Page 48 of Alpha’s Possession

"You know, that stripper joint? She worked there on and off. Went by the name Z."

I blink at that. Zara is Z? She worked for Tal! I try to wrap my mind around that information. I don't know if I’m more furious at Zara or Tal. Or the fact I have a whore working for me.

I still remember the cloying scent from the night I met Z, and it makes me gasp. I know Z is a virgin and if Z is Zara? Well, that would explain the allure she has to us. Now it makes sense why we all went into a rut over her. She’s a virgin. That has to be it.

"I thought that’s where she would have gone. Zara and Bree were pretty close. Bree lived next door to her for a bit. They must have had a falling out," the woman tells me, pushing the door open. As I step into the room, I see nothing but a shabby couch in the room's corner.

"This is it?" I ask, walking through the place. I glance over my shoulder at the woman, who looks bored. She shrugs, and I move into a small bedroom that is next to the living room. It is just as empty. This is where she lived?

Walking out, I stop in front of the woman. "What is your name?"

"Martha," she tells me, and I nod, glancing around one last time. I can't picture anyone living here, let alone an Omega; it makes me itchy just standing in this dilapidated place.

"How long have you known Zara?" I question her. She watches me for a second, as if debating whether or not to answer. Finally, she sighs and rubs her eyes as if tired. It is pretty late, and I know I likely woke her because she is wearing blue pinstripe pajamas, a gray, fluffy robe, and socks. That and the hair rollers are a dead giveaway. She doesn't look like the sort of woman that parades around with rollers in her hair.

"Couple years. I found her out front, asleep on my doorstep. She was barefoot, drenched in blood, and starving. I felt bad for her. She looked as if she was running from something. The girl was scared of her own shadow. I gave her a place to stay until she got a job. She was quiet, stuck herself, a good tenant, but once she lost her job, I couldn't keep her here. As I said, I have bills to pay, and she wasn't helping with them. I’m not heartless. I tried to help, but you can only help so much," she tells me, and I nod. She’s given me much to think about.

As I leave, I stop at the door when Martha calls out to me. I turn around to face the woman.

"Is Zara in some sort of trouble?" she asks.

"What makes you think that?" I ask her.

"Well, for one, no one has ever come looking for her here, besides Bree and Tal. And if you are her employer, why didn't you just ask her?" Martha questions.

"Because she lied, her ID is fake, and her last place of employment burned to the ground."

Martha nods her head, looking at the wall above my head. "Yeah, I don't know where she got that shitty ID, but I hope she didn't pay for it," she chuckles.

"You knew it was fake?" I ask her, and the older woman nods her head.

"Blind Freddy could see it was fake, but yes, I knew. That and the fact she gave me a different last name."

"What do you mean?" I ask, turning and giving her my full attention.

"She told me a different first name than the one that is on it: Harley or Harlette. I can't remember the name exactly. I just remember it was different. A couple of weeks later, I saw the name on her ID, and it didn’t match."

"Did she ever tell you where she came from?"

"Nope, and I never asked. Zara needed help; I helped. Even helped her get the job at the firm she worked at. I try not to get to know my tenants. Most never stay long," she says before turning down the corridor and walking off.

Chapter Forty-One

~Harlow~

Every fiber of my being burns and aches with heat, yet the lust-filled haze gradually lifts and I am finally able to take in my surroundings. The last thing I remember was seeing Thane standing over me. Stretching out like a cat, I yawn. My body aches and the fever is still there. My scent is potent; I am still in the throes of heat.

That, however, isn't what makes me stiffen. It is the warm bodies pressed against my front and back as I move. Their heat makes my eyes fly open and I sit up, startled. Glancing around my surroundings, I find Raidon crammed against my back and Leon tugging me closer as he sleeps. Horror washes over me as I look down at my bosses.

Oh, please tell me I didn't fuck them. My eyes trail over their clothed bodies before noticing how very damn naked I am. I am as naked as the day I was born. Reaching over, I snatch a pillow, trying to cover up some of my nudity. I’m near tempted to strip Leon out of his shirt, just to cover up, yet the thought of waking him also makes me cringe.

I swallow—my throat feels scratchy and raw. I look around, trying to figure out where I am. I’m not back at the shitty apartment I was evicted from, and I’m not behind the dumpster at the plaza where I’d been sleeping. Or the loading docks at work. Based on the overwhelming smell of my bosses, I have to be at their mansion. However, I don't remember noticing a room like this last time I was here.

When I manage to move from between the two bodies that are pressed against me, pain washes over me, and I fight the urge to drop back between them so I can keep their skin pressed against mine. I’m not naïve. I know Omegas need Alphas to lessen their heat, yet I’m not about to snuggle with my bosses for it. Especially these assholes, who despise me and all Omegas. They treat me like I actually did kill Thane's mother, and his pet guinea pig when he was a boy. His hate for Omegas is unwarranted and unfathomable to me.

As I glance down at Leon, he instantly rolls toward his mate. I step over Raidon, avoiding Leon's rolling body, only to step on someone else. They grunt and quickly move, making me lose my footing, and I stumble backward before landing on them.

"Fuck," Rhen wheezes, as I crash on top of him.