For a brief moment after Kendrick spoke, the noise of the ballroom seemed to fade into the background.
Damian felt it happen.
The way the air between them tightened.
The way Kendrick Walker's attention locked onto him like a spotlight that refused to move.
It made the back of Damian's neck prickle.
This is bad.
He had worked enough elite events to recognize danger when it appeared. Powerful alphas didn't focus on someone like him without reason.
And when they did…
Things rarely ended well.
Damian adjusted the tray slightly in his hands, hoping the movement would break the moment.
"I think you're mistaken, sir," he said politely.
His voice stayed calm, though his pulse was beginning to race.
Kendrick didn't move.
Up close, the alpha's presence was overwhelming.
He was taller than Damian had realized from across the room, broad shoulders filling out the sharp black suit he wore. His posture carried a natural confidence that made the people around him subtly shift their positions without even realizing it.
Power like that didn't need to be announced.
It simply existed.
And right now, it was focused entirely on Damian.
"You work here," Kendrick said.
It wasn't a question.
Damian nodded once.
"Yes."
Kendrick's eyes moved slowly over him.
Not in the casual way guests usually glanced at catering staff.
No.
This was deliberate.
Observant.
Like he was studying something that didn't quite make sense.
Damian forced himself not to react.
Don't look nervous.
Don't attract attention.
He had learned those rules the hard way growing up as an omega in a city run by powerful alphas.
Still, the longer Kendrick watched him, the more uneasy he felt.
The suppressor patch on the back of his neck suddenly itched again.
Had it failed?
That thought made a flicker of anxiety move through him.
No.
It couldn't have.
He had applied it carefully before coming to work tonight.
He had even double-checked the instructions.
Still, Kendrick's gaze remained sharp.
Focused.
Almost curious.
"I should get back to work," Damian said.
He shifted slightly, intending to step past him.
But Kendrick moved at the same moment.
Not aggressively.
Just enough to block the path.
The movement was subtle.
Most people in the room probably wouldn't even notice it.
But Damian did.
His heart skipped.
Is he serious right now?
He glanced up again, meeting Kendrick's gaze.
"Excuse me."
The words were polite.
But there was a quiet firmness behind them.
Something in Kendrick's expression changed slightly.
Most people didn't speak to him like that.
They either tried to impress him…
Or avoided him entirely.
This omega was doing neither.
"You didn't answer my question," Kendrick said.
Damian frowned slightly.
"You didn't ask one."
For half a second, Kendrick looked almost surprised.
Then a faint hint of amusement touched his eyes.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"What's your name?" Kendrick asked.
There it was.
The question Damian had been hoping to avoid.
Names had weight.
Names created connections.
Connections meant someone could find you again later.
Still, refusing to answer would only attract more attention.
And attention was exactly what he didn't want tonight.
"Damian," he said after a moment.
Kendrick repeated the name slowly.
"Damian."
Something about the way he said it made the name sound different.
Heavier.
Like he was committing it to memory.
Damian felt another flicker of unease.
Great.
Now the city's most powerful alpha knows my name.
Kendrick tilted his head slightly.
"You're an omega."
It wasn't accusatory.
It was simply… observational.
But the statement still made Damian's shoulders tense.
"That's not exactly unusual," Damian replied carefully.
Kendrick's gaze sharpened slightly.
"No," he said slowly.
"But your scent is."
For a split second, panic flashed through Damian's chest.
He can smell it.
The suppressor patch.
It was supposed to block everything.
That was the entire reason he bought the expensive version this time.
Still, something in Kendrick's expression suggested he had noticed something different.
Damian forced himself to remain calm.
"I think you're imagining things."
The lie sounded thin.
Even to his own ears.
Kendrick didn't call him out on it.
But he didn't look convinced either.
Instead, his attention remained fixed on Damian with an intensity that made the omega increasingly uncomfortable.
Because the truth was…
Damian could feel it too.
The strange pull in the air between them.
Something instinctive.
Something biological.
The kind of reaction omegas were warned about growing up.
Alpha instinct.
Dominance.
The natural hierarchy that ruled their world.
Except Kendrick wasn't acting the way alphas usually did when they noticed an omega.
There was no aggression.
No possessiveness.
Just curiosity.
