Claude let out a scoff, the sound sharp in the quiet office. He strode halfway toward Adriel's desk, then stopped and looked back at him, shoulders squared.
"You didn't marry him because you loved him—I know that. Because deep down, I'm still the only one you've ever really wanted."
Adriel raised a brow, arms folded across his chest, his Alpha presence filling the room like a storm. "You're full of yourself."
Claude smirked, but his scent betrayed him, tinged faintly with bitter citrus—the sting of jealousy. "Just being honest. I was your first. The first Omega you let close. You're not the type to fall easily, Adriel. I know what it cost you when I left."
Adriel didn't answer. Silence weighed heavy, his pheromones steady and controlled, as if daring Claude to break.
Claude stepped closer, his voice softer now, his own scent trembling against restraint. "I'm sorry for vanishing. I know it was cruel. I should've told you… I hurt you."
"Yeah," Adriel said bluntly. "And I got over it."
The words hit harder than claws. Claude's breath stuttered, chest tightening against the rejection. His pride forced him to smile, but the edges of it cracked.
"You're really gonna pretend you forgot about me? Just because you're playing house with someone else?" His tone rose, desperate. His scent spiked—bitter-sweet, aching, almost mournful. "We were together for years, Adriel. You don't erase that overnight. You know why I left—I had dreams. I needed to chase them."
"And I wasn't part of them," Adriel shot back, his Alpha voice low, dangerous. "I would've given up everything for you, Claude. But you didn't even ask. You carved out a future where I didn't exist. So tell me—why are you here now?"
Claude's throat bobbed. His Omega instincts clawed at him, telling him to bow, to submit, to plead—but he fought them, raising his chin higher. "Because maybe we still have something worth saving." His voice cracked. "I messed up. But we could—"
"We can't go back," Adriel cut in, firm, his scent like steel. "Time doesn't work like that."
Claude's eyes burned, desperation seeping through. "Then I'll break time," he hissed. "I go after what I want, Adriel. Always have. And what I want now… is you. Just one more chance. Please." He stepped closer, close enough for his pheromones to brush against Adriel's—sweet, needy, begging for recognition.
But Adriel backed away, the Alpha wall between them immovable. "The only thing I can offer you is a position here. Your career—you can rebuild it. But me? I'm done."
The finality in his tone made Claude's Omega instincts recoil, a painful twist in his gut. His smile faltered, then stretched back into place, brittle and hollow.
If Adriel thought rejection would push him off, he was wrong. Pride. That's all this was. Rage, resentment, jealousy—emotions he'd cool off from eventually.
Claude smoothed down his jacket, forcing composure as his pheromones shifted into something calmer, sweeter, like honey masking venom.
He'd come around. He had to.
"You're really gonna play it cold with me?" Claude mused silently, lips tugging into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Of course Adriel was upset. He'd left without a word, and now Adriel was pretending his anger had something to do with his supposed Omega husband. Claude knew better. If he pressed the right buttons, if he apologized enough, Adriel would soften. Right now, the Alpha was just riding the high of wounded pride.
"Enough," Adriel said, voice clipped. His hand shot out, gripping Claude's wrist just as his fingers brushed the knot of his tie. The air tightened instantly, his Alpha scent spiking—sharp cedar and steel, dominance and warning all at once. "I only agreed to let you into Ulrick Jewels as chief designer because of my father. Don't twist it into something it's not."
He peeled Claude's hand away and dropped it without hesitation.
Claude inhaled, Omega pheromones bleeding faintly into the air—sweet, persuasive, the kind that once had Adriel leaning in instead of pulling away. But this time, it rolled off him like mist against stone.
"Fine. I'll take your word for now." Claude straightened, smile still in place though his jaw was tight. "But since I'm here as the new designer, I want something in return." His gaze slid toward the small desk tucked neatly inside Adriel's office. "I want Eren as my secretary."
Adriel's expression darkened immediately. His Alpha scent flared again, heavier, pressing down like a silent snarl. "What did you just say?"
"He's already a secretary, isn't he?" Claude asked casually, though his tone sharpened around the edges. His eyes lingered on the faint red hair bent over paperwork at that desk—Eren, quiet, meticulous, carrying an Omega scent that was unmistakably claimed.
"I don't see the problem. He's competent and professional. Unless…" Claude tilted his head, letting the words drip like poison. "Unless you've got a personal reason he shouldn't work with me?"
Adriel didn't move. His silence was dangerous, dominance coiled tight.
Claude's smile widened, lips parting just enough to let his sweetness sharpen into mockery. "Oh, right. He's your wife, isn't he? Funny how no one here seems to know that. You keep him tucked away like a secret. What's wrong, Adriel? Embarrassed to admit the mighty Ulrick Alpha married a lowly Omega secretary? You wouldn't be the first Alpha to slum it."
Adriel's jaw flexed, the weight of his pheromones turning iron-heavy. The entire office air bristled with it, making even Claude falter.
"I'm giving you a chance here," Claude said smoothly, though his scent faltered under the pressure. "Let me have him as my secretary. He's not some fragile ornament you can keep hidden away. He works here. He gets paid like anyone else. Unless you plan on using him as office décor?"
"Pick someone else," Adriel growled, voice low, his Alpha command rolling through the room like a physical weight.
"No," Claude snapped, Omega eyes gleaming, pheromones spiking sharp with challenge. "I want him. Or maybe you'd rather deal with the fallout when people learn the mighty Ulrick president has been hiding his Omega husband in plain sight. You know exactly what a scandal like that could do."
"You wouldn't want that… would you?" Claude's voice curled like smoke, her lips pulling into a smug little smile.
The Omega's scent was faint but deliberate, sweet enough to taunt. She knew Adriel too well. He was the Ulrick heir—the polished Alpha, the pride of his father's name. One wrong move—just one—and the flawless image could fracture. His father hadn't given her the chief designer role out of respect. It had been punishment, a reminder that Adriel's secret marriage was a blemish better left hidden. No blessing. No announcement. Just shame veiled behind velvet walls.
Adriel's hand tightened around the bouquet he carried, stems creaking under the pressure of his grip. His jaw set, eyes narrowing. "And you plan on using that scrap of knowledge like a weapon?" His voice carried a low growl, his Alpha instincts bristling even as he forced them under control.
Claude tilted her head, lashes lowering in practiced softness. "I'm not trying to hurt you," she said, silk-smooth, her pheromones curling faintly between them like a whisper. "I just want you to be fair."
"Fair?" Adriel scoffed, the word bitten off sharp. "And this little stunt is your idea of fairness?"
"You can say no," she shrugged, though her smile said otherwise. "But don't expect me to stay quiet. Especially when I stand here with one goal—to take you back. You're mine, Adriel. I lost you once. I won't lose you again."
Her hand rose, fingertips grazing the edge of his cheek with quiet, aching familiarity. For a heartbeat, her longing was naked, but Adriel turned away before the touch could root itself deeper. His pulse thudded in his throat, his instincts split between rage and the desperate need to shield Eren.
"Think about it," Claude murmured, letting her hand drop, her tone sharpening. "But so we're clear—I don't take no for an answer."
She pivoted, her heels striking the floor in crisp, deliberate clicks, each step like a countdown. The faint trace of her scent lingered long after she left, a reminder of the threat she carried.
Adriel remained frozen, shoulders taut, fury rippling through him. Every Alpha instinct in his body screamed for him to protect Eren, his true Omega. But how could he, when Claude dangled the match above a fire he couldn't let burn?