CHAPTER 94: 96.7%

The guest room was large and luxurious, all dark wood and silk sheets, but Nathan barely noticed. He tossed the medical kit onto the bed and flopped down beside it, stretching out like he belonged there. Gerald lingered in the doorway, his expression unreadable.

"Are you sure you want to wait here, sir?" Gerald asked quietly. "It could be... several hours or days."

Nathan grinned up at the ceiling.

"Oh, I’ve got time. And patience. Especially when it comes to my saviour." He rolled onto his side, propping his head on his hand. "You know, Gerald, you’re a good guy. Stuck in the middle of all this drama. How do you do it?"

Gerald allowed himself a small smile.

"Practice, sir. And a strong tolerance for chaos."

Nathan laughed. "I like you. When this is all over, you should come work for me. Better pay, less crazy fiancées."

"I’ll... keep that in mind," Gerald said dryly, bowing slightly before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Alone now, Nathan stared at the ceiling, his grin fading into something softer. He reached for his phone, scrolling to Elias’s contact... still saved as "My Saviour (heart emoji)"... and reread their last few texts. Elias hadn’t replied to his latest message, but that was okay.

’He’s probably busy or even unconscious,’ Nathan thought, his thumb tracing the screen. ’Getting fucked by Viktor. That asshole.’

He sat up suddenly, a new thought striking him. "Wait a second," he muttered. "If Viktor’s in there with Elias... does that mean Elias picked him? For the matching thing?" His stomach twisted uncomfortably. "No. No way. My saviour wouldn’t do that. Not without talking to me first."

He opened a new message and started typing furiously. Even if he was sure he wasn’t going to get a response, he kept trying.

N: Saviour. Tell me you’re not in there with Viktor right now because you chose him. Tell me you didn’t pick him. Because if you did, I’m gonna be REALLY pissed. Like, burn-the-world-down pissed.

He stared at the message for a long moment, then deleted it. Too much. Too desperate. Instead, he typed:

N: Hey. I’m currently waiting outside Viktor’s room like a loser. I also brought you something important. Open the door when you’re done, yeah? I miss your annoyed face.

He hit send, then tossed the phone onto the bed, running a hand through his hair. "Come on, Saviour," he muttered. "Don’t make me wait forever."

.

.

Downstairs, Clara stood in the living room, her phone still clutched in her hand like a weapon. Her father’s words kept replaying in her mind:

’Kneel. Apologize. Stay away from Elias Kane.’

Each one felt like a blade twisting in her gut. She had never... never... been humiliated like this. Not in boardrooms, not in front of cameras, not even when Viktor ignored her for weeks at a time.

And now, because of that stupid nanny, her own father had chosen a Caldwell over her.

She sank onto the sofa, her hands shaking as she dialled a different number. It rang twice before a smooth voice answered.

"Oh-la-la! Clara," the man said, his tone warm but cautious. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need a favour," she said, her voice low and venomous. "A big one."

There was a pause. "You know my rates."

"I’ll pay double," she snapped. "Triple. Whatever you want. Just find everything you can on Elias Kane. Not his information. I have that already. Find every secret, every weakness, every person he cares about. I want him destroyed."

Another pause.

"That’s... a tall order. The Drago family’s involved. And now the Caldwells, apparently."

Clara’s lips curled into a cold smile.

"Then you’d better work fast. Because if Nathan Caldwell thinks he can protect that little omega, he’s about to learn just how far I’m willing to go."

She ended the call, her reflection in the dark window staring back at her... eyes wild, mouth set in a hard line.

’You took everything from me, Elias,’ she thought. ’Now I’m going to take everything from you.’

.

.

Three days later... on a Saturday morning at the Voss house

The dining room was warm with sunlight, the long table set with silver cloches and fresh flowers. Mr and Mrs Voss sat at opposite ends, Ethan and Leo bickering over the last croissant, while Lila... still pale but undeniably better... sat between them, happily spooning porridge into her mouth. It was the first time in weeks the whole family had eaten together, and the mood was almost cheerful.

Until Jace stormed in.

His phone was glued to his ear, the voicemail message blaring on speaker:

"The number you have dialled is currently unavailable—"

He ended the call with a growl, redialing immediately. Leo smirked, leaning back in his chair.

"Still trying to reach the runaway omega, little brother?"

"Shut up, Leo," Ethan muttered, not looking up from his coffee.

Leo ignored him, turning to Lila with a wicked grin. "So, kiddo, what are you gonna do now that your big brother ditched you? He’s probably shacked up with some alpha, forgetting all about his poor sick sister."

Lila didn’t even flinch. She chewed her porridge calmly, then said,

"My brother didn’t abandon me. He’s just going through his heat."

Leo’s eyebrows shot up. "Oh? And who told you that?"

"Uncle Ethan," Lila said matter-of-factly, pointing her spoon at Ethan.

Leo turned to his brother, mock-offended.

"Uncle? You mean grumpy old man?"

"It’s Uncle Ethan," Lila corrected firmly. "Get it right."

Ethan choked on his coffee. Leo threw his hands up in surrender, laughing.

"Fine, fine! Uncle Ethan, it is."

Mrs Voss sighed, setting down her teacup.

"Jace, darling, sit down. Eat something. Calling a hundred times won’t make him pick up."

Jace didn’t move. He stood by the stairs, phone still in hand, jaw tight.

"Mom, call Dr Patel. Ask him where Elias is. Now. It’s been more than three days, it must have been over."

Mrs Voss opened her mouth to argue, but the look on Jace’s face stopped her. With a resigned sigh, she pulled out her phone and dialled. The room fell quiet, everyone pretending not to listen as the call connected.

"Dr Patel? Yes, it’s Mrs. Voss... Yes, about Elias Kane... He’s still not answering, and Jace is... yes, I know, but... wait, what?"

Her eyes widened. She pulled the phone away slightly, staring at it like it had grown a head. Then she repeated, slowly,

"Elias is at the matching centre... with Viktor Drago?"

Jace froze.

Mrs Voss’s voice cracked.

"They did a matching test. The result was... 96.7%?"

The phone slipped from her hand, clattering onto the table. Every pair of eyes turned to Jace.

He didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. The number echoed in his skull like a gunshot.

"96.7%?" he whispered.

Leo let out a low whistle. Ethan looked like he’d been punched. Lila tilted her head, confused.