The ballroom felt louder when Damian returned.
Or perhaps the noise only seemed sharper because his nerves were stretched thin. Conversations overlapped. Laughter echoed. Music drifted through the air. Everything felt too bright, too crowded, too watchful.
He stepped behind the catering table and grabbed another tray, steadying it with slightly tense hands.
Just finish the shift.
Half an hour had turned into twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes until he could leave the building, remove the suppressor patch, and forget this entire night had ever happened.
That plan felt fragile now.
Victor Hale was watching him.
Kendrick Walker kept finding him.
And worst of all, the suppressor patch on the back of his neck had started to itch again.
Damian resisted the urge to touch it.
Not here.
Adjusting it in the middle of the ballroom would only draw attention.
Still, the irritation made unease coil in his stomach.
He stepped back into the crowd and resumed the routine that usually kept him calm.
Offer drinks.Smile politely.Move along.
Simple.
Across the room, Kendrick noticed him immediately.
Of course he did.
Kendrick had been trying, very unsuccessfully, to focus on the speech near the stage. His father stood before the guests, thanking them for attending the engagement celebration.
Polite applause followed.
Cameras flashed.
But Kendrick barely heard any of it.
Because something had changed.
The moment Damian returned to the ballroom, Kendrick sensed the difference.
The scent.
Still faint.
Still partially suppressed.
But stronger than before.
His gaze sharpened instantly.
The patch is failing.
The realization stirred his instincts at once. The quiet pull he had been resisting all night tightened into something more urgent.
This was exactly what he had warned Damian about.
Across the room, another person noticed the change.
Victor Hale.
He stood near the bar, one arm resting casually on the counter while he observed the crowd with patient focus.
And then it reached him.
That same scent.
Clearer now.
More noticeable.
Victor's smile returned slowly.
There it is.
His gaze locked onto Damian at once.
The omega moved carefully through the guests, still trying to appear unnoticed. Yet the tension in his posture was obvious to anyone paying attention.
And Victor could smell the truth.
He lifted his glass slightly, watching as Damian approached another table.
This mystery was unraveling faster than expected.
Meanwhile, Damian's skin prickled with unease.
He could not explain it fully, but the sensation was unmistakable.
Too many eyes.
Too much attention.
And the itch at the back of his neck kept getting worse.
Finally, he could not ignore it any longer.
He stepped briefly behind a column near the edge of the ballroom, shielding himself from view.
Quickly, carefully, he reached up and pressed the edge of the suppressor patch.
Just a small adjustment.
That was all.
But the moment his fingers brushed the adhesive, the patch shifted slightly.
For one brief second, his scent slipped free.
Not fully.
Not enough for most people to notice.
But enough.
Across the ballroom, Kendrick froze.
The reaction was immediate.
His instincts surged forward with sudden intensity. The scent that reached him now was clearer than anything he had sensed all night.
Unmistakable.
And beneath it, something deeper that sharpened every instinct in his body.
His breath caught.
Across the room, Victor noticed the same moment.
His eyes widened slightly.
Then his smile grew sharper.
Now he understood.
That was not just an unusual omega scent.
It was rare.
Powerful.
And impossible for a dominant alpha to ignore.
Victor's gaze flicked toward Kendrick.
The reaction he saw there confirmed everything.
Kendrick Walker had sensed it too.
Meanwhile, Damian pressed the patch firmly back into place.
The scent faded almost immediately.
But the damage had already been done.
He stepped back into the crowd, trying to calm the uneasy feeling crawling up his spine.
Relax.
No one noticed.
But across the ballroom, Kendrick was already moving.
He did not realize he had started walking until he was halfway across the room. His instincts drove him forward before logic could intervene.
Guests stepped aside automatically as he passed.
His focus locked onto one person.
Damian.
Victor watched the movement with open interest.
"Well," he murmured to himself.
"This just became dangerous."
Damian approached another table.
A guest reached for a drink from his tray.
"Thank you," the woman said politely.
Damian nodded.
But before he could step away, a familiar presence appeared beside him.
Kendrick.
Again.
Damian let out a quiet groan.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Kendrick's voice was lower than before.
Tighter.
"Your suppressor slipped."
Damian stiffened instantly.
"You noticed?"
Kendrick's gaze darkened slightly.
"Yes."
Damian swallowed.
"That is not good."
"No," Kendrick said.
"Not at all."
He stepped closer.
"Is it obvious?" Damian asked quietly.
Kendrick did not answer immediately.
Instead, his eyes shifted briefly across the room.
Toward the bar.
Victor Hale raised his glass in silent acknowledgment.
Kendrick's jaw tightened.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"Someone else noticed."
Damian followed his gaze.
The moment he saw Victor watching them, his stomach dropped.
"Oh no."
Kendrick's voice remained calm but firm.
"You need to leave."
"I cannot just walk out."
"You can."
"My manager—"
"I will handle it."
Damian shook his head quickly.
"No. That will make it worse."
Kendrick stepped closer again.
Close enough that Damian could feel the heat of his presence.
"This is not a suggestion."
Damian looked up at him.
Their eyes met.
The tension between them sharpened instantly.
Stronger now.
Because the scent that had escaped moments earlier still lingered faintly in Kendrick's awareness.
And it was affecting him.
More than he wanted to admit.
Damian saw the change in his expression.
The realization unsettled him.
"You are reacting to it," Damian said quietly.
Kendrick did not deny it.
"That is exactly why you need to go."
Before Damian could respond, another voice entered the conversation.
"I was wondering when you would figure it out."
Both men turned.
Victor Hale approached slowly.
His expression looked almost pleased.
The way he studied Damian had changed completely.
There was no curiosity left.
Only certainty.
Victor stopped a few feet away.
Then he spoke softly.
"Well now."
His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"That explains everything."
A cold realization settled in Damian's chest.
Victor Hale had solved the mystery.
And the look on his face made one thing very clear.
He was not going to keep that discovery to himself.