The Liability (2023 - COMPLETE)

V - Recovery

Juno doesn't like to sit sedentary for hours on end, but there isn't much that she can do about that at the moment. After being released early this morning, she has yet to leave Luna's side for more than fifteen minutes. The two had traveled to Stevens High in order for Luna to clear up Juno's attendance issues and collect her makeup work.

Juno sits in the car while Luna had gone into the building. The front seat of Luna's Camry isn't the most comfortable but it is still a better option than walking. Her body stings from the stitching and bruising; her mind is still baffled by the actions of last night.

Her mate, Percy, did not care about her for ten months. Now, he writes her a note like that and visits her. He shows her affection and calls her pet names. Most notably, he walked away from her once again. The yellow paper is folded up and tucked into the waistband of her leggings, the words burning themselves into her skin.

You're not the one with faults...If only I were a different man.

Luna opens her door, a small stack of papers in her hand. The woman is dressed in another floral ensemble and she seems flustered. Although she is only seven years older, she is still Juno's legal guardian. Both of the Verdanskys are but Alpha doesn't acknowledge her existence. The school board still hasn't quite caught onto that, even though it has been years.

"Do you want to get lunch in town or go home?" Luna asks, brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. Juno pretends to think for a moment, even when she knows her answer. She just wants to curl up and wallow in self-pity. Hide in her cabin and not be seen for the next three days.

"Home." She rubs at her face. She looks through the stack of paper, finding that it is mostly algebra. Gross.

The two women ride back in comfortable silence with only a top hits station playing barely above a whisper. Juno feels weird, she knows that she is in pain but she can't feel it because of the medications she's been given. The stitches and bruising only make a fuss when she has pushed too far or moved her limbs too much too quickly.

The ride home is nearly thirty minutes long and Juno finds herself slipping in and out of consciousness. Her ability to sleep is getting progressively worse and it is affecting her school life. Not that there is much that she can do to fix it. There is too much going on in her life for her to worry about her sleep schedule. 

The calm atmosphere in Luna's Camry and the warmth that shields her from the October chill are enough to lull her nearly to sleep.

~

Juno spends most of the day in the Alpha's house due to Luna Elizabeth's insistence for her to stay. The only reason she agrees is that Alpha is out of town for some business.

Alpha's are rarely in their home territory because there are far too many things to take care of to keep the pack as a whole in the best shape. There are constant meetings in the other territories throughout the state of Washington as well as with other Alphas. While each territory has its own leader, men like Alpha Alexander Verdansky are in charge of the whole state.

The two women are in the kitchen, enjoying each other's company. The kitchen is very bright and full of light. The white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and a large window overlooking the forest don't allow for any corner of the room to feel dark. The dark walnut accents and black marble countertop keep the room from feeling like it is the stereotypical afterlife where everything is overly white.

Juno has been barred from helping Luna make lunch, so instead, she sits at the island, slowly sipping on apple cider. The two women have a slow yet free-flowing conversation, one that never gets too deep. Juno refuses to ever let the conversation drift into personal territory, not because she is scared to say what is really on her mind, but because she knows that it is not her place to be talking to Luna at all.