Seven arrived fast enough to make it clear two things were true at once:
One, the palace system had flagged something.
Two, Arion had hit the emergency contact because pride only survived until biology started sharpening teeth.
The suite door was unlocked with a soft chime and a security override, which Alamina pretended didn't exist behind classical panels and antique handles.
Then there was a pause because even Seven wasn't insane enough to walk into a pheromone-saturated room unarmed.
The first thing Arion noticed was the faint click of a filter seal engaging.
The second was Seven's silhouette in the doorway, gloved hands already adjusting a half mask over his nose and mouth.
A neutralizer, a type of personal respirator used for containment and high-dominance exposures, was intended to flatten scent signatures before they enter the bloodstream.
Seven's eyes swept the room in one clinical, furious glance.
