Luca’s Inferno by Karima Sa’ad Usman

Emma. 

ONE MONTH LATER. 

A human restaurant finally reached out to me and said they had a free spot. I visited them a few months ago, and they were fully staffed then. The manager promised to call me when they needed help, and I doubted it would happen. I guess I was wrong. 

They told me I could come for the interview on Monday or Wednesday. The salary they were offering was decent. I might not be able to get a human degree with it, but I could cater for myself. 

I told my brother about it, and Tevin gave me money to use the bus instead of walking. I was so excited and thanked him. I was too eager for the job and decided I would go there on Monday. 

I called Heather using the pay phone and told her about it. She was so happy. She offered to bring me money for transportation, but I told her not to bother that my brother had taken care of it. I knew she was happy for me. 

I woke up very early in the morning, excited about the interview. They called me and offered me the Book Keeper’s position which meant I had gotten it. I just had to find a way to make sure my pack did not find out that I would be working with humans. Although Alpha Gibson had his hands full, some overzealous people in the pack could make insignificant things such as an Omega working for humans a serious matter. I had lived off my brothers long enough. They were not complaining, but I was too old for that. It was time to get up and do something with my life. 

I showered and got dressed for the day. I was up early, so I contemplated walking to the venue. That way, I could save money and use the bus back. The money given to me could only pay for one way trip to the restaurant. I contemplated what to do. I had two options: walk to the interview and return with the bus or go with the bus and return on foot. One thing I was sure of was that appearance mattered, and even though it was a waiting job, I knew I would have to look my best. So I decided to take the bus. I did not want to appear tired, sweaty and out of breath when I arrived at the restaurant. I also did not want them to know how desperately I needed the job. If anyone knew I walked there, they would know I was desperate because my house was far from the place. 

Tomas had not stopped disturbing me, and Veronica knew about it because she started threatening me too. Soon I suspected he would become aggressive about it. He had been sending me presents lately, telling me how sorry he was and that he had made a big mistake. Of course, I knew he did. Most alpha males needed women that would be submissive to them, especially a fake Alpha like Tomas. He needed to feel like a man. Where veronica might challenge his masculinity, I was utterly submissive, helping his ego to swell. Now he had to face reality. 

Alpha Gibson’s mistress was an Omega; to me, everyone knew why. As insignificant as we may be, the pack needed us. When everything got heated, we calmed things down. Being with an omega is peaceful and serene. We aren’t domineering and do not exude any form of authority, so people are effortlessly comfortable around us. Tomas was bound to miss me because of the peace and pleasure he experienced being with me. I would have considered his offer if he was forced to be with Veronica, did not say those horrible things to me and had not treated me the way he did. Thanks to his words and behaviour, I was over him, and there was no way I was going back to him. 

I got dressed for my appointment and went to wait at the bus stop. I asked a human woman at the bus stop when the bus would arrive, and she told me I had missed the first one and that the next one would be there in an hour. I wanted to hop on the first bus, but I rarely took the bus, so I could not remember the time schedule. 

and we danced. I was wearing a beautiful velvet red dress that he had bought me, and he had made some comments. I did not know how my mind was making shits like this up, but it was blissful. We danced, and just as always, he told me not

my mind would have that part sorted. For some reason, our conversation never went in that direction, but I had somehow fallen in love with the man in my dreams. It might be a crush or infatuation, but it was there. My eagerness to meet him in my dreams meant some feelings were lurking around the crevice of

strong for me. I looked around to figure out what was unique about the bus and if I would find anything that could help me understand the Deja vu, but there wasn’t

when a familiar voice asked me a very

looked up and saw a guy that looked like Declan brushing strands of his hair back, but he wasn’t smiling. I was tongue-tied and in shock. What were the odds that I would see the exact replica of the man I dreamt about? That was when the Deja vu hit me again, and now I knew why. I looked around the bus and realised it was the exact replica of the bus I boarded in which he

with his deep, husky, masculine voice that got me intrigued from the onset. Not knowing what to do, I decided to answer

a broad smile, and he looked at me as if I were nuts and had confused

your pardon?” he asked, and I did not know what to say because obviously, this was not a dream. Snapping out of the trance I was in, I swallowed my next words and nodded. He was confused, and I pointed at the seat and nodded. Why was I behaving like a retard around this man? He clearly did not know me or who I was. There was no way he was the same man in my dreams. Just because we met on a bus with him wearing the same clothes and asking the same questions as in my dream does not mean it isn’t a coincidence. But what were

and cheer. I looked in the direction of what they were cheering, and there was a man, on one knee, slipping a ring on a woman’s finger. He had asked her to marry him, and she had said yes, just like in my dream. There was

not give me ‘stranger vibes’. I had dreamt about him for three years, so I felt close to him even though I did not know him. Something was domineering about him, and his scent was exhilarating. He was

me, but here I was saying the words trying

alight. I wanted him to ask me for coffee. I wanted him to be Declan from my dreams. I was eager to experience that kind of devotion in real life. To my disappointment, the man remained silent, and

he did not know me and there was no conversation between us, I could not ask him that question. That would be too forward, and I was trying hard to respect his boundaries.

my surprise, he did not answer me at all, and I realised he wasn’t my Declan. He might look like him, dress like him. We might have met under the same conditions with the same things happening, but he wasn’t my Declan. He was someone else. I had missed my stop because of him, hoping we would have a conversation that would lead

with the rest of the passengers, and I watched

sight, and I realised I had no money to go back. The diner was a bit far, and I doubted I

looked and sounded like Declan, he

cursed at my simple mind

was the Declan look-alike guy. By now, I was annoyed. Disappointed

are human. You are a wolf. Do you mind taking me to the alpha’s house?” he asked, and I knew that was

go there,” I explained, and he looked a bit confused then

knew it carried authority and confidence. There was a possibility this man was a