The audience was buzzing with muted voices until Jungkook entered. As always, there was a respectful silence, with only the slight rustling of clothing and muffled breathing. His gaze, sharp and assessing like a predator's, immediately swept to his usual seat at the end of the row, the one that had always remained vacant, with an empty chair next to it, where no one dared to sit due to his aura.

Normally, his attention would have been elsewhere, weary of predictability. But today... something had changed. A figure moved down the hall, its grace as provocative as it was flawless. A new scent, wild and unfamiliar, not the sweet or submissive aroma that usually emanated from the omegas surrounding the alpha. It was... sharp. And completely beyond his control.

This stranger, a cougar hybrid, didn't hesitate to make his way straight to Jungkook's row. His eyes narrowed as he sat down in the chair right next to Jungkook's seat, which was his unofficial territory. There was no hint of fear or subservience in his posture. His own alpha pheromone, heavy and commanding, with undertones of dark leather and expensive tobacco, must have enveloped him. But he didn't flinch.

The cougar hybrid's gaze, direct and insolent, met the leopard hybrid's. There was no challenge, no submission, only a cold, almost bored assessment. The leopard within Jeon growled in outrage—how dare he?

"Newcomer," his voice was low and measured, like silk, but with an icy, unmistakable note of superiority. "I believe you were not informed that this seat is usually... reserved."