Dear Mystery Mate

Chapter Three

A journal entry from Alexis Jayda Desdemona

Sunday, January 6th, 2013

Dear Lupa,

Another wonderful day... Another wonderful morning... Instead of waking up to something pleasant like bird chirping, or babbling brook, or even the sound of our blasted alarm, I got to wake up to the sound of Trixie and Jasper having sex three bunks over. I tried my best to pretend that I was still asleep and not listening. It drives me mad how inconsiderate this crew is to each other. All six of us are cramped into this room together on poorly made bunk beds. If the moaning doesn't alert people to what you are doing, the creaking of the bed would. Even after finding my mate, I will never be that inconsiderate. I don't even think that those two are mates. Just two lonely people, trying to feel less lonely. Maybe I shouldn't judge them so hard, I'm spacy myself.

I wish I were more understanding. Nobody here wants to be here, sometimes desperation gets the better of people. They are definitely not the first two to hook up on a runt crew. Being separated from your pack and not completely connecting to a new pack is hard on werewolves. We are very physical creatures. Companionship is one of our top needs. Maybe if we had a better time bonding with each other, life would be a bit more bearable. As the dynamics are, we are a really dysfunctional group.

It wasn't always like this. The first crew of runts I worked on was a breath of fresh air compared to who I'm working with now. I wish I was more grateful for that first year here. The crew I was assigned to when I first came to this pack was tight-knit.

The crew was made up of four runts all of whom were born here, and raised to be runts. We were the morning cleaning and Ms. Rocco was our leader and kept the small group on task, on time, and safe. Ms. Rocco taught me everything I know about life as a runt. She was a short, stout woman, whose patience was nearly non-existent. Her skin was a rich, tan leather that looked as if it would have peeled if snagged, but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to see, in fear of her verbal ire, let alone snag her skin. She didn't encourage familiarity. I don't think I ever saw Ms Rocco laugh, but she smiled often. A slow widening of her thin black lips to show even, small white teeth, then the slow effortless closing. When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her. Almost every runt in the entire pack was trained by her no matter what crew they were assigned to.

A few other higher-ranking wolves had been traded in to work as runts before me, and she was still learning how older werewolves. So when a ten-year-old child got sent to her crew, she was grateful. I can still hear her say "teaching old dogs new tricks is a waste of time." At the time I thought she was a monster, in retrospect, I'm very grateful for her.

Ms. Rocco's main goal was getting the work done, done properly, and done quickly the first time. She was strict, but despite her temper, I think she cared deeply about each of the runts under her supervision. I will forever be grateful for her. Despite how difficult it was when I first came to this pack, Ms. Rocco grounded me in reality. She would say "The work isn't glamorous but it's necessary."

I learned how to do every household task, the proper way, the safe way, and the quickest way. Ms Rocco only got to stay for a few more months before she and many of the other original runts left the group and I have not heard from them sense. Things have been in a spiral ever since. I'll never stop wondering what happened to them. Hopefully, they're doing something better with their lives.

Your human half,

Alexis Jayda

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A/N:

Thanks for reading this far! I know this chapter is a little short, but the next one is pretty long to make up for it. 

I will just announce it here- this story is planned to be a bit of a slow burn, and I really hope you enjoy it!