98%: Zane’s Perspective

I lean back in my leather chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin, feet propped carelessly on the polished surface of my desk. Her scent still lingers in the air, wildflowers, pine, and that unmistakable sweet note that marks her as a true omega.

Sophia Blackwood.

The name feels like a puzzle piece clicking into place, though I hadn't realised a piece was missing until now. Ninety-eight percent compatibility. Even I, with decades of experience in pack politics, know how rare that is. How valuable. The Council doesn't send Elder Stone herself for anything less than exceptional cases. Which makes the girl both an asset and a liability, possibly the most dangerous combination that could have stumbled into my territory.

'Nyx is good wolf,' Conri interrupts my thoughts, his consciousness brushing against mine with unusual insistence. 'Would be good mother to pups.'

'If she's cooperative,' I counter, drumming my fingers against the arm of my chair. 'I get the impression our little Sophia isn't just any omega.'

Conri makes a sound in my mind that's the equivalent of a dismissive shrug. 'Of course she's not. She's ours.'

His simple certainty would be amusing if it weren't so reflective of his primal nature. To Conri, possession is nine-tenths of the law, and the remaining tenth is irrelevant. He saw her, wanted her, caught her. End of discussion.

For me, the calculations are more complex. A true omega with a 98% compatibility rating is a resource I'd be foolish to waste, but she's also clearly rebellious. I sensed it in her hesitation to answer questions, in the careful way she measured her responses. Whatever she was running from, wherever she came from, she's not accustomed to submission.

'She'll learn,' Conri growls.

'Yes,' I agree silently. 'But how much of her will we break in the process? And how useful will what remains be?'

A sharp knock at my door interrupts our internal debate. I recognise the pattern immediately, three precise raps, evenly spaced. Vance.

"Enter," I call, not bothering to remove my feet from the desk or straighten my posture. I've never needed physical formalities to command respect.

The door opens, and Vance steps in, his movements economical as always. Despite shifting back to human form, he still carries himself with the same fluid grace as his wolf. His grey eyes take in my relaxed posture, the slight disarray of papers on my desk, evidence of the disruption to my usual routine.

"Alpha," he greets me formally, inclining his head just enough to show respect without subservience. It's why I keep him as my Beta, he knows the perfect balance between deference and strength.

"Vance," I acknowledge. "I thought you'd be resting by now."

He remains standing, hands clasped behind his back in the stance of a soldier delivering a report. "I wanted to check in about our... guest. What's your plan with the girl?"

I feel my lips curl into a smile that I know appears more predatory than friendly. "Conri has decided she's his."

Vance raises one eyebrow slightly, a small tell that speaks volumes coming from him. "She won't make it easy for you, Zane."

The use of my first name rather than my title indicates he's speaking not just as my Beta but as the closest thing I have to a friend. Few would dare such familiarity.

"Then breaking her will be even more satisfying," I reply, though the words feel hollow even as I speak them. Breaking things has never brought me joy, only the necessary reassurance of control.

Vance's eyebrow climbs higher. "Do you want to break her?"

The question catches me off guard, forcing me to consider something I hadn't fully articulated even to myself.

Do I want to break Sophia Blackwood?

She's a true omega with exceptional compatibility, breaking her spirit might diminish what makes her valuable in the first place.

"She's a true omega," I say instead of answering directly. "If she's not going to be obedient, there will be problems."

"There will be problems regardless," Vance points out, his voice level. "The Council doesn't let go of prizes like her without a fight."

He's right, of course. Elder Stone herself oversaw the girl's failed collection. The Council will come for her, perhaps not immediately, but they will come. They'll demand her return, citing the Omega Directive and their right to allocate genetic resources for the good of all packs.

And I will refuse.

The thought forms with such certainty that it surprises me. I've spent decades building the Midnight Eclipse Pack into a formidable force, expanding our territory and influence. I've played the political game with the Council when necessary, respected the boundaries of their authority when it suited me. But this, this feels different.

'Because she's ours,' Conri insists, showing me mental images of our future pups, strong sons with Sophia's intelligence and my strength.

"The Council will come for her soon enough," I tell Vance, bringing my feet down from the desk and sitting up straighter. "We'll deal with that when it happens."

Vance studies me for a moment, his expression unreadable. "This could mean war, Zane. Is one omega worth it? Even a true omega?"

I meet his gaze steadily. "You smelled her. You saw her. Ninety-eight percent, Vance. Do you know how rare that is?"

He nods once, acknowledging the point. "Rare enough to die for?"

"No one's dying," I say with finality. "The Council knows challenging me on my own territory would be costly. They'll negotiate. They always do when force becomes too expensive."

Vance doesn't look convinced, but he knows better than to press further. "Get some rest," I tell him, effectively ending the conversation. "We'll strategise tomorrow."

He nods, tension easing from his shoulders. "Goodnight, Zane."

After he leaves, I remain seated for a while longer, turning over possibilities in my mind. The girl complicates things, politically, strategically, but Conri's insistence is too strong to ignore.

When a wolf as powerful as mine fixates, there are consequences to denying that urge. I've seen alphas driven to madness trying to resist their wolves' demands.

Eventually, I rise and make my way through the private corridor to my personal suite. As I pass the door to Sophia's quarters, her scent intensifies, even through solid walls, the sweet marker of true omega calls to something primal in me. I pause, placing my palm flat against the stone, aware that just beyond this barrier lies the girl who might change everything.

Conri growls with impatience, showing me vivid images: my human form claiming Sophia, his wolf form claiming Nyx, our dual nature satisfied through complete possession.

"Soon," I murmur aloud, forcing myself to continue to my own door. "But not tonight."

In my chambers, I shed my clothes and stretch out on my bed, hyperaware of Sophia's presence on the other side of the wall. Sleep will not come easily tonight, but I force my body to relax. Tomorrow brings new challenges, the Council's inevitable response, the integration of a reluctant omega into my pack, Conri's growing impatience.

But for now, I allow myself the satisfaction of knowing she's here, locked safely in the suite next to mine. Whatever she was before, whoever she belonged to, none of that matters now.

Sophia Blackwood is in my territory, under my protection, subject to my will.

And I protect what's mine.