Delaney
"Cursey," I hear Trevor Whittle say in a sing-song voice. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Laughter follows his words. I remain hidden behind the huge oak tree and desperately try to catch my breath without making a sound. I breathe shakily behind the hand I placed over my own mouth while my heart slams against my chest. I'll never understand why these elites don't leave me alone. I've done nothing but try to stay out of their way, even at school. But regardless of how much effort I put into being invisible, I can never hide from them. Maybe it's the fact that I'm the only person in the werewolf world who was born under the infamous Black Moon and got to live, or maybe it's my red hair that makes me stand out wherever I go. Nevertheless, these elites—the sons and daughters of the leaders of our pack—follow me and insist on reminding me about my pitiful existence every day, and today is yet another one of those days. Only, there are two things that set today apart from the others. Firstly, it's my eighteenth birthday, and this is a special time in the life of every werewolf because it's the day when they find their designated mates. My wolf finally matured, and I felt her stir inside of me from the moment I woke up. Everyone always told me that I would never find a mate because of the curse, so I grew up believing that, but the second remarkable thing that happened today proved that to be wrong. I do have a mate. And he's none other than Alec Castell, the son of the Alpha and the leader of the very group that's been chasing me through the forest since the moment that we left school for the day. The worst part is that I know he recognized me as his mate the same way did him—I saw the way his eyes widened when it happened—and yet that didn't stop him from chasing after me with his group of friends, who like to refer to me as Cursey. "Where are you hiding, hm?" Trevor, his best friend, asks. His voice is getting closer, and so I know that I can't hide here for long. I have to move and find a way to go home, where I won't be followed or disturbed. Alec's voice breaks through the silence. "Let's just go. We have that thing, remember? Who cares about that filthy omega?" Hearing him refer to me in this way wounds my wolf, but honestly, she should know better. What did she think would happen? Did she think that Alec would automatically change because I'm his mate? If anything, he'd be more furious, because what can be worse than being the fated mate of the girl who shouldn't even be alive? "Hush," Trevor retorts. "Why are you trying to spoil the fun? The thing is in two hours. We have more than enough time." Chances are that Alec wants to leave because he doesn't want anyone finding out the truth about us. I hope they leave, too. I just want to go home, eat the cake I baked myself last night, and forget this day ever happened. But no, Trevor doesn't want to stop hunting me. He enjoys bullying me more than anyone else in his group. He feels so superior because his father is the Beta of our pack and he's next in line. I can't imagine what will happen to Omegas like me when he's in charge. He hates Omegas with his entire life force. And he hates me more because I'm less than any other Omega in the pack. I'm cursed. The air in the forest is humid and sweat is trickling down my face. My heart isn't beating as fast but nervousness is still coursing through me. I have to find a way to get out of here and escape their clutches. I duck and start to move away from their voices. I cower behind the bushes at the foot of the tree and try to move slowly and carefully. Carla Rivera, Alec's girlfriend, groans and says, "It's stuffy here. Alec's right. We should go so we don't get late. I'm sick of this place!" "We'll find her soon," Trevor responds automatically. I can't see him but his voice is closer than ever, and I predict that he's probably only a few feet away from me. "We've been searching for an hour," Carla's best friend, Thelma, complains. "I think it's time to call it quits. Cursey probably left a long time ago, and we're here looking for her like idiots. We'll catch her tomorrow. Ugh, what are you doing? Why are you on the ground?" Trevor clicks his tongue. He sounds so close that I start to move faster. Because of my crouched position, my thighs burn as I move away from the tree I was hiding behind. Behind me, I hear the bush rustle. I halt and goosebumps cover the entire surface of my skin. I turn my head to look over my shoulder, and that's when I see him. His head is peeking through the bushes but his whole body is concealed within it. He smiles widely. "Gotcha!" I stand up and start running, but Trevor is faster. He catches me from behind and squeezes me in his arms. "Here she is!" he announces to his group. "Didn't I tell you that she was nearby?" I struggle against him but he's too strong. The others start approaching us, and of course, Alec is among them. His intense