Dr.
Lee sealed the blood vial in a biohazard capsule, hurried down the private elevator to the penthouse’s lower-level laboratory to extract the genetic code from the encrypted file.The thick double doors shut behind him, sealing the master suite in an oppressive stillness.
Tae-hyuk loomed beside the four-poster bed, his shadow swallowing the shivering figure writhing on the bed.
As Vice Chairman of the Kang Group, he’d cultivated an exacting reputation that ruled financial markets from Seoul to Shanghai.
His very existence was a closely guarded secret, for at the pinnacle of the political and economic hierarchy, even the faintest ripple of information could topple city-states.His pulse pounded in his ears like a war drum.
“Hot…..
it’s…
so hot….” moaned Seo-jun, gasping with every feverish breath.
Delirious with the heat, the young man threw off the blanket, his collarbones glinting with sweat in the dim light.
Instinct drove him to lurch forward, clawing at the air until his fingers brushed the cool cotton of the oversized shirt Tae-hyuk had been wearing when he’d first appeared in Seo-jun’s nightmare.
Tae-hyuk caught his wrists before he could reach his own overheated scent glands.
The moment their skin met, a jolt of electricity shot up his arms as he pinned Seo-jun’s unresisting wrists to the bed.
Gasping, the younger man turned his flushed face into Tae-hyuk’s palm, his tears staining the creases of his shirt front.
“Please stay…..
please…..” His voice was a raw, fevered whisper.
The golden irises of Tae-hyuk’s eyes darkened.
He sat on the edge of the mattress, pressing his thighs against Seo-jun’s fever-wet sides, letting loose a steady stream of his Prime Alpha’s pheromones.
The scent of deep woods and frost magic rolled over Seo-jun in languid waves, washing away the tension from his bones.
Seo-jun’s gasping slowed to a normal rhythm as he leaned into Tae-hyuk’s touch, his body craving the anchoring presence of his alpha.Keeping one hand in Seo-jun’s grip, Tae-hyuk fished out his encrypted satellite phone with the other and dialed in a nine-digit number.
The call connected on the first ring.
“Vice Chairman Kang,” drawled the familiar voice of Chief Secretary Jin.
“To what do I owe this…” The man’s voice trailed off as he clearly heard the desperation in Tae-hyuk’s voice.
“Initialize the black budget security protocols for the Kang Clan,” Tae-hyuk growled.
“I want Han Seo-jun’s residential location data purged from all systems.
His university records are to be wiped clean from your National Health Network servers.” The secretary was silent for a moment, taking in the full implications of the young master’s words.
“Understood, sir.
Helix Biotech?” “A Class-1 covert surveillance detail is to tail Dr.
Yoon Seung-woo at the National Genetic Research Center.
If he makes any unofficial contact with Helix executives or tries to leave the city, cut off his communications immediately.
No one is to interfere with Han Seo-jun while he is in my care.” “It will be done within the hour.” The bedroom doors slid open.
Dr.
Lee came back inside, his face ashen.
He tapped at the screen on his mobile device, displaying a series of diagnostic codes in red letters before transferring the results to the security monitor on the opposite wall.
GENETIC SEQUENCING COMPLETE MATCH FOUND: EXTREMELY HIGH REPRESSION INDEX GENE FAMILY: APEX OMEGA – RESTRAINED CLASS (LINEAGE: ROYAL PRIME) COMPATIBILITY MATRIX (KANG TAE-HYUK): 99.8% Tae-hyuk followed the scrolling text with narrowed eyes, his gaze snapping to the final percentage at the bottom of the screen.
99.8% compatibility.
It wasn’t unusual for members of the Alpha and Omega castes to share genetic compatibility scores of eighty percent or higher.
In fact, in the scientific community, a compatibility rate of over sixty percent was often referred to as a “soul mate bond.” However, a score of ninety-nine point eight percent was unheard of – an impossible score, even, save for the ancient legends of the Destined Pair.
“This is why your instincts compelled you to rescue him in that alley,” murmured Dr.
Lee.
“Your Prime Alpha physiology was urging you to protect him even before his mind registered his need for help.” Dr.
Lee shifted his gaze to where Seo-jun slept, his face pressed tenderly against Tae-hyuk’s thigh.
“Helix Biotech’s intentions toward Seo-jun were hardly honorable,” the doctor continued.
“If they managed to extract his genetic code…..” Dr.
Lee’s meaning was clear.
A Royal Prime Omega with a compatibility score of ninety-nine point eight percent would enable Helix Biotech to create an enhanced bloodline of subjugated Alphas and Omegas, capable of dominating the lower castes.
Tae-hyuk stared down at the vulnerable young man clinging to his side.
He could feel the crushing weight of the billions of won owed to the Kang Group, the thinly veiled threats from rival corporations eager to fracture his empire, the silent pressure for him to declare his candidacy for the presidency.
So why did Seo-jun’s fragile, fever-wet grip on reality feel like the most important thing in the world?
He smoothed a calloused thumb over the damp skin of Seo-jun’s cheekbone, willing his resolve to steel his bones.
“Let them try,” he said softly, his voice rough with determination.