CHAPTER 97: CHAPTER 97: HUNTING FOR FOOD (2)

Victor filled the doorway like he always did, shoulders loose, gaze sharp, as if he’d already taken in every detail of the room before stepping inside. Barefoot, his hair just slightly mussed, he looked less like the untouchable figure who could turn a boardroom into a battlefield and more like the kind of man who had simply walked out of bed because something, someone, had pulled him there.

The bond tightened, warm and insistent, brushing along the inside of Elias’s mind.

"You’re a difficult man to track when you don’t want to be found," Victor said, his voice pitched low enough to seem meant only for him.

Elias didn’t move from the wall, though the faint pull at the corner of his mouth betrayed some part of his amusement. "I was trying to avoid being a disruption."

Victor’s gaze slid over him, bare feet, loose shirt, the faint curl of hair still damp from earlier, and then to the door behind him, where the smells from the kitchen still lingered. "You were hungry."

"I was," Elias allowed, though his tone suggested that hunger wasn’t the only thing that had brought him out here. "And apparently, even that’s suspicious in your house."

Victor’s mouth curved faintly. "That’s because in my house, you’re not supposed to hunt for food." He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, until the space between them had narrowed to just enough to make Elias’s pulse catch. "It’s brought to you."

Elias groaned, tipping his head back like the ceiling might have sympathy. "I was just a PhD student a month ago. I survived on coffee and whatever was cheapest at the store."

Victor’s brows lifted, amused. "So your grand plan was... what? Sneak into my kitchens and raid the bread basket?"

"Yes," Elias said without shame. "Cheese, too, if I got lucky. Then back to bed. Normal people do it all the time."

"You’re not ’normal people’ anymore."

Elias narrowed his eyes. "I’m still capable of walking into a kitchen and getting a snack."

Victor’s smirk deepened. "Capable? Maybe. Allowed? No."

Elias gave a quiet, disbelieving laugh. "You make grabbing food sound like some sort of high-level security breach."

"In this house, it is," Victor said smoothly. "And you, Elias Clarke, are not cleared for solo missions."

"I liked you more without the bond," Elias muttered, eyes narrowing just enough to make it clear he wasn’t entirely joking. "At least you hid your possessiveness... Wait... no, I was just blind to it."

Victor’s grin was slow and unapologetic. "You were. Now you can’t be."

Elias huffed, crossing his arms. "What I can be is hungry."

"And what you can’t be," Victor countered, stepping past him to open the door fully, "is standing around making my night staff feel like they’re under inspection."

"They were fine."

"They were pretending to be fine," Victor corrected, voice dipping into that low, infuriatingly certain tone. "Lingering will only make them more uncomfortable."

Elias arched a brow. "So what? You’re escorting me back to the suite?"

"Yes," Victor said simply, already guiding him toward the hall. "Where I will personally ensure you get what you want."

"That sounds like a threat."

Victor’s smirk deepened. "Only if you want it to be."

Elias shot him a sidelong look as they walked, bare feet whispering over polished floors. "You make this sound like I’ve committed some terrible breach of etiquette."

Victor didn’t glance over. "You have. You walked into my kitchen."

Elias snorted but didn’t argue, letting himself be herded back through the winding corridors until the familiar door to their suite came into view. Victor pushed it open, and the faint scent hit Elias first, warm bread, something savory, and the underlying sweetness of fruit.

Inside, the low lamplight pooled across the coffee table, where a covered tray sat waiting beside a folded linen napkin and polished cutlery. A glass of water beaded with condensation gleamed beside it.

Elias blinked. "You had this brought up while I was downstairs."

"I told you," Victor said, guiding him inside, "it’s brought to you." He moved past Elias to lift the silver lid, releasing a curl of steam into the room. "Bread, cheese, and something with actual nutritional value."

Elias eyed the plate. "You say that like you don’t trust me to make my own decisions."

"I don’t," Victor replied without hesitation, settling onto the couch and gesturing for Elias to sit. "Eat."

Elias hesitated a beat longer, then dropped onto the other end of the couch, muttering under his breath, "Still think I could’ve managed the kitchen run just fine."

Victor’s smirk was pure indulgence. "Maybe next time. With supervision."

Elias sat cross-legged on the couch, pulling the tray closer until the warmth seeped into his hands. The bread was still soft in the center, the crust faintly crisp, and the cheese had that clean, sharp scent that made his stomach twist in impatient approval.

Victor didn’t touch any of it. He leaned back against the armrest, sleeves still pushed up, watching Elias with that quiet, intent amusement that somehow made the air feel heavier.

Elias tore off a piece of bread, pairing it with cheese before glancing over. "You’re just going to sit there and watch me?"

"Yes," Victor said without a trace of hesitation.

Elias shook his head, chewing slowly. "That’s not creepy at all."

"Not creepy," Victor corrected mildly. "Entertaining."

Elias set the bread down long enough to give him a look. "Do you ever sleep?"

Victor’s mouth curved faintly, the shadows under his eyes betraying the truth even as his voice came smooth. "When I want to."

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the only one you’re getting," Victor replied, clearly unbothered, his gaze never leaving him.

Elias muttered something under his breath about overbearing alphas, reaching for a slice of pear. The sweetness hit his tongue like something stolen, and he didn’t miss the way Victor’s smirk deepened just a fraction, as if the act of eating in his presence was its own kind of victory.