Chapter Text
Clarke hooked a finger through the collar of her jacket, peeling it back to try and get some air across her flushed skin. Even though the morning breeze had teeth, her shirt had already started clinging to the small of her back. She had been hiking through the forest with Finn for most of the night, and though she had seen no evidence of Bellamy and the others during their trek to the meeting place, the tingling shivers that coursed down her spine told her that someone was watching.
Someone. I just hope it’s him and not the Grounders.
She still wasn’t sure what to make of Finn’s plan for peace. Like most of his ideas, it seemed great in theory, but too neat and simple to work the way he hoped. The Grounders had already shown that they wouldn’t hesitate to kill. This meeting could very well be a trap, and despite what she had promised, she wasn’t going to take any chances.
“How much further?” she asked, walking close by Finn's side so her voice wouldn’t carry. Their footfalls already sounded unnaturally loud over the crunching leaves that coated the forest floor.
Finn forced a smile, but she caught a shadow of worry in his dark eyes. He was afraid, even if he didn’t want to admit it. “Not far. A couple more minutes.”
It was a frustratingly vague answer, but Clarke didn’t press him, wary of being drawn into a longer conversation. Although Finn had made it clear that he still had romantic feelings for her, their not-relationship was the least important thing on her mind. If this meeting falls apart, we could all wind up dead. Or worse. She remembered all too well what Bellamy and his lackeys had done to their Grounder captive in an effort to get him to talk—what she had done to save Finn’s life. If we’re capable of doing something like that to our prisoners, what sick things do they do to theirs?
Her stomach churned at the possibilities. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Octavia, the only other omega besides her who had come to earth on the dropship, was the only person the Grounders hadn’t killed on sight. Maybe that’s what they do to their enemies. Kill off the alphas and betas and bring the omegas back to their camp for… She shook her head. That wasn’t going to happen, not to her and not to anyone else. The Grounders were vicious, but her people had guns. If Finn’s optimism proved to be misplaced, they had a solid back-up plan.
“Clarke!”
Finn’s harsh whisper startled her from her thoughts, and she saw him point past a gap in the trees. If she squinted, she could just make out a figure beyond the branches, pacing back and forth on what looked like an overgrown bridge. Whoever it was hadn’t noticed them yet, but Clarke crouched down instinctively, trying to remain out of sight.
“No, it’s okay,” Finn said. He reached for her elbow, pulling her forward. “We’re expecting her.”
Clarke sighed, but she reclaimed her arm and followed him to where the treeline thinned out. Her nostrils flared, inhaling a familiar scent, and her eyes widened when she noticed that the figure on the bridge was wearing a jacket similar to hers. Octavia. Finn’s eagerness to establish peace with the Grounders suddenly made a lot more sense.
Octavia noticed them a moment later. She lifted her head, stopping in the middle of the bridge and turning in their direction. There was no use hiding. Clarke pushed ahead of Finn, stepping warily out of the cover of the forest and onto the bridge. There didn’t appear to be anyone else waiting for them, but the seemingly-empty trees around them had come alive with enemies before. She couldn’t be too careful.
“So, that’s how you set this up,” she said as Finn came to a stop by her side. She didn’t spare him a glance, keeping her eyes fixed on Octavia instead. “You helped him escape, didn’t you?”
“I trust him, Clarke,” Octavia said, a mulish expression that Clarke had grown unfortunately familiar with closing over her face. Clarke opened her mouth to deliver a sharp retort, but something made her words stick in her throat. She narrowed her eyes, observing Octavia more closely, and several more pieces snapped into place.
This wasn’t the same Octavia she’d last seen bolting from the camp after an epic fight with Bellamy. The other omega was still pacing and agitated, but the heat-smell that had wafted from her in dizzying waves, driving everyone in the camp crazy with the urge to fight or mate, was almost gone. Not enough time had passed for it to disappear on its own, and there was only one other explanation. Clarke raised her head and sniffed; what she smelled nearly made her jaw drop.
She couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe that one of their own had betrayed them so spectacularly, but everything she could see and smell was telling her that it was true. The dimness of Octavia’s heat, the way she had her jacket zipped all the way up to her chin, and the hard line of her jaw confirmed it. “You mated with one of them?”
Octavia’s lip curled in a silent snarl. “And so what if I did?”
“Did you forgot that the Grounders have been trying to wipe us out since the minute we landed down here?” Clarke said furiously. “That they put a spear through Jasper’s chest?” Her eyes widened as her previous conjecture rose to her mind again, making fear coil through her gut. “Oh my god, Octavia. Did they make you—”
“Lincoln would never do that! Listen, Clarke, you don’t know anything about what they’re really like. You have to trust me.”
“Trust you?” Trust was the furthest thing from Clarke’s reeling mind. She knew that mating could change someone’s behavior, sometimes drastically, creating loyalties where they weren’t deserved. God, Bellamy was going to kill the Grounder who had mated his sister. Suddenly the trail of breadcrumbs she’d been leaving for him to follow didn’t seem like the best idea.
Octavia’s jaw jutted out even further. She looked like she was spoiling for a fight, and Clarke couldn’t pretend like she wasn’t inclined to give her one, what with everything that had been happening over the last few days. But before things between them could come to a head, another chilly breeze blew across the river. The cool relief it brought to Clarke’s overheated skin was only momentary, because it also carried a scent that made her shiver.
Alphas. A lot of them, and they're close.
Finn noticed a split second after she did. “Someone’s coming,” he muttered, jerking his chin toward the other side of the bridge.
Clarke hadn’t needed him to point. The smell of dark, damp earth and fresh sweat was impossible to ignore. It sent another shiver pulsing down her spine, but this one spread out further, pooling low in her belly. Her clothes suddenly felt constricting, and the unwashed fabric chafed against her sensitive skin even more than usual. Grounders. It has to be. I can’t even see them, and they smell twice as strong as any of us.
She just wished she knew whether the Grounders were coming to talk, or to finish the killing spree they had started.
After a few silent seconds, a tall figure finally broke past the treeline on the other side of the bridge. He approached cautiously, but when he caught sight of them, he fell into a jog, arms swinging at his sides. Clarke didn’t recognize him at first from a distance, but judging by the sharp intake of breath beside her, Octavia did. She started running too, and the two of them met in the middle of the bridge, throwing themselves into a tight embrace. Clarke watched in awkward silence, completely unsure how to respond. Octavia and the Grounder were already behaving like a mated pair, clinging to each other desperately.
A soft rustling sound from the woods behind her made her glance back, muscles tensing in case she needed to run. The sight of a dark jacket-sleeve and the muted glint of something metallic made her relax. Bellamy and the others. Good. At least we’re not in this alone.
Octavia’s Grounder hadn’t come alone, either. The thick, stinging scent in Clarke’s nose grew stronger, and she gasped as she caught sight of more movement across the river. A rhythmic clatter echoed the uneven jolt of her heartbeat, and when she saw the source of the noise, her eyes widened. “Oh my god. Horses!” She had heard about creatures like this, seen a few pictures, but it was nothing compared to the reality. Their sleek bodies coursed over the ground like water, and the figures astride their broad backs rolled with their movements.
She shook herself, trying to concentrate. There were three Grounders total, at least that she could see—all alphas, and all heavily armed. Her eyes couldn’t pick up much about them from a distance, but she could smell them, and that was more than enough to send her reeling. Together they made the air thick, and she couldn’t breathe without drinking them in, their smell clogging her throat.
Her shoulders stiffened and her chest squeezed with instinctive fear, but it did nothing to stop the hot lance of desire that stabbed straight between her legs. Get a grip, Clarke, she told herself, trying not to tremble. They’re Grounders. These people want to kill you.
Beside her, Finn bristled. “Hey,” he said, moving to stand between her and Octavia’s Grounder. “We said no weapons!”
The Grounder gave Finn a dark look. “I was told there wouldn’t be.”
“It’s too late now,” Clarke said. She straightened, preparing to step forward.
