Old Way ||| Ateez

21

When the door opened again, Mingi was still in the same exact position he had been left in. His arms ached, muscles screaming for relief with how long they had been chained above his head.

He had a feeling Nova had been true to her word and left him for an entire day, which he had spent drifting in and out of consciousness while trying to ignore his grumbling stomach and parched throat.

"Well?" Her sharp tone cut through his fog. "Are you going to make this easy, or hard?" She was not in the mood to play.

Mingi scrunched his nose and let his head fall back against the stone wall behind him. "I have your word my pack won't be harmed?"

Nova flicked her purple hair over her shoulder then crossed her arms. "As long as they cooperate and do what I say."

A growl vibrated the back of Mingi's throat and he curled his throbbing hands into fists. "You said-"

"I do not wish to harm them. But I will not hesitate to protect my pack if they put up a fight and go against whatever grace they are given." The alpha quirked an eyebrow. "You'll be happy to hear that Hongjoong and San seem to be settling in fine in the fields. They will help the other alphas and betas out there in tending to our crops and have been given their own 'sponsors' to train them."

Mingi's heart instantly ached at knowing his alpha was so close to him. He had to fight back a whimper, knowing he needed to still show some strength if he was going to get through this.

Hongjoong? He reached out through the link. Joongie? Please? Can you hear me? Joongie? Desperation filled his voice.

All he got was silence in return.

The alpha's shoulders slumped as much as his bindings allowed.

"Now, now." Nova purred. The smirk on her face said she knew exactly what Mingi had just tried to do and was loving every second of his disappointment. "Don't worry. They are in good hands. Just like you will be. So do I have your agreement?"

Mingi's eyes fell to floor by Nova's feet, a clear sign of submission for an alpha. It made his wolf churn with anger but he quickly pushed it aside.

His thoughts drifted to Seonghwa... Would he ever get to see his mate again? Would Seonghwa ever be able to forgive him for what was about to happen?

He instantly knew the answer to that question. Of course he would... His mate was a better man than Mingi ever hoped to be. He knew Seonghwa would forgive him in a heartbeat, unlike how Mingi had treated him after he had been kidnapped by Lance.

Mingi's chest constricted at the memory and he lowered his head even more, whining softly.

"Good boy." Nova hummed.

The words instantly made Mingi's wolf rise within him again and his whine turned to a growl. Hearing that coming from another alpha that wasn't his own... It made Mingi so angry.

Nova walked closer to him and crouched down so they were closer to eye level. "I can't wait to have a taste of you." She licked her lips and let her eyes drift over his body. "Are you going to continue to be a good boy so I can take you some place more comfortable?"

"No." Mingi snapped, mashing his teeth together as he attempted to lunge at the female.

She didn't even flinch.

Mingi's eyes turned deep red and he started to pull at the manacles around his wrists. "You bitch! You can't-"

A sudden slap against his cheek had Mingi crying out in shock and his jaw fell open. Dark blood rolled down his cheek from the four slash marks left by Nova's nails. "Don't test me." The power behind Nova's voice was tremendous. Much stronger than Mingi's father's had been...