gaze lands on me, and it's like he's warning me not to say a word. He's visibly tense. The sight of him makes my wolf howl. Her mate is within him and only a rejection will make her stop wanting him. His arm is around Carla, and jealousy burns through me. I shouldn't feel this way but I have no control over it. Meanwhile, Trevor still hasn't let go of me, and he's making a joke about my red hair, which is an uncommon feature in our world. "It must be red because of all the lives she took with this curse of hers," Trevor says, his lips too close to my ear. "I don't know why they decided to let you live, Cursey. You're a danger to us all. How many more lives will you take? Your father was one, and your mother nearly died, too. She's the cripple who cleans the school hall, isn't she?" His friends laugh at his comment while my eyes sting with unshed tears. My mother nearly became paralyzed after giving birth to me, that's true, and that ruined all her chances of getting a proper job. I fight against him still, and my elbow hits his side. He hisses in pain and grips my hair in his fist. My eyes burn as he tugs my hair hard. "You're in a fighting spirit today, aren't you? What? Are you forgetting yourself?" "Let's rub dirt in her face and hair," Thelma suggests. She's excited now even though she sounded bored a few minutes ago. Her dark eyes glimmer with cruelty. "Oh, and we should tear her uniform again. Let's see how far she can keep on repairing it!" Carla laughs wildly at this. "Look at her skirt! It's not even checkered anymore! Why doesn't she just get a new one instead of constantly sewing the pieces together?" "No," Trevor says as he gives my head a tug, forcing me to look into his cold hazel eyes. His dimples sink further into his cheeks when he adds, "I have something better in mind for her today." Although they constantly make my life more difficult than it already is, his words instill fear into me, making it claw at my throat. My mouth is as dry as the desert, and when he pushes me down so that I'm on my knees, my whole body starts to shake. What does he plan on doing to me? "We'll play a game," he begins. "Truth or dare. Only, this Omega here will be the star of the show. Here, I'll start. Thelma, truth or dare?" "Dare," she replies right away. "I dare you to slap her across the face." Without warning, Thelma stomps toward me and slaps me. The others gasp before laughing, and my cheek burns both from the slap and the humiliation. Without meaning to, my eyes meet Alec's eyes again, and I find that he isn't looking at me. "Carla, you next. Truth or dare?" "Truth," she claims. She then asks me, "Is it true that you fucked Teacher Andy for the perfect grade in the Math test?" I stay silent at her question, and Trevor grips my hair again. I yelp in pain. "Answer her question, bitch!" "No!" I grit out before he releases me. Carla scoffs. "She's a damn liar. Omegas are all dumb, everyone knows that. How is it possible that she keeps getting good grades, even better than all of us? What do we do when she lies? We have to do something." "What do you think we should do?" Trevor asks. Carla taps her chin, deep in thought. "I think...we should make her get undressed! That way, she'll be hesitant to lie." I hear the smirk in Trevor's voice. "Good idea. Hey, strip. Take your shirt off." When I don't react to his words, he gives me a kick in the calf, and the girls laugh hysterically. "Didn't you hear what I said?" I don't know what it is that makes me so damn angry. Perhaps it's the fact that I've decided I'm fed up with the way they're treating me, or it could be the pain from all their kicks and slaps. It might even be the fact that my wolf is wounded by Alec's treatment. Either way, I look up at Trevor and yell, "Fuck you!" They all grow eerily silent. Trevor asks me, "What did you say?" "I said fuck you," I repeat in the same harsh and unwavering voice. A small smile curls the corners of his lips before he slaps me. The force of it causes my head to hit the ground. He grabs me by the arms and pulls me to my feet aggressively. His eyes are ablaze with rage. "You stupid bitch! Do you know who I am? Do you? Do you have any idea—" I spit right in his face, and his shock causes him to release me. I taken the opportunity and run away from them all as fast as my legs can carry me. My heart is slamming against my throat and my lungs are burning. I hear his howl of anger, and it travels down my spine and feeds my fear. I keep running through the trees, getting as far away as I can. It's imperative that he doesn't catch me, because if he does, I'm done for. I've never challenged him like this before. I've aways taken everything quietly, afraid of getting myself into trouble. But enough is enough. There's only so much one could take before snapping, and today was that day for me. "Omega!" he yells. I can hear his feet pounding against the ground. He's getting closer. "You can't outrun me!" I keep