Victor Hale moved through the ballroom with quiet authority.
Guests stepped aside instinctively as he passed. Some offered polite greetings. Others nodded in acknowledgment. Victor responded with effortless charm, but his attention remained fixed ahead.
On the omega moving steadily through the crowd with a tray of champagne.
Damian Roberts.
A slow smile formed on Victor's face.
Only minutes earlier, curiosity had driven his interest. Now that curiosity had sharpened into something stronger.
Intrigue.
Victor Hale had never been good at ignoring things that intrigued him.
Across the room, Kendrick Walker immediately recognized where Victor was headed.
His expression tightened.
He knew Victor's habits too well. Once Victor began investigating something, he rarely stopped until he reached a conclusion.
And tonight, the omega moving between tables had become his newest target.
Kendrick pushed himself away from the wall.
If Victor intended to push further, Kendrick wanted to be close enough to intervene.
Damian did not notice Victor approaching right away.
He focused on keeping the tray balanced while moving carefully between guests. Two people reached for glasses.
"Thank you," one of them said absently.
Damian nodded politely and turned toward the next table.
That was when someone stepped directly into his path.
He stopped short.
The sinking feeling arrived before recognition fully settled in.
Victor Hale.
The alpha stood tall and relaxed, one hand tucked casually into his pocket, his sharp gaze already examining Damian again.
"Well," Victor said lightly.
"We meet again."
Damian forced himself to remain calm.
"Yes, sir."
He shifted slightly, preparing to move past him.
Victor did not move.
Instead, he tilted his head and studied Damian more closely.
"You are busy tonight."
Damian nodded.
"It is an event."
Victor let out a quiet laugh.
"That is certainly one way to describe it."
He leaned slightly closer. Not enough to invade personal space, but close enough to test something.
Damian felt it immediately.
Victor was checking his scent again.
The suppressor patch still worked, but Damian understood its limits. At close range, even the strongest suppressor could not hide everything.
He stepped back half a step.
The movement was small.
Victor noticed anyway.
That reaction only deepened his interest.
"Relax," Victor said calmly.
"I am not going to bite."
Damian remained silent.
Victor's eyes shifted briefly toward the tray.
"Champagne?"
Damian raised it slightly.
Victor selected a glass.
Then stayed exactly where he was.
Blocking the path.
A few nearby guests began to glance in their direction, sensing tension even if they did not understand it.
Damian felt pressure building in his chest.
"I should continue serving," he said quietly.
Victor took a slow sip.
"Of course."
Yet he still did not move.
The silence stretched uncomfortably.
Then Victor spoke again.
"You are an omega."
Damian stiffened slightly.
It was not a question.
Still, he answered carefully.
"Yes."
Victor nodded once.
"That is what I thought."
His gaze sharpened.
"You are using a suppressor."
Damian's heart skipped, but his voice remained controlled.
"Many omegas do."
Victor smiled faintly.
"Yes."
His eyes glinted with quiet satisfaction.
"But most suppressors do not struggle this much."
Damian's pulse quickened.
Victor had noticed more than he should have.
"I am working," Damian said.
Victor chuckled softly.
"That is obvious."
He leaned closer again.
"And yet the heir of Walker Corporation has spoken to you twice tonight."
Damian froze for a fraction of a second.
Victor caught it instantly.
"So you do know him," he said.
Before Damian could respond, another voice entered the conversation.
"He works here."
Victor did not need to turn around to recognize the speaker.
Kendrick Walker.
A slow smile returned to Victor's face as he glanced over his shoulder.
Kendrick stood a few steps away, his expression calm but clearly displeased.
Victor laughed quietly.
"Perfect timing."
He turned fully toward Kendrick.
"I was simply having a conversation."
"With catering staff?" Kendrick asked.
Victor raised an eyebrow.
"Should I not?"
Kendrick said nothing.
But his presence shifted slightly.
Not aggressive.
Just steady.
Victor noticed the positioning immediately.
Kendrick had stepped close enough to break the direct pressure on Damian.
Protective.
Interesting.
Victor turned his head slightly, looking back at Damian.
"That makes twice tonight he has interrupted our conversations," he said casually.
Damian did not respond.
But irritation had begun to build inside him.
Victor's tone.
His assumptions.
The way he treated him like an object to be examined.
Before he could stop himself, Damian spoke.
"I am not sure why either of you think I am interesting."
Both alphas fell silent.
Victor looked genuinely surprised.
Kendrick, however, watched him closely.
Damian continued.
"I am just doing my job."
His gaze lifted.
For the first time that evening, he met Victor's eyes directly.
He did not lower his head.
He did not look away.
The moment lasted only a few seconds.
But the effect was immediate.
Victor's smile widened slowly.
"Well now."
His voice carried unmistakable amusement.
"That is new."
Most omegas avoided direct eye contact with dominant alphas, especially ones like Victor.
Damian had not.
Victor chuckled softly.
"Defiant too."
Damian immediately regretted the moment of boldness.
But the reaction had already happened.
Victor looked delighted.
Across from them, Kendrick remained silent.
Yet Damian's brief resistance caught his attention as well.
The omega had spent the entire evening avoiding notice.
But when pushed too far, he pushed back.
Kendrick found that unexpectedly compelling.
Victor finished his champagne and placed the empty glass back onto Damian's tray.
"Well," he said lightly.
"I look forward to speaking again."
Damian said nothing.
Victor's gaze shifted toward Kendrick one last time.
"You always did have fascinating instincts, Kendrick."
Then he walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving tension behind him.
For a moment, Damian remained still.
Then he released a slow breath.
"That man is exhausting."
Kendrick almost smiled.
Almost.
"You handled that better than most people would."
Damian glanced at him.
"I did not handle it. I survived it."
Kendrick studied him carefully.
"You should not provoke Victor Hale."
"I did not provoke him."
"You challenged him."
Damian sighed.
"I was trying not to be interrogated."
Kendrick watched him for a moment longer before speaking again.
"He is going to investigate you now."
Damian felt his stomach drop.
"That is exactly what I was afraid of."
Kendrick's voice softened slightly.
"You should be."
Because Victor Hale never abandoned a mystery once he discovered it.
And tonight, Damian Roberts had just become his most compelling one.