was no longer casual.
It was deliberate.
Kendrick recognized that look immediately.
Victor Hale had found something worth investigating.
And once Victor decided to pursue a mystery, he rarely stopped until he uncovered the truth.
Even if destroying someone along the way was the easiest method.