With every stride Vincent took, the pull toward Bryce intensified, tightening around him with unbearable force.
He didn’t have to search.
Before he even realized where his feet had carried him, he was already standing outside the interview room.
"This is outstanding!"
The voice from inside halted him.
"Mr. Jones, you’re exactly the kind of designer we’ve been searching for. Your talent is exceptional." Another voice said.
"I’m confident Mr. Walker will finally be satisfied with the work coming out of the Design Department. There’s no way he could still dismiss something of this caliber as average." Another added.
The undisguised excitement in the man’s voice was unmistakable.
"Mr. Jones, are you alright? You don’t look comfortable. Are you feeling unwell?"
"I... I’m fine," Bryce answered, his voice slightly strained. "I’m just... overwhelmed that you’re all impressed with my work."
"We’re far beyond impressed," one of the interviewers replied without hesitation. "Mr. Jones, consider yourself hired."
The words struck Vincent like a blow.
Hired.
The single word reverberated through his mind with suffocating persistence.
Bryce...
Working here.
Walking these halls every day.
Within his reach.
The thought was utterly unacceptable.
Before reason could restrain him, he shoved the door open and strode inside. Every conversation ceased as eight pairs of eyes turned toward him at once.
The three interviewers immediately stiffened in their seats.
Bryce shot to his feet.
His breathing had already become ragged, each breath noticeably heavier than the last. Perspiration glistened across his skin. Anyone looking at him could tell at a single glance that he was struggling against something.
Vincent was no better. The only difference was that years of discipline had taught him how to conceal it.
"Hired?" Vincent repeated, forcing every syllable through an icy calm. His gaze settled on the three men behind the table before hardening further. "A designer?"
Silence engulfed the room.
"Who gave you the authority to hire a designer into my company without my approval?" He demanded, "Even after the countless corrections I’ve made to that department’s work, I would’ve thought you’d understand how critical that position is. Yet you still presume you can hire someone into that department without consulting me first?"
The question carried enough authority to drain the color from their faces. But even as Vincent spoke, he knew perfectly well that he had never involved himself in recruitment.
His executives had always handled every appointment with impeccable judgment, and throughout the years they had never given him a reason to question their decisions or review a single hiring process.
The three men rose almost simultaneously.
"Sir..." one of them began respectfully. "Please accept our apologies. It was an oversight on our part not to consult you regarding a position in the Design Department. Our intention was to present Mr. Jones’ work for your evaluation first, and only after receiving your approval would we have made a final decision on whether to hire him. Even so, sir, I can assure you that Mr. Jones possesses everything required to..."
"I’ll decide that myself," Vincent cut him off. Although this time, his voice no longer carried the same biting severity as before.
The three men exchanged silent glances before offering slight nods. Without another word, they turned and quietly made their way toward the door.
The moment the door clicked shut behind them, Bryce took a step toward Vincent.
Vincent hesitated, then took a step back.
"Why am I so intensely sexually attracted to you?" Bryce asked, his voice strained with desperation as he came to a stop. "I need to understand what’s happening to me... so please, just tell me."
Vincent didn’t answer. With every passing second, Bryce’s scent grew richer and more intoxicating, saturating the air until Vincent could no longer pretend it wasn’t affecting him.
He knew exactly why this was happening to them.
Simply being true mates didn’t mean every encounter became so overwhelming that they craved each other beyond reason.
What they were experiencing now was the consequence of allowing their bond to remain unresolved for far too long.
Instead of being acknowledged and settled when fate had intended, it had remained dormant for years, only to erupt with uncontrollable intensity once they finally found each other, relentlessly driving them into recurring heats and ruts until the bond was fully stabilized.
It had been three years since Bryce turned eighteen, three years of living without discovering his true mate or allowing the bond to settle into its natural state.
Vincent’s situation was even worse. At twenty six, he had taken far too many years.