Alpha's Possession by Jessica Hall

2 years Later

My landlord’s voice in the stairwell made my stomach drop as she spoke to the handyman about the damn light fixtures that didn’t work. I cringe, tugging my blazer higher to cover my neck and part of my face. Praying she doesn’t notice me. The rent was four months late. I tried to sneak past Martha by holding my ratty-looking handbag higher to cover my face, but I don’t go unmissed when I am forced to squeeze past her as I hastily try to escape.

“Zara!” she shrieks as I try to escape her wrath. I pause and slowly turn to face her. Her reddish, greying hair was pulled up in a bun on her head, and two hair picks were stuck through it with snakeheads on them. Martha steps around the handyman standing on a ladder while pulling apart the old light fitting above high up on the wall.

“Where is my rent money? You promised to have it last week,” she screeched, and I internally groaned. Martha was a tough old woman, and she looked the part with her denim jacket, black boots, and dark blue skinny leg jeans on. No one messed with Martha here.

She would kick your ass and toss you to the curb, and I had seen her beat a group of vandals that got past the crumbling lobby. Martha whipped their asses real good and broke a skateboard over one of their heads. Safe to say, they didn’t return. It secretly made me wonder if she wasn’t human. She struck fear in everyone, but she was also quite understanding and lovely, too. As long as you’re not four months behind in rent like I am.

“I will have it. I just need a little—” I try to tell her.

“No, it has been four months. You have until the end of the day, 6 PM, missy,” she says, clicking her fingers at me before pointing her index finger at me. “6 PM,” I nodded my head and gulped.

Martha was usually nice, however. I had surpassed the tipping point of her generosity. Sure, the place was a dump, but it was cheap, but I couldn’t even afford cheap at this point. I couldn’t even sell anything because the place I rented came fully furnished, and I had little in the way of possessions.

“I have a job interview today. Soon, I will have it.” I pleaded my case to her.

“Soon isn’t good enough. I have bills to pay.” I rummage through my pockets and pull out my last hundred dollars, besides some loose change floating around in the bottom of my handbag. Brianna had introduced me to her boss at the local strip club she worked at. Talon let me wash dishes occasionally, so I had enough money to buy some groceries and money to get around the city while I hunted for a job. Martha snatches it, shaking it in the air at me.

“I am sick of the crumbs; I mean it, Zara. 6 PM or I will have Mike change the locks,” she says, pointing to Mike. He hangs his head and smiles sadly. The dude was creepy as fuck and mute, but he always came running when something needed to be fixed.

you this afternoon,” I tell

four thousand in rent plus utilities. I was nice enough to let you stay here with your fake ID and your shitty backstory, which I don’t for one

doubt. God, I hope the company I was interviewing at didn’t look too closely at me. They may question why I don’t have the scar. Or why I was using a dead girl’s ID. Though I always explained it away with my expert contour skills, ha I

is my twin. We just aren’t 100% identical, similar, but not identical. Twins are one and the same, so not like it was exactly fake. It was my dead sister’s. Not like she was going to use it. And I can’t risk the Omega facility finding me. No one is looking for a dead girl! But I would worry about that later. I had a job interview and needed to get to the city center and

the massive building. I was shocked when I got a call back to be interviewed. They must be desperate

to the elevator, finding the correct floor. A woman instantly approached me the second I stepped out through the elevator doors. Her little black dress was tight, showing her curves and ample cleavage. Her blonde wavy hair was tied in a ponytail high on her head, and porcelain-perfect skin and bright red lipstick on. She was beautiful. Her heels clicked on the marble floors as she made her way over to me. She

gulp, noticing the blood-red ring around her eyes. This woman was a vampire. I take her

I asked her. That didn’t look good, that she was waiting in the foyer for me. Was I late? I glanced at the huge gold clock above

the interview, if you’ll follow me,” she says, turning and

stumbled after the woman. However, Leila was definitely a vampire. Although, I was confused as I caught up to her,

a meeting downstairs, so I was tasked with the interview. So I am sorry about the short notice, but you can meet them tomorrow when you start, the other two girls well, let’s just say they would not do, you know how Betas are, they don’t take orders well, and those two all they could talk about was Thane and Rhen —” she says, shaking her head and I

a receptionist’s job. The ad said, foyer receptionist?”

My eyes widen, and I mouthed what the fuck to myself. Thane, I’m assuming he was the boss? Why did she keep saying that name? And wait, did she say

when I saw you are of Omega blood, I knew you would be perfect and controllable,” she said. Which I knew she meant easily commanded and submissive by nature. What the fuck did I apply for? She took me to the top

to interview me? I have references,” I rummage through my handbag, but her hand

and need.” she says with a soft giggle, while her eyes were roaming over me from head to toe, licking her

a job in this city, especially one that didn’t risk your life, and since the company I worked for went broke after the vamps killed the manager and set the place alight, I have been up struggle street since. There were hardly any jobs, and the jobs available required tossing any scrap of dignity out the window and being prepared to do things I

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. The last thing I wanted to be was trapped with four alphas. They could literally destroy me, command anything of me. I shake that thought away. I couldn’t be picky. A job was a job, and this was the largest tech company in the city, so if I could survive here even a year, that would look good on my