Page 47 of Alpha’s Possession

We hardly know anything about Zara, yet seeing my mates struggle the way they did makes me certain of one thing: I have been denying both them and myself. Alphas need Omegas. I thought our little pack could survive without one, but now I wonder if maybe claiming another Omega wouldn't be the downfall I expect. Yet, I’m not sure if I can trust another Omega after Harlow.

So, I find myself at a crossroads. Can I keep denying my mates something they clearly need? I hate Omegas, yet I crave Zara. My mind is at war with the urge to claim her for my pack and my hatred for her kind.

The parking garage is dark as I pull in. I sit in the car for a bit, unable to pull myself out from behind the steering wheel and head inside. It isn't until the security guard taps on my back window that I realize I am still sitting in my car.

"Sorry, Marco," I tell him, shaking my thoughts away.

"Are you alright, boss?" he asks, and I sigh.

"Yeah. You may head out, if you want. I’ll be here anyway," I tell him, and he gives me a strange look. He glances in the back of my car before looking around the garage for my mates or their cars.

"Are you sure you’re alright?" he asks again. I usually have at least one or two of my mates with me. They are extensions of myself; I hate being away from them, and they feel the same.

"Go home," I tell him while opening my door and heading for the elevator. I get to my floor and spend a good few hours tidying up the place before sitting behind my desk. It’s only then that I notice Zara's file sitting there. I pick it up, flick through pages that hold little to no information, until I find her address. I dial the landlord's number, but no one answers. Drumming my fingers on the desk, I sigh before growling. That little Omega is still playing on my damn mind.

With a growl, I rise from behind my desk, snatching the first page of her file and grabbing my keys. I catch the elevator to the garage before hopping in my car and punching the address into my GPS.

Chapter Forty

~Thane~

In all my years of living in this city, I have never passed by this rundown apartment building. After I pull up to the front of the apartment building, I double-check the address. Surely, this is not the correct place? It looks as if it is one busted window from being declared condemned.

What Omega would live here? They are territorial creatures and know the value of their Dens. Yet, when I peer around the place, I can only describe it as a dump, and I find it hard to believe she lives here.

Even so, the address is correct. Climbing out of my car, I lock it before walking over to the door and scanning the different buzzers. I’m looking for the Omega’s name when I see one listed as management. I press the buzzer, and a woman's voice screeches back at me before I can react.

"Who is it?" she snaps before coughing.

"I'm looking for the owner or manager," I answer.

"For fuck's sake," she says in a snarling tone before hitting the buzzer to let me inside. As I yank the door open and step inside the room, my nose wrinkles in disgust at the foul stench emanating from the place.

The wallpaper is peeling and the lights flicker. I hear a door creak. A woman emerges from the shadows with a bat in her hand and a scowl on her face. She walks toward me, not looking impressed about having a late-night visitor.

"And what the fuck are you looking for me for?" she snarls before she stops. She glances me over before propping her bat on her shoulder.

"I think you're on the wrong side of the city, Alpha," she says.

"I’m looking for someone, actually. Her name is Zara. Her address is listed here," the woman groans.

"She isn't here," she snaps, clearly annoyed I pulled her from bed to ask about her.

"I know that. She works for me, and I am trying to find any information I can on her. I’m wondering if I could look through her apartment?"

"She doesn't live here anymore. I evicted her a few weeks ago, but all her crap is up there still; I haven't found a new tenant yet," the woman tells me, and my brows furrow.

"Do you know where she moved to, then?" I ask her, and the woman rolls her eyes.

"Last I heard is one of my other tenants saw her sleeping behind the old plaza at Central," she shrugs before stomping up the steps.

"You tossed an Omega out when she had nowhere else to go? In the middle of winter? In a city full of Alphas," I ask, outraged. It is dangerous being homeless here, more so if you're an Omega. I don't believe this place is safe enough for an Omega, let alone living on the streets.

"Hey, don't be judging me. I got bills to pay, and Zara owed me over four thousand dollars in rent and utilities," she snaps, stopping by a door that looks as busted as the rest of this god-awful place.

"Besides, I’m sure she could have stayed with that Tal. He’s always offering her work. The girl is just too shy to take him up on it," the woman curses, and I wonder if she is talking about the same Tal. I know only one person who goes by that name, Leon's cousin.

"Tal?" I asked curiously.