Delphine tasted the dust again. She groaned as she tried to get up on her feet, only for her grip to slip and find herself tasting the dust once more. She had tried to be careful this time, made sure to watch out for any leg placed out, and she had succeeded, only to have them push her from behind.

"Loser," one said. Delphine decided to ignore them, if she went ahead and paid them any attention, they would only pester her more. She got on her feet, refusing to look at them, she went on her way.

It has been like this ever since she didn't turn on her sixteenth birthday. Delphine had woken up that day with a joy-filled heart, she had been so happy to finally see her wolf, finally have a chance to prove herself to the whole pack. For the first time since her mother passed away, Delphine was filled with smiles. Her wolf would have earned her some type of respect, the older girls would finally consider letting her join their friend group, Delphine had hoped. Except, the night came and Delphine still found herself in her human form.

The looks had come, the murmurs had risen, the scornful look was now harsher and Delphine found herself going from the grass, down to the dirty mud as the pack turned her into their slave. 

"She stinks so bad," Delphine heard the same voice say as she walked away. She held back the tears that burned at the corners of her eyes. If there was anything she wouldn't do, it was to let them see her cry, she might go through all the pain, but that was one satisfaction she didn't plan to give them.

Delphine hurried in her steps, heading for the shed. She had been kicked out of her room after the elders had given her the grace of two weeks to reveal her wolf. Delphine had trained hard, working twice as much, pushing herself to the edge, anything to get her to turn, but when nothing happened, they got fed up. It's been nearly two years since her sixteenth birthday and she was getting closer to being eighteen, still no wolf. At a point, she had others questioning if she was really a werewolf, Delphine would not question that, she knew who she was.

"Hey! You!"  Delphine groaned when she heard the voice, it was of one she despised the most. Though the others made her life miserable, Rachel Gilbert took the crown. Red-haired, tall, and an annoyingly perfect body, that was Rachel. She was the only daughter of the pack Alpha, assistant commander of the warriors and Delphine's queen bully. "Where the hell have you been?"

Delphine's head was bent low, she muttered some inaudible words, not looking at Rachel. Rachel hated that, hated when Delphine stared into her eyes, she always saw it as a sign of Delphine challenging her.

"Didn't you hear me you swine? What got in your throat?"

"I said I've been serving lunch to the other warriors," Delphine spoke louder this time. "Do you need my help with anything?"

Delphine didn't have to look up to know Rachel was eyeing her. "Did the slap I gave you earlier affect some part of your brain?" Delphine was quiet, this angered Rachel, who stumped her feet on the ground like a child. "Answer me when I talk to you!"

"N-no, it didn't. My ear works just fine. Do you need my help with anything?" She asked again. "If you're hungry, I'll get your food."

"Shut up, I'll tell you when I'm ready to eat. " Delphine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Not like she was trying to, but it seemed nothing could please Rachel, she was always trying to find offence at the littlest thing. "Go get me my food, I'm hungry."

"Okay," Delphine said and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Rachel ordered. "I suppose you need another slap before you remember to add a title whenever you address me?"

"Sorry, I forgot. Okay...Miss Rachel," she said in between grit teeth. Delphine was already fed up with Rachel's behaviour and she was close to losing it. But she couldn't do anything, hurting a hair on Rachel's skin could bring the worst punishment she didn't want to imagine.

"Good." She eyed her. "Now, hurry away, you stink!" Delphine frowned at the last word, turning slowly, she began walking away. She didn't stink, she knew that because her nose functioned well, but since she didn't yet bear the scent of her wolf, they always said that.

"Bitch," she muttered once Rachel was out of earshot. "One day, I will slap you so hard and leave pretty scratch marks on that smooth skin of yours," she said the last part mimicking Rachel's voice. She arrived at the kitchen, where the chefs were still dishing out food. "Hey Maria, I'm back again." Maria was the head chef and the only one who was really nice to Rachel. Maria's mate had died two years ago after sustaining a machete wound to his chest; he had lost too much blood before he was brought back to the pack;  few hours later, he was pronounced dead. "The Gorilla has requested for her food."

