Stronger by Ang Chris

Chapter 19

“What would you like to start with?” Elizabeth asked as we walked from my house that morning.

“I typically start my day in the field tending to the crops,” I told her.

I didn’t know where the entrance to the fields was and they produced a lot more food than my pack did.

“We have two sets of crops. There are the crops for the pack and the crops for the market. Which one would you like to tend to?” she turned her head to look at me.

“I don’t know how to drive a tractor, so the crops for the pack,”

“Would you like to learn?”

I suppose I should. “Of course but not today I don’t think,” I nodded my head.

“Alright well, I will speak with one of the farmers to see if they’d be willing to teach you,”

We headed past the many houses of the pack and to an acre that held a garden, a vine plot, and in the back what looked to be an orchard.

“We grow many vegetables, fruits, grapes, apples, and pears,” explained.

“Put me to work,” I nodded.

Their crops were far behind my family’s pack. Most hadn’t been planted. It was still pretty chilly out. I had on my one sweater and jeans. My rubber garden boots were a must obviously.

I rolled up my sleeves and put on a gardening apron and got to work. I grabbed a hand tiller, went to a plot, and worked the ground. It hadn’t fully thawed yet so I grabbed a hoe to break up the tougher dirt.

I grabbed bags of manure when I was done and spread them over the 12–foot square plot. Then I grabbed the rake and dug groves into the soil,

I was planting beets on this plot. I put them about 6 and 4 inches apart. I planted them half an inch down and covered them up. I watered the crops and dusted off my hands.

“To the training house. I feel like a run and box,” I told Elizabeth who had finished a plot of radishes before me.

“Of course,”

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to get my gym clothes from the house,” I told her. “I’ll meet you at the training grounds,”

she nodded and headed off.

a sense of satisfaction of growing your own food knowing you had planted it and tended it almost made it

went into

my hands in the deep sink of my new empty home. It was

7

see the potential for sunny days and cozy moments but

went upstairs to my new and vast room to get my workout clothes

the arms and calves of the two–pieces. It was a mid–rise shirt goddess

*Perfect

my hair up in

to make a standing here yet the task seemed daunting with only a handful of people

my new pack thought of me, they were curious but I didn’t know if they were intrigued or disgusted.

who was standing on the above gym track waiting for me snuggled up to her

his arms settled on her waist. Their faces

they got to be so happy? She gets a man who can’t even her soulmate to love her so wholly and I am left on an

thought with my earbuds in, drowning out everyone else. Trying to find peace within myself but the loneliness pushed through the

a while, going to down to find an open punching bag.

was one in the middle of a group of men. The thinking was not doing me any good, yelling at Grayson had not

after wrapping my hands. I took

mine.

my b*dy weight into my punches throwing all I had in muscles and my mind at it. I huffed and grunted at the bag thumped and thudded with

had so much I couldn’t understand or comprehend and it all came out on the sack

voice interrupted

and Matt had his brows knit together looking at the limp bag I’d been pummeling.

turned back to

is a difficult man. He doesn’t trust easily,” Matt came and held