For a moment, the hallway felt completely still.
Damian Roberts recognized that look immediately.
He had seen it once before, years ago, when an alpha in a crowded subway station caught a brief trace of his scent after a suppressor failed. The man had stared in exactly the same way Kendrick was staring now.
Like something inside him had just awakened.
Something instinctive.
Something powerful.
And Damian had spent years making sure he never saw that expression again.
But here it was.
On the face of Kendrick Walker.
The most powerful alpha in the building.
"Oh no," Damian whispered.
Kendrick barely heard him.
His mind was still trying to process the realization that had struck him seconds earlier.
Mate.
The word refused to leave his thoughts.
It did not make sense.
It should not make sense.
Mating bonds were rare. Extremely rare. They were not something discovered in quiet hallways after accidental scent exposure.
Yet Kendrick's instincts were not confused.
