The Liability (2023 - COMPLETE)

III - Attacked

Juno sat on the floor, the school assignments spread out in front of her. She is struggling to focus on the work, too distracted by the sounds of the wolves playing outside of her cabin.

The calls that one wolf made to another is enough for her to have lost track of what she should be doing. She is struggling to complete her Government worksheet and it isn't because she doesn't understand the material.

Juno rubs her eyes, wishing that those around her wouldn't be so loud. She couldn't blame them, the weather outside is nice for this time of year. It is late October but it is still warm for fall.

 
Her government work is easy, mostly because her teacher is known throughout the school for not caring. He is an older teacher and waiting for retirement. He had given up on teaching a few years ago, so now it's nothing more than the bare minimum. The worksheets were the easiest things ever, so if she could focus, it would be done in about ten minutes. This is a constant problem for her, but the noise from the wolves decreases a great deal when the snow starts to fly. It apparently isn't as fun to spend all evening in the cold.

Juno continued to mindlessly complete her work, wishing to be asleep instead. Her entire body is exhausted and feels like it is going to collapse in on itself. She knows what she is doing isn't healthy and she needs to work on not being like this. She feels like a zombie and probably looks like one too.

She is making better progress than most days because she hadn't been caught off guard by a wolf. The pack likes to harass her simply because they could and it made life a hell to be in. The days when she is able to avoid them are the best because then she is able to complete her school work before sunset and actually has a decent night's rest.

She struggled to finish her algebra homework without her eyes closing. Going through the problems one by one is a slow task but manageable. Once finished with the math, she starts to work on the short reading for her English course. She quickly goes through the pages in The Grapes of Wrath, not caring for the plot or any of the symbolism, knowing that her teacher would just go through it the next day.

With all of the work complete, Juno is able to put everything away and curl up under her blanket, preparing to retire for the night. Sure the sky is still alight, but Juno couldn't force herself to be awake any longer. Before she could even get comfortable, her eyes had decided to give up for the day.

~

At five the next morning, the cycle repeats itself. Although much more well-rested, Juno is hungry. She had missed out on dinner because of how early she had fallen asleep, but it doesn't really matter anyway. Her body doesn't ache like it normally does in the morning, nor had she been awakened by the feeling of her mate cheating on their bond.

Seeing as though the wolf side had reached full maturity, Juno has met her reported "soulmate." He lives in the Baring community and is nearly five years her senior.

The problem with their union? He's been with his girlfriend for over two years and their bond only showed itself ten months ago. He is also a close friend of Alpha's, which means everything about him has to appear to be perfect. The saddest of them all is the fact that no one wants to have a runt for a mate. Runts are seen as a weakness and a nuisance for the pack. They're more trouble than they're worth, why would anyone put that much effort into protecting them?

Juno's mate didn't want anything to do with her. When the bond first showed itself, he couldn't even force himself to look at her. Juno is unwanted by everyone around her, she's known that for a long time. That is why she refused to let her mate's actions hurt her any more than anyone else's.

She couldn't waste a single moment on him, Juno has to prepare for school. Once again, she has limited options and the cold weather is only adding to the difficulty. Another day, another torn pair of jeans and poorly fitting sweaters. It isn't likely to keep her warm, but it is still the best that she can manage at this moment.