Chapter 2

197 24 1
                                    

Again,” Mingyu demanded, breathing hard as he and Junhui circled one another. They were almost at the end of their training session, but he didn’t like to let up the pressure until the last possible moment.

Junhui kept circling, watching him carefully, and then made his move. Mingyu dodged the punch easily, grabbed Junhui’s shoulder, and propelled the alpha forward. A swipe of a foot to Junhui’s lower legs sent him crashing to the ground. The younger alpha growled in frustration.

Mingyu reached a hand down and helped Junhui to his feet. “You’re still telegraphing your movements. Conceal or deflect, remember?

Easier said than done,” Junhui grumbled.

Mingyu thumped him on the shoulder. “You’ll get there. We’ve only been at this two weeks.

Two weeks and zero progress. At this rate, it’ll take me forever to get anywhere.

Mingyu brushed off Junhui’s negativity. “You’ve made progress. Your punches have far more force behind them now. As my shoulder can attest.

Junhui grimaced. “Yeah, sorry about that.

He laughed and grabbed his bottle, gulping down some water. “I’ve had worse.

They headed into the house for dinner, Mingyu washing up before joining the others at the table. The cubs were cuddled together in their playpen, all in their shifter forms.

When Mingyu had first arrived, he’d marveled at the five babies, but he’d quickly gotten used to them. They were only a few months old and small at that, thanks to being pack babies. But they brought a softness back to life that he’d missed. His work had been everything to him, and it was all hard edges with no room for emotion. The orchard was the opposite of that. It was a breath of fresh air that he’d badly needed. The space to breathe and to keep his head down until all the trouble blew over. Seungcheol’s message had reached him at just the right time, giving him somewhere to run to when he needed to disappear. No one would think to look for him at the orchard, especially with Seungcheol and the others lying low to hide their pack status.

After their meal, he helped Minghao do the dishes, then joined Seungcheol out in the yard to move some supplies that had been delivered earlier that day. They worked in companionable silence, but Mingyu had the feeling that questions were coming.

What?” he asked finally, needing to do something to dispel the tension.

When I left you that message, I hoped you’d come. But I didn’t think you would.

He snorted at that. “Everyone likes to be unpredictable now and then.

So just walking away from your life was as easy as that? Wanting to be unpredictable?

Sometimes it’s nice to step out of the world for a bit. Plus, I was curious about what you had going on here. It’s not every day you pack up and move to an orchard. Didn’t picture you as the type to start a commune.

It’s a pack, not a commune. And we didn’t exactly start it by choice.

Same difference,” Mingyu said, hefting another box into his arms. “I’m still waiting for answers.

Ask away. We have no secrets here.

Well, I know why I came, but I’m wondering why you invited me. And don’t tell me it was to train Jun. You know a dozen guys who could teach him how to fight.

Maybe. But there aren’t a dozen guys I’d trust to teach him right. There’s more to fighting than just knowing how to throw a punch. You’re right, though. That isn’t the only reason I asked you here.” Seungcheol lapsed into a silence that Mingyu suspected he wasn’t going to break.

𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 || 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐖𝐨𝐧 Where stories live. Discover now