STOLEN.

2: AN UNCOMFORTABLE MOMENT.

The smell of the food was making Jade’s stomach grumble. She hadn’t eaten anything in at least two days. She longed to take a bite of a warm croissant, but she didn’t dare take even a nibble, though. She would be severely punished if she were caught. She loaded it all onto the serving trolley. She was only ever permitted to eat whatever scraps were left by her father and brother. Usually, there was little or nothing, but today, as we had a guest to impress, there was plenty of food. She should get some good leftovers today. Jade pushed the trolley into the dining room, keeping her eyes down as she had been taught. She began to serve. She was about to place food in front of her father. “Jade, where are your manners, girl? Serve Delta Scott first. He is our guest.” He reprimanded her, making her jump. “I am so sorry, Father. I wasn’t thinking.” She stumbled over her words and moved quickly to where Delta Scott was seated. “Of course you weren’t.” Clive chuckled. “You are a woman. You are not meant to think, only obey.” Delta Scott and Jade’s older brother, Joey, both started laughing. As Jade placed the food on Delta Scott’s plate, he ran his clammy hand up the back of her leg. The smile he gave her made her feel sick. She moved away from him and served her father and Joey as quickly as she could. She wanted to get out of that room and as far away from the Delta as soon as possible. She was just finishing serving Joey when he knocked his glass over, spilling orange juice all over her. “Ooops, sorry, sis.” He said in a mocking tone. She knew that he had done it on purpose. Jade wanted to dump the whole jug over his stupid head, but that would only get her a beating or worse. She refilled his glass and wiped up the spilt juice as best as she could and hurried back to the kitchen.

Dawn’s uniform was so thin that the juice had seeped right through. It was cold, sticky, and uncomfortable. She knew that she couldn’t take the time to clean herself up until she had cleaned the kitchen, though, or she would be in trouble. So she ignored the discomfort as best she could and got on with it. She was almost done when the door opened behind her. She knew who it was instantly. The smell of tobacco and dirt hit her. She hated his scent. Jade turned, putting on a fake smile. “Delta Scott, did you need something, sir?” she asked politely. He gave her that sick smile of his as his eyes wandered hungrily over her. He didn’t bother trying to hide how much he enjoyed the way her uniform was sticking to her body. He held out his coffee cup, and she refilled it quickly. He looked her over slowly once more, the way that she imagined a snake would size up a mouse, before going back to the dining room. Her stomach was churning, making her glad for once that it was empty. She finished the last of the cleaning and went back into the dining room to clear the table, which she was relieved to see had been vacated. She grabbed a small plate of some of the leftovers, stashed the rest in the fridge for later, and headed to her room. She wanted to clean up and change before getting on with the rest of her morning duties.

Jade left the plate in her bedroom before heading to the bathroom and stripping out of her sticky uniform and underwear. She sponged her skin, scrubbing until it was red. Yet somehow she still felt dirty. Once she was as clean as she could get herself, Jade pulled on the fresh underwear and sighed as she squeezed herself into her spare uniform. It was tight as it was from two years ago, but it was the only other one that she had. Her father would be angry if he saw her cleaning in her normal clothes. Not that she had many of those. A few pairs of tracksuit bottoms and t-shirts that Joey had grown out of. They were a bit big on her, but she quite liked that. Jade smoothed down the rough, cheap material of her uniform and sighed. She wished for the hundredth time that she were a normal human instead of a werewolf. Though she wasn’t even a proper werewolf, not like the ones of old. None of the females was. Jade had read books about she-wolves that had been strong warriors, about mates and amazing Lunas. She smiled sadly at her reflection. There were no Lunas anymore, no mates, no she-wolf warriors. Women were nothing more than slaves and baby factories now. There was no hope for a better future, no hope of being saved from this misery. Jade had fantasised about running away. Living alone in a human city. Or better yet, a small town somewhere far away from here. She couldn’t even turn to another pack for help, as it was the same everywhere. Once she was done, she sat down to eat the plate of leftovers that she had brought with her. The buttery pastry flaked in her mouth, and the sweetness of the jam made her groan in happiness. She was going to enjoy these few moments of peace and savour every mouthful.