Page 11 of The Sterling Acquisition

The admission was heavy with possibility and threat in equal measure. Orion had spent a year fighting one kind of Alpha. Now he was face to face with an entirely different type.

One that might be far more dangerous than anything Leo could have thrown at him.

Because this one was smart enough to make him want to say yes.

Chapter four

Complimentary Assessment

Dante

Dantestaredathisencrypted phone at 6:23 AM, cursor blinking on a half-written message to Amalie, and tried to figure out how to explain that his precisely planned espionage mission had developed complications.

Initial consultation complete. SVI methods prove inadequate for high-value asset optimization. Further study required.

He deleted the message with a frustrated swipe of his thumb. How was he supposed to explain that he’d spent the night replaying every moment of his conversation with Orion? The calculated snap of teeth that came close enough to his fingers that he felt the heat of Orion’s breath. The moment when discussion of “negotiation” made hunger flickeracross the Omega’s face.

Even now, twelve hours later, Dante could still smell storm winds and ozone on his clothes. His scent blockers had been utterly useless against the concentrated pheromone assault of being near an unclaimed Omega who’d been under stress for a year.

His bio-monitors would be logging elevated heart rate, increased body temperature, and hormone fluctuations that went well beyond professional interest. Amalie would have questions if she were monitoring his metrics closely. Questions he wasn’t prepared to answer.

His phone buzzed with an incoming message:

Amalie

Morning, sweetie! Hope you had a productive evening. Any breakthroughs in your research ?

Dante settled on:

Significant progress made. Local protocols require extensive optimization. Will continue detailed assessment.

Amalie

Wonderful! You always were thorough. Don’t work too hard

He set the phone aside and rubbed his temples. If Amalie knew what he was actually assessing, she’d either promote him or have him recalled for psychological evaluation.

Through the wall, the morning routine was already underway. Leo’s voice, tight with frustration: “Orion, please, just eat something. You missed dinner lastnight—”

The crash of ceramic hitting the floor was immediate and violent.

“Fuck your breakfast and fuck your fake concern!”

“It’s not fake concern, it’s basic nutrition—”

“It’s control. Everything you do is about control.”

More crashing. Leo retreating, muttering about “impossible” and “ungrateful.”

Dante smiled to himself. If Leo thought yesterday had been difficult, he was in for quite a surprise. Because Dante saw calculation in Orion’s eyes during their conversation—assessment, and the beginning of what might have been interest.

Leo was trying to break Orion with all the finesse of a sledgehammer meeting a Ming vase. Dante, on the other hand, suspected that the real challenge wasn’t breaking Orion at all, but figuring out how to convince him to choose to bend.

A knock at his door interrupted his machinations. Leo stood in the hallway, looking like he slept about as well as Dante had, which was to say not at all.

“How did it go?” Leo asked without preamble. “Your assessment yesterday? Did you learn anything useful?”

Dante weighed his words. “It was illuminating. Your subject is indeed challenging.”