Dangerous curiosity.
"You don't seem nervous," Kendrick said suddenly.
Damian blinked.
"I'm working."
"That's not what I asked."
Damian studied him carefully.
Was this a test?
Most alphas expected submission from omegas.
Lowered eyes.
Quiet voices.
Compliance.
Damian had spent years teaching himself how to survive in situations like this without losing himself completely.
"I've met alphas before," he said.
The answer was simple.
Honest.
And slightly defiant.
Kendrick noticed.
The corner of his mouth twitched faintly.
"Most omegas avoid eye contact," Kendrick observed.
Damian shrugged slightly.
"I'm holding a tray, not starting a fight."
The reply slipped out before he could stop himself.
For a second, Damian wondered if he had just made a very stupid mistake.
But instead of reacting with offense…
Kendrick laughed.
It was quiet.
Low.
And clearly genuine.
The sound surprised both of them.
Damian stared at him.
Did the most powerful alpha in the room just laugh at my joke?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Kendrick studied him again, but this time there was something warmer in his gaze.
"You're not what I expected," he said.
"That's probably a good thing."
Before Kendrick could respond, a voice cut smoothly through the moment.
"Kendrick."
Both men turned.
Alehandra Peters approached them with graceful confidence.
Her red dress caught the chandelier light with every step, and several nearby guests subtly shifted their attention toward her.
She was impossible to ignore.
Her sharp eyes moved quickly between Kendrick and Damian.
Assessing.
Calculating.
Her smile remained perfectly polite.
But something colder flickered beneath it.
"Kendrick," she repeated softly. "Everyone's looking for you."
For the first time since their conversation began, Kendrick stepped back.
The invisible tension around Damian loosened slightly.
Alehandra's gaze lingered on him briefly.
Just long enough to make him uncomfortable.
"Is there a problem?" she asked.
Her tone was light.
But her eyes were sharp.
"No," Kendrick said.
He glanced at Damian once more.
"Just a conversation."
Alehandra's gaze returned to Damian again.
A quiet moment passed.
Then she smiled.
"Thank you for assisting the guests tonight," she said smoothly.
It sounded polite.
But the underlying message was clear.
You can leave now.
Damian didn't need to be told twice.
He dipped his head politely.
"Of course."
Then he turned and walked away.
Not quickly enough to look suspicious.
Not slowly enough to invite further conversation.
Just the steady pace of someone returning to work.
Still…
He could feel it.
That gaze.
Heavy.
Focused.
Following him through the crowd.
Don't look back.
He moved between groups of guests, offering drinks and keeping his posture calm.
But inside, his thoughts were racing.
What was that?
Why had Kendrick Walker focused on him like that?
And more importantly…
Had the alpha really smelled something through the suppressor patch?
That possibility made his stomach twist.
Because if Kendrick Walker realized what Damian truly was…
Life would become very complicated.
Across the ballroom, Kendrick remained standing beside Alehandra.
But his attention wasn't on the guests.
It was on the omega disappearing into the crowd.
Damian.
Even from across the room, Kendrick could still faintly sense that scent.
Warm.
Soft.
Unmistakable.
And completely unlike anything he had ever encountered before.
Alehandra followed his gaze.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Someone interesting?" she asked casually.
Kendrick didn't answer immediately.
He watched until Damian vanished completely into the moving crowd.
Then he said quietly,
"Yes."
Alehandra's smile didn't change.
But something thoughtful flickered in her eyes.
Because she had known Kendrick Walker for years.
And she had just seen something she had never seen before.
Her future fiancé…
Looking at someone else like that.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ballroom—
Damian finally allowed himself to breathe.
He stepped into a quieter hallway near the service area and leaned briefly against the wall.
His heart was still beating too fast.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered under his breath.
He reached up and touched the edge of the suppressor patch on his neck.
Still there.
Still secure.
Still working… hopefully.
Yet somehow…
Kendrick Walker had still noticed him.
And Damian couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that tonight's encounter had just started something he might not be able to escape.
Because somewhere in the ballroom behind him—
The most powerful alpha in the city was still thinking about him.
And Kendrick Walker had just realized something unsettling.
No matter how crowded the room was…
He could still pick out Damian's scent.
Every time.