Alpha or Omega

She placed the last pot on the shelf above her head and sighed heavily. The day's work was done at the restaurant but her body was aching badly. She still had laundry to collect and deliver across town before heading home which would be another long walk. All she wanted was a long warm shower followed by a good meal and a long night of sleep but that was a luxury she couldn't afford.

Grabbing her bag, she walked by the cashier and collected her day's wage then left to perform her next task. By the end of it, she had made a hundred and fifty dollars, a little less than she had made the previous day but it still wasn't enough to cover the bills that were awaiting her. Nevertheless, she was grateful because at least her siblings would have something to eat awaiting the next day.

As usual, her stepfather was waiting by the door when she got home. His long gluttonous hand stretched towards her demanding his usual cut, half of what she had earned. Every time she looked at him, the greed in his eyes reminded her of the past when her mother was still alive. They had been a happy family with enough to eat and spare for her school fees. It had been eight years since and she was barely managing her sister's let alone hers while their father took the little he took from her to gamble and drink with his friends. It was hard for her to deal with that but she didn't have a choice. She knew that if she refused to give it to him, she wouldn't have a home to come back to and her siblings would be thrown out in the streets despite being his blood so she tolerated it and managed with the little she was left with.

He stared at the money in his hands for a while then looked up at her condescendingly.

"Work was slow today. That's what I managed to get," she stated, staring back at him coldly.

"Don't you think that you can be smarter than me lady," he spat and grabbed her bag.

He emptied the contents on the ground and then stepped closer to her fondling her all over her body. Kiara closed her eyes and held her breath blocking the reeking stench of booze from his body until he stepped away satisfied.

"Tomorrow, you work for more," he stated, his eyes gliding all over her body. He was just an Omega like her but he was always scary.

It was hard enough that he had left the responsibility of his own children upon her since she was twelve but having him treating her like that was beyond hard. It was a miracle he had never thought about sexually assaulting her but who knew? She thought as she gathered her scrubs from the ground and went inside. She closed the door knowing that he wouldn't be back until morning, barely unrecognizable.

Inside, her eight-year-old brother was already asleep while her thirteen-year-old sister was still at the table studying. She didn't want to bother her so she walked past her to take a bath and then eat whatever they had remaining. She wanted to catch up with her studies a little bit before sleep took over which she knew would be soon but even though she knew she couldn't afford her fee too, she tried to keep her mind occupied. Along that line, gain some knowledge. She would have to wake up early, finish the house chores, and tutor her brother before leaving for work which meant she would barely have enough time for sleep. If that wasn't slavery, she didn't know what was.

A little after she had sat down to study, she heard voices outside and got up. She had barely gotten to the door when the knock came. They never had guests so as she opened the door, she wasn't sure who would be standing outside. Three men, all werewolves she had never seen before stood there. From their outfits, she knew that they were from the city and probably wealthy.

"What can I do for you?" she smiled politely.

"Is your father home?" One of them asked.

Before she could answer, her father appeared and even from the distance, she could tell that he was already drunk. Why he was home early she didn't know.

"There he is," she stated as he approached.

"We are here to collect the amount you owe our boss." She stepped out fully, now alarmed. "It all adds up to one and a half million and he wants it in full."

Kiara's mouth went dry. She looked at her father questioningly but he could barely keep his head up. How could it have amounted to all that while just a few months ago it had been at half a million? Right then, she knew that not only was he using her hard-earned money but also taking more tripling their debt. How was she supposed to pay that kind of money now?

"I'm sure we can work this out, gentlemen. Give us a few more months to work on it," he slurred.

"Mr Gilbert, we have negotiated with you long enough. It is now time to pay up. Our boss cannot wait any longer and he has commanded us to take it with any means necessary."

Kiara's heart missed a few beats. She knew what that meant. Their house was likely to be seized and everything else they owned. Where would her siblings go? She stepped up.

"There has to be something else we can do. Please, let me work for a few more months and repay what we owe."

"Miss, you can't repay a million and a half dollars within a few months," he responded coldly. "What kind of work do you do?" he added sizing her up and down.

Kiara remained silent. He had a point even though his way of putting it across was not nice. She didn't know what to do at that moment. Was she supposed to just let them take everything and leave them bare? However, his next words forced her to look up but he was addressing her stepfather.