Maria chuckled. "Oh, don't call her that. These walls have ears, you don't want someone to hear now, do you?"

"Honestly?" Delphine sighed. "I don't really care, if they hear me or not, they can do their worst, but they can't kill me."

"Don't speak like that child. Have you eaten?" Delphine shook her head. "You must be hungry. Once you hand Rachel her meal, come back and get something to eat."

"Thank you, Maria, but I won't be able to come back immediately."

"Why?"

"Rachel said I'm not allowed to have anything, till I'm done with," she scrunched up her nose, "watching her clothes and I'm afraid her underwear might be included." Maria frowned and shook her head.

"Well, I would not want to put you in any trouble dear, once you are done, be back for your food.".

"Thank you." Minutes after, she was already heading back with Rachel's food in her hands. She didn't follow the same way she did earlier, because she knew people would be there, ready to trip her. 

Rachel sat with the other warriors, they were all gathered round the head table, which was only meant for warriors. She had been there earlier to serve the other guys and had barely made it out of there without being harassed, she hated that she had to go through another experience. Now it wasn't just Rachel, it was the full gang. "I've brought your food," she said, stopping before their table and placing the food before Rachel.

The table was silent for a while, Delphine bit her lips as snickers went round as they all watched her. She would never understand what was the joke and the reason they laughed. "How old are you now Delphine?" Someone asked, it was the head warrior and soon to be Alpha of the pack, Rachel's brother, Rain. Rain was just as irritating as his sister, and Delphine knew that the only reason she was still in the pack was because he wasn't yet the Alpha of the pack, but one day, Rain's father would be gone and Rain would take his place. Delphine shivered at the horrors she knew he would do, she didn't plan to be around during that moment, staying there would mean signing up for hell.

"I'm seventeen," she answered.

"Good," he said. They all watched her, while Rachel was already picking at her food slowly, ignoring everything that was going on around her. "Aren't you ashamed?"

"Ashamed?" Delphine found herself asking.

"I mean if I was the one whose wolf hasn't been out by seventeen?" He made a sound with his mouth. "I would be so ashamed, disgusted in myself. In fact, I wouldn't even be able to live with myself, I would just go ahead and kill myself...you should."

"I should?"

"You should kill yourself." Delphine's head snapped up to look him in the eyes, she wasn't surprised by what he had just said, she was used to stuff like this, but then something about what he had just said made her very angry and she wanted to explode. "Ok, you're done here now. You can get out, I don't want to see your face anymore. Get out!" He shouted when he saw she was still behind him.

"Okay," she said slowly and walked away. That moment, Delphine decided she couldn't continue living that way, she knew she had to run away before she went to bed one day and never woke up. She had never stepped her feet outside the pack, her mother had raised her up and it was the only place she knew, that's why she was afraid to leave because she really didn't know the dangers the world held out of the park. "Soon," she said to herself. "All I need to be is patient." It also wasn't really easy to escape, there were warriors who guarded the border and also, magic was used to help prevent enemies from entering the camp.

Delphine had been saving up money which she had been stealing from Rachel's box. The wizard had agreed to help Delphine escape for a price, and that's why she was saving up money so she could finally escape.

"I'm done Maria," An exhausted Delphine collapsed on the stool by the wall, before Maria. She rested her head back on the wall, her eyes closed. "I'm so tired, those people are evil Maria, evil I tell you."

"Sorry dear sorry, it won't be for long though. One day, your wolf will be out, and then you will get the respect you deserve, okay? I mean, it hasn't happened yet, but we know it will. Let's wait for your eighteenth birthday and see."

"Oh Maria," Delphine said, finally opening her eyes. "I appreciate your kind words, but I doubt I will see my wolf when I turn eighteen. I'm just so tired of hoping, I've decided to just accept my face. Also..." Delphine was nervous to speak, she hadn't told Maria about her decision to leave. "I'll be leaving very soon."

Maria's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. "What did you just say?" She asked in a fierce whisper. 

Delphine looked round to make sure nobody was near to hear their conversation. She leaned forward to be closer to Maria. "I said, I'm leaving soon."