The days passed slowly, but the weeks seemed to fly by. Wonwoo was conscious of both his due date and the date of his court martial getting closer and closer. He wasn’t sure which he was more nervous about.
Mingyu’s twice-weekly visits were all that kept him going.
The alpha never spoke much about the specifics of what he and the others were working on outside the brig’s walls.
Mingyu was too conscious that even ‘the walls had ears.’
Wonwoo, for his part, tried to gently prepare Mingyu for the likely reality that there was nothing anyone could do. The alpha wasn’t ready to accept it yet, but Wonwoo could feel the inevitability of it growing closer and closer as the date on the calendar approached.
And then it was the evening before, and Mingyu’s last visit. They were allowed out in the yard for this one, and Wonwoo was glad for the chance to stretch his legs and share a few whispered words with his mate that couldn’t be overheard.
Mingyu’s words of greeting made him laugh.
“Every time I see you, you look more beautiful.”
“Yes. Washed-out orange really is my color.” He gave a little twirl, one hand pressed carefully over his bump as if to steady the babies.
“Careful,” Mingyu said, catching him when he veered off balance.
Wonwoo made a face. “Stupid center of gravity. The babies are throwing it off.” He leaned heavily against Mingyu, pushing up onto his tiptoes to murmur in his ear. “The doctor looks more and more worried each time he sees me. He knows this isn’t a normal pregnancy, but it’s as if he’s afraid to call attention to it. It’s not like he’ll be able to hide anything when I go into labor.”
“We’re planning to have you home before that.”
Wonwoo didn’t want to douse Mingyu’s hopes, so he only sighed and cast his gaze toward the sky. “Full moon tonight.”
“Can you see it from your room?”
“Oh, yes. I have the most wonderful view through the bars of my cage. It gets the sun in the afternoon, too.”
Mingyu laughed and drew him closer, tucking Wonwoo against his chest. “I know it’s been hard, but it’s almost over. You just have to hold on a little longer.”
“Mingyu…”
“Trust me, Wonwoo. I won’t let you down.”
He let his hand trail along the collar of Mingyu’s shirt.
“You could never let me down. Even if things don’t go the way you want them to tomorrow… that isn’t you letting me down. That’s just the system we’re stuck in.”
“Wonwoo…”
“No. I need you to hear me, okay? I need to know that if I’m stuck in here for the next eighteen years, you’re going to be okay. That our kids are going to be okay.”
Mingyu sighed and hugged him tighter, one hand trailing up and down Wonwoo’s back.
“I can’t even bear to think about it. But we will be okay, Wonwoo. Whatever happens. The kids and I will not turn our backs on you. You’ll be as much a part of their lives as we can manage until you come home to us.”
“Eighteen years is a long time. You could break the bond, find another omega…”
“You are my omega. I’ll never need another. Pack bonds don’t break. They bend, maybe, but they’re always made whole again.”
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𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 || 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐖𝐨𝐧
FanfictionBoth on the run from their pasts, Mingyu and Wonwoo find themselves at the orchard. Was it chance that brought them there or were they called home? Wonwoo is too tangled up in the idea of who he's running from to realize the truth about who he's run...