Bella Shaw

Bella Shaw sat at the small kitchen table of her rundown apartment, staring at the stack of overdue bills.

She had long since lost count of how many nights she spent here, alone, trying to figure out how to stretch her paycheck to cover rent, utilities, and the looming mountain of debt.

Her phone vibrated against the table, breaking her thoughts. A quick glance at the screen told her it was the landlord again, no doubt to remind her that rent was due. She ignored it, pushing the phone aside with a sigh.

“Two weeks,” she muttered, rubbing her temples. “If I can make it two more weeks until the next paycheck, I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse.”

But even as she said it, Bella knew things were getting harder. 

Ever since her mother’s death a year ago, she had been on her own, juggling multiple jobs to keep a roof over her head. Being an omega in a city ruled by powerful alphas meant she had limited options, and finding steady work had never been easy.

The only job she had managed to hold onto was at the small office where she worked as a receptionist. It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills—barely. 

The problem was her boss. A smug, arrogant alpha who thought his title gave him free reign to treat her however he wanted.

She could handle most things..

rude customers, late paychecks, long hours—but what she couldn’t handle was the way her boss had been looking at her lately, his eyes lingering a little too long, his hands brushing hers in a way that made her skin crawl.

Today had been the worst. As she was filing paperwork in the back office, he had come up behind her, too close, his breath hot against her neck. She had frozen in place, her heart pounding in her chest, but before he could say anything, she had turned around, glaring up at him.

“Back off,” she had said, her voice sharp. “I’m not interested.”

He had raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Come on, Bella. Don’t be like that. We could have some fun, you and me. No one has to know.”

“Yeah, no,” she had snapped, stepping back to put more space between them. “ Keep your hands to yourself, or I’ll make sure your wife finds out what kind of ‘fun’ you’re trying to have at the office.”

That had wiped the smirk off his face, and he had stalked off, muttering under his breath. But Bella knew it wouldn’t be the last time. He would try again—alphas like him always did.

And that was the problem. She couldn’t stay there, not with the way things were going. But without this job, what else did she have? She barely had enough to cover rent as it was.

Bella stared at the pile of bills again, her mind racing. She could feel the familiar knot of frustration tightening in her chest. 

She had never been the kind of person to sit back and let life kick her around, but lately, it felt like every door she tried to open slammed shut in her face.

Her phone vibrated again, this time with a text. It was from Lydia, her best friend and fellow omega, who worked at the same office.

                       Girl, you still alive?                        

                       Heard what  

                      happened today. 

                     You okay? 

                        

Bella’s fingers flew over the keyboard.

Yeah, I’m fine.

 Just need a drink

 after that disaster.

                I’ll meet you at the bar in     

                 30. Don’t you dare cancel.

Bella smiled faintly, grateful for the distraction. She grabbed her coat and headed out, knowing that drowning her frustrations in cheap beer wouldn’t solve her problems, but it might help her forget them for a little while.

The bar was with the usual crowd of office workers unwinding after a long day. Bella spotted Lydia at a corner table, waving her over with a grin.

“You look like you need this,” Lydia said, sliding a drink toward Bella as she sat down.

Bella took a long sip, letting the burn of the alcohol settle her nerves. “You have no idea.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow. “So, are you gonna quit or what? You can’t stay there forever, not with that creep breathing down your neck.”

Bella sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. “I know, I know. But what else am I supposed to do? I’ve been looking for another job for months. No one’s hiring omegas, at least not for anything that pays enough to live on.”

“Maybe it’s time to try something different,” Lydia suggested, her tone light but serious. “I’ve been hearing about these surrogacy agencies. They pay good money, and it’s not like you’re doing anything else with your uterus.”

Bella snorted. “Yeah, because I want to spend the next nine months popping out some rich alpha’s kid. That sounds like a blast.”

Lydia shrugged. “I’m just saying. You’re strong, healthy, and you could make more in one surrogacy than you’ve made at that office in the last year. It’s worth thinking about.”

Bella frowned, swirling the drink in her glass. Surrogacy? It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed her mind before. 

She had heard stories about omegas who made a fortune carrying babies for rich couples too busy or too vain to do it themselves. But it always seemed so… impersonal. Like selling a part of herself.

“Nah, not for me” Bella said, though she wasn’t sure she meant it.

______

The next morning, Bella returned to the office, determined to make it through the day without any drama. She kept her head down, focused on her work, and avoided her boss as much as possible.

But by midday, she could feel the familiar weight of his gaze on her, and when she looked up, there he was, standing in the doorway of his office, watching her.

“Bella,” he called out, his voice sickeningly sweet. “I need you in my office for a moment.”

Her stomach turned but she stood up, squaring her shoulders as she walked toward him. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. Not today.

When she stepped into his office, he closed the door behind her, and she could feel the tension in the air.

“Listen,” he began, leaning against his desk with that same sleazy smile. “About yesterday—”

“Don’t,” Bella cut him off, her voice sharp. “Whatever excuse you’re about to give me, I don’t want to hear it.”

His smile faltered, but he quickly recovered, straightening up. “Come on, Bella. I was just trying to be friendly. There’s no need to overreact.”

Bella felt a surge of anger, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. “Friendly? You’ve been crossing the line for weeks, and I’m done pretending like it’s okay. I’m not here for your amusement, and if you think you can get away with treating me like this, you’re wrong.”

He stepped toward her, his eyes narrowing. “Watch your mouth, omega. You should be grateful you even have a job.” 

“Grateful?” Bella spat, her voice rising. “Grateful for what? For being harassed by you every damn day? 

Her boss sighs, running a hand through his hair… “ You have no fucking idea how attractive you are Bella, I just want to slide inside you, let me just taste you. That's all I'm asking. I'll give you everything’

This is insane!

“You're sick!”

“You -”

“I quit.”

Before he could respond, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the office, her heart pounding with a mix of fury and relief. 

She grabbed her things, ignoring the curious looks from her co-workers, and walked out the door without looking back.

For the first time in a long time, Bella felt free. Scared, yes. But free.

Wait— wait– hold on! 

Did she just quit her job?