The car moved through the evening traffic, the city lights blurring outside the window. Julius sat in the back, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He was still shaking from rage.

He felt like a fool. He had stood in that office and practically begged Harrison to take him. He had thrown his pride away, and Harrison had looked at him like he was a problem to be solved later.

"I can’t fuck you like some slut," Julius whispered to himself, the words tasting like poison in his mouth.

Who did Harrison think he was? He had spent weeks acting like Julius was his prize, marking him with pheromones and pulling him into his world. Then, the moment Julius gave in, Harrison stepped back.

As the car turned a corner, Julius leaned his head against the seat. That was when he noticed it.

The smell.

It was faint but undeniable. Harrison’s scent.

It wasn’t just in the room anymore. It was on him. It was stuck in his suit, clinging to his skin, and tangled in his hair.

He wiped his neck with the back of his hand, trying to brush it away, but it did nothing. The scent was deep. It felt like it was coming from inside his own pores.

The car pulled up to the Vane estate. Julius didn’t wait for the driver to open the door.

He shoved it open and walked toward the house, his steps heavy.

He needed a shower. He needed to scrub every inch of his body until the smell of Harrison Moretti was gone.

He burst through the front doors, hoping to make it to the stairs without being seen.

"You’re late," a voice said from the living room.

Julius stopped.

His mother was sitting on the sofa, a glass of wine in her hand. She looked elegant, but her eyes were sharp as they landed on him.

She didn’t even have to look at his messy clothes or his frustrated face.

The moment the air from the hallway hit her, she went stiff.

She set her glass down on the table and stood up.

"Julius," she said, her voice dropping low.

"Not now, Mom," Julius said, heading for the stairs. "I’ve had a long day."

"Stop right there," she commanded.

Julius halted, his hand on the railing. He turned to look at her, his jaw tight.

"I said I’m tired. Can we do this tomorrow?"

She walked toward him, her footsteps silent on the floor.

When she got close enough, she stopped and breathed in. Her face twisted into a mix of worry and something that looked like deep sadness.

"You smell like him," she said quietly.

"I was at his office," Julius snapped. "He’s an Enigma. His scent stays in the room. It’s a closed space."

"This isn’t just because you were in his office," she said, her eyes searching his. "This is deep, Julius. It’s a mark. It’s a territorial claim. You smell like you belong to an Enigma."

Julius felt his face heat up. The humiliation from the office came rushing back.

"I don’t belong to anyone. It’s just a smell."

"It’s a warning," she countered. "To every other Alpha who crosses your path. He has put his brand on you. Do you even realize what that means?"

"I don’t care about anything right now!" Julius shouted. "I’m trying to handle a man who thinks he can control every breath I take. So just stay out of it."

"I am your mother," she said, her voice rising to match his. "If you are playing games with a man like Harrison, you are going to get burned. You are an Alpha, Julius."

"Leave me alone!" Julius yelled.

He didn’t want to hear her speak like she knew everything while keeping every bit of information away from him.

He turned and walked up the stairs, ignoring her as she called his name.

He slammed his bedroom door and locked it.

He stripped off his suit jacket and threw it into the corner of the room like it was trash. He tore his shirt open, buttons popping and hitting the floor.

He walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as it would go.

He stepped under the spray, not even waiting for the water to cool down.

He grabbed the soap and started scrubbing.

He scrubbed his chest, his arms, and his neck where Harrison’s breath had been. He used the sponge until his skin was red and raw.

"Get off me," he muttered, the steam filling the small room.

He rinsed the soap away and breathed in.

The scent was still there.

He tried again. He used the shampoo twice. He stayed under the water until his fingers were wrinkled.

But no matter how much soap he used, the dark, heavy scent of Harrison remained. It was like a ghost attached to his skin.

Harrison had claimed him in that office, even without touching him fully. His body had accepted the Enigma’s power, and now it wouldn’t let go.

Julius turned off the water and stepped out, shivering.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked back into his bedroom. He felt exhausted and defeated.

He looked at his bed, wanting nothing more than to sleep for a week.

But something caught his eye.

There was a package sitting in the middle of his pillows.

It was a small box, wrapped in plain brown paper. There was no return address. No name.

Julius frowned.

Security was supposed to check everything that came into the house. How did this get onto his bed?

He sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled the paper away.

Inside was a small, wooden toy car. It was old, the red paint peeling off the sides. One of the wheels was slightly crooked.

Julius’s breath hitched.

He had a strong feeling he knew this car but could not recall anything about it.

He picked it up, his fingers trembling. He had no idea why he was reacting this way to a toy.

It felt cold in his hand.

Under the toy, there was a small scrap of paper.

He picked it up and read the words written in black ink:

Did you think I was the only one watching you?

Julius gripped the toy car so hard the wood creaked.

Someone was messing with him.

He looked at the door, then back at the toy.

Between Harrison’s secrets and this mystery package, Julius felt like the walls were finally closing in.

He wasn’t just being chased.

He was being hunted.