going, my breath coming out in puffs. I jump over a bush and that's when Trevor crashes into me from behind. I fall to the ground with a heavy thud, and he's right on top of me. I feel his hands on my shoulder and he flips me around like a rag doll. Pain radiates all through me, and I feel blood trickling down my face. The look on Trevor's face makes my heart skip a beat. His hands abruptly wrap around my neck, and he squeezes with a force that fills me with concern. It immediately cuts my oxygen, and he squeezes even harder. "I'll fucking kill you for that!" he rages, squeezing harder. I claw at his hands to no avail. My lungs burn from the lack of oxygen, and my vision darkens around the edges. He spits at me while he chokes me to death, and then he laughs maniacally. "How do you like that, hm?" He's killing me. The realization catches me off guard. He's killing me. I'm going to die here, in the middle of nowhere and by his hand. My hands fall to my sides and I start to lose consciousness. However, someone looms over us all of a sudden. At first, I merely see a shadow, but then the person gets closer and I realize that it's Alec before I hear a sickening crack. Trevor's hands loosen around my neck and he falls to the side. I choke on the oxygen now filling my lungs, but my whole body stills when I see blood forming a small pool around Trevor's head. I look up at Alec and see that in his right hand, he's holding a rock, which he quickly drops to the ground, where it lands next to me. There's a part of it that's covered in blood. Trevor's blood. His wide eyes shift from the body of his friend to me, and they remain on me until the others race toward us and scream at the sight of Trevor's dead body next to me. "Murderer!" Thelma screeches, pointing a finger at me. "You're going to pay for this. You're going to pay!" I wasn't the one who did it. Alec was. But the words don't leave my lips, and in any case, I doubt they'd make a difference even if they did.DelaneyThe door of the interrogation room opens, and for once, I see a familiar face.My mother. I try to stand but the chains binding my legs to the chair make it impossible for me to do so. They've bound me to make sure I don't try to escape. According to them, I'm a dangerous criminal. For hours, the detective interrogated me on what happened in the forest, and he simply wrote things down as I explained. I told him the whole unfiltered truth in a shaky voice. I didn't leave a single detail out. After he left, nobody came for me. The plain clock on the wall indicates that three hours passed before my mother walked in here. I'm so glad to see her face, however, she appears grief-stricken and her lips are pressed together in a thin line. As she takes a seat directly across from me, she asks, "What have you done, Delaney? What have you done?"Tears gather in my eyes and cascade down my cheeks. Her accusation settles in the pit of my stomach and makes me feel physically sick. "I di
Delaney I'm sitting on the dirty floor my cell with my arms around my knees. Ten years. Ten. That's how long I'll be expected to stay imprisoned for the murder of Trevor. Due to the fact that he hurt me, I was given a lower sentence. That's the information I received afterward as I was being brought here to the prison. "Courtesy of the Alpha and the judge," the officer told me before spitting at my feet. "It's certainly more than an Omega like you deserves." Most police officers are Gammas, so they're higher in rank than us. Omegas are considered the weakest people in every pack, and I'm pretty sure we'd all be killed if they—the higher-ups— didn't need people to clean after them. I'm numb. My brutal reality hasn't sunk in yet, and so as a result, I have this feeling like all of this is temporary and I'll go home soon. I haven't quite accepted the fact that I'll be imprisoned for ten years. I couldn't say how many hours passed since I was shoved in my cell. The bottom bunk be
Delaney Seven Years Later An officer knocks on the metal bars with his bat and I look up from the book I'm reading. "Time to go," he simply tells me. "Where?" I ask. He doesn't answer me; he just unlocks the door. The metallic sound of it opening fills my ears. I put my book down and he shakes his head. "Bring everything you own with you," he informs me. "We've received a court order for your release."My eyes widen and for a moment, I lose the ability to breathe. This can't be. I'm being released? Today?"Hurry up, Waters," the officer grumbles. "I don't have all day."I gather my things in my arms quickly before deciding to use my pillowcase as a makeshift bag. I don't have much; just books, deodorant that I traded for a book, a pack of cigarettes that I've started smoking in here, and a lighter. There's also the piece of paper that Paola left for me on the day she was released, which was a month ago. It's states her address and a phone number I can reach her with. We became ve
