Lando walked steadily through the paddock, the buzz of energy around him familiar and grounding. As an alpha, his senses were naturally heightened —especially his sense of smell. It wasn’t overwhelming, but he noticed the distinct layers in the air: the tang of gasoline, warm rubber, the adrenaline-soaked scent of the crowd, and faint traces of other alphas and omegas moving through the paddock.

He offered a few polite nods to passing engineers and staff, not really stopping to chat. The heat of the day pressed against his skin, and he welcomed the cool interior of the McLaren private building as he stepped inside. Quiet, clean, and familiar—finally, a bit of peace.

He made his way to his driver room, ready to take a moment for himself before the next briefing. But as soon as he opened the door, he stopped.

The scent hit him instantly. Not harsh, not overwhelming, just… unexpected. It was the unmistakable scent of an omega —warm, soft, almost sweet with a calming undertone. It lingered in the room, fresh enough that he knew whoever it belonged to had only just arrived.

He blinked once, taken aback—not because it bothered him, but simply because he hadn’t been expecting it. He remembered that someone new was starting today—his assistant—but he hadn’t realized she was an omega. Not that it changed anything. He was used to being around omegas—his sisters were, and most of his team operated on pure respect and professionalism regardless of dynamics—but it would’ve been nice to have a heads-up.

As he stepped fully into the room, he saw you. You were by the side table, arranging a few things—his schedule printouts, water bottles, maybe a notebook. You hadn’t noticed him yet.

Lando stood there for a moment, quietly watching your movements. There was nothing invasive in the way you were moving, just focused, maybe a little nervous. He didn’t feel any need to react strongly—just a flicker of curiosity.

He cleared his throat gently and spoke, voice calm.

“Hey?” he said, tilting his head slightly as he stepped further in. There was no edge to his voice—just an honest, slightly amused curiosity as his eyes met yours for the first time.