It was now the second week of the peace project. Now that Yiru and Baekhyun were on better terms, training was going more smoothly than the previous week. Rather than training their groups separately, Baekhyun and Yiru had decided to combine their groups and train them together.

“Front kick, side kick, back kick, cross, uppercut,” Yiru commanded as she walked down the rows of trainees who were practicing their combat skills. Baekhyun was coming closer to her from the opposite side of the rows of trainees as he observed them. When they met in the middle of the rows, they gave each other small smiles before passing each other while nudging one another with their shoulders. These little acts of physical contact had been going on ever since the two made up the week before.

Baekhyun followed Yiru’s commands with another combination, and it went back and forth for half an hour until the two leaders called for break time.

Yiru sat in a circle with a few female trainees, who were all sweaty and panting from the rigorous training. Despite the differences between their clans, Yiru had grown closer to some of the trainees, especially the females, in the two weeks they had been together.

“You all have improved significantly in these two weeks,” Yiru complimented.

“It’s all thanks to you and Leader Baekhyun,” one trainee said. “You’ve helped us so much.”

“And we noticed you two have gotten a lot closer as well,” another trainee teased with a playful smirk. “I thought Cinereo and Tenebris leaders were always at each other’s throats.”

“If Baekhyun and I were always fighting, we would never get anything done,” Yiru reasoned. “This is part of the Peace Project. We must learn to put our differences aside for the betterment of our clans.”

“Spoken like a true alpha,” a trainee commented.

“How do you lead a whole clan, Leader Yiru?” one of them asks. “It’s so admirable for a female wolf to be both a defender and a caretaker. Our Leader Yejin only acts as a caretaker, but I hear you play both roles for the Tenebris wolves.”

“Sometimes a clan needs more than a male to defend them,” Yiru joked. “You know not all male wolves are very wise; they act without thinking sometimes. That’s why they need a she-wolf to help them lead.”

The female trainees giggle at Yiru’s words. Even though she was from another clan, the trainees looked up to her as a female role mode, at least some of them did. She had not gained the trust of all of the trainees despite the amount of time they had already spent together for the past weeks. However, most of them had some silent respect for her for being such a strong and intimidating leader.

“I wish I was as strong as you, Leader Yiru,” one of the trainees said. “Cinereo wolves are such traditionalists. There aren’t any female leaders in our defense force.”

“Yeah, most female wolves are brought up to do the more domestic work,” another piped in.

“It’s the same for the Tenebris clan,” Yiru stated. “I just happen to be an exception.” She gave them a smile that made her seem more amiable. Her distant, cold nature was now beginning to become warmer and more open. If she ever married Baekhyun, she wouldn’t mind moving to the Cinereo territory now that she had gained some respect and friendliness from some of its inhabitants.

“Hey, quit the gossiping ladies, and prepare for training,” Baekhyun called out to them from a few feet away, but his voice was rather light and teasing rather than harsh and demanding. The female trainees grumbled, upset that their chat with Yiru had to c