DelaneyThe sight of Paola's brother leaves me light-headed, mostly because she told me so much about him over the years and I never knew that I'd already seen him before. The man standing before me gives me a once-over. Paola has cut her hair short and has gotten rid of all the black dye on her hair, and honestly, I think the color suits her more. Her hair is now the same dirty blonde as his, making them look very alike. Only, the big difference between them is that although Paola can be explosive at times, she has this soft look to her. Her eyes are big and kind. Her brother, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. His eyes are full of curiosity and disdain as he sizes me up while a sly smile curls at the edges his plump lips. When they land on mine after his assessment, I have the feeling that he's making fun of me in his head. I wonder if he recognizes me, too. The day of the trial was such a long time ago. "This is the friend you made in prison?" Pollux asks. His voice
Delaney"What do you think?" Paola asks in my ear. "Pretty cool, huh?"I have no words for the scene in front of me. When we were walking through the tunnel to get here, I had no idea what to expect. I certainly didn't know that we would be walking into a whole city built under the one I grew up in. No wonder they call it the Underworld. "How did we manage all this?" I ask her as we walk through a narrow passageway. Most of the streets are narrow, and it's just dirt beneath our feet. Still, I'm impressed by the gothic feel of the place and how, for some reason, I've never heard about a place like this. I didn't even know such a thing could be possible. Some of the buildings we come across have been carved into the bedrock itself. It's not like they transported bricks down here. I'm surprised our city hasn't collapsed yet. I just can't believe this place is real. "It's been in the works for centuries," she informs me. "Many people helped bring this place to life, you know? It's ju
AlecI’m sitting on the edge of my bed and a million things are running through my mind because today was quite an eventful day for me, and a few hours ago, I received the confirmation that it all worked out in my favor. I glance at Carla, who’s lying on her side fast asleep, and slowly get out of bed before walking toward the window of our bedroom. The moon is merely a crescent, but I’m drawn to her already. In a few days, the Full Moon Hunt will begin. For once, I actually feel excited about it, and that’s because this year, I’ve let go of the weight that’s been burdening me for close to seven years. My father’s death earlier this year has made me Alpha, and with that, came a heap of responsibilities. Leading the pack is more troublesome than I thought, and it’s incredibly difficult to make a decision because it has to be approved by the board of Alphas that rule our city. Carla moans in her sleep, and I tense up and turn my head to look at her. Thankfully, she doesn’t wake up.
DelaneyMy work shift is pretty easy, apart from one thing. I’ve forgotten how to socialize with people. If I had to be completely honest, I’d say that I never really learned how to deal with people. In school, I didn’t have any friends. Everyone was too busy calling me Cursey Waters to get to know me, even the other Omegas. The years I spent in isolation made things worse, so I feel awkward around big crowds, and for some reason, I’m afraid that someone will recognize me and spread tales about me. I serve my last table the beer they ordered and then return to the bar. Paola is busy with the cashier, and she glances at me covertly before asking, “Are you okay?”“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed,” I admit. “You seem on edge,” she notes. “It’s weird being around people again, right?”“I guess so.”The door of the cavern swings open and Francesca and Pollux both walk in. They’re standing very close, and she presses a kiss to the side of his neck before making her way back to the bar.
DelaneyThe very next day, we wake up early and head down to the bar, even though it only opens later tonight. It's strange to wake up in a dark place. There's no way of having access to sunlight here, so torches light the place as well as lightbulbs. Now that I'm used to the thought of being free, it's easier for me to take in the details of the place, and honestly, I'm amazed at how all of this was put together. I want to know more about the place. When did our kind start building it? Who was behind it all? How is it possible that a place like this with so many people slid beneath the radar of the very people who want us oppressed?There's so much more to this story that I want to know. Francesca is already there, even though all the chairs are on top of the tables. She seems to be mixing fruits in a blender. When she sees us both, she smiles and says, "You're early.""Yeah," Paola says before sitting on one of the high stools near the bar. I do the same. "Your brother was here