A panicked expression crossed Finn’s face. He reached for her arm, but Octavia’s warrior held up a hand to keep them separated. “Wait. She goes alone.”
Finn started to protest, but Clarke shook her head, silently willing him to listen. I can do this. I have to do this. At least if everything blows up in our faces, I’ll be the only one near enough to get hurt. She pulled away before he or anyone else could protest, focusing on keeping her strides slow and measured and her focus fixed tightly on the Grounders waiting for her. Two remained on their horses, but one dismounted with sinuous grace and began to approach, matching her step for step.
As they neared each other, Clarke began to make out details. The alpha’s movements were more of a prowl than anything, and though she was slender, strength was obvious in her lithe frame. Dark streaks of warpaint surrounded her eyes, and her wild hair was woven through with intricate braids that kept it out of her face. The breeze blew again, and Clarke nearly stopped dead in her tracks. She had thought the primal scent of alpha was overwhelming before, but as the Grounder drew closer, she knew she had found its source.
This is their leader. She has to be.
They stopped by unspoken mutual agreement at the center of the bridge, just within arm's reach. The alpha kept her head high, her bearing regal, and her eyes fixed on Clarke's, her face dark and inscrutable beneath the paint. It struck Clarke that while she'd dealt easily enough with the alphas back at camp, she had absolutely no idea what she was dealing with here.
The alpha lifted her head and sniffed almost imperceptibly, and Clarke swallowed a growl as the piercing green gaze darkened with something like knowledge. I guess some things don't change. But if the Grounder had anything to say about her status as an omega, she didn't let on. "Your name is Clarke?"
She nodded to cover her surprise at the surprisingly pleasant cadence of the alpha's voice. "Yes."
"I am Lexa. I am the Commander of the Twelve Clans, including the Trikru, on whose land you trespass."
After hesitating for a moment, Clarke stuck her hand out for the Grounder to shake, but the alpha just looked at her outstretched arm until she curled her fingers and withdrew it, trying not to blush at the awkwardness. She also didn't care to think about the slight pinch of disappointment she felt that Lexa hadn't touched her.
"I think we got off to a rough start, but we want to find a way to live together in peace." Clarke tried to focus on keeping her tone earnest, but it was hard to concentrate on anything while the swirling cloud of alpha pheromones blanketed her. It made her simultaneously want to step back and clear her head, and step closer to breathe that intoxicating scent in deep. She knew it should be pissing her off—alphas did this on purpose, to keep those around them off balance—but this wasn't harsh or obnoxious, only sharp and powerful.
A slight quirk of the alpha's eyebrow warned her that her voice had trailed off, and this time she couldn't hold back a blush. Shit, Griffin. Be careful.
This was not good.
***
"I understand," Lexa said, tilting her head to consider the girl from the sky. She hadn't quite been sure what to expect, although Anya's scouts had delivered fairly detailed reports. This leader of the Skaikru—Clarke—was undeniably an omega, but she displayed none of the fear or submissiveness one might expect. "You started a war you don’t know how to end." She was gratified to see shock on the girl’s face, but it was quickly replaced with frustration.
"What? No! We didn't start anything. You attacked us for no reason!"
Lexa was torn between wanting to laugh and snarl. Anya’s reports had been right. The arrogance and foolishness of the Sky People knew no bounds. Taking a step forward, she crowded into Clarke's space, allowing a hint of command to creep into her voice and letting her natural dominance do the rest. "I hope you do not expect me to believe that entering my territory without permission and burning one of my villages to the ground with your missiles does not constitute provocation."
Confusion muddled the Sky girl's face for a moment, but soon cleared. Good , Lexa thought. At least their leader's not stupid. She also couldn't deny that Clarke was good to look at, her curves flaring under her clothing in appealing ways, her hair the color of afternoon sunlight, and her eyes bluer than Lexa had ever seen...
She blinked. Enough of this, she told herself sharply. She is an enemy leader, and her people have stooped to treachery before.
"Those were just flares! We meant them as a signal for our families, to show them where we were. We had no idea—"
Clarke's words were cut off by a high growl, and Lexa jumped a bit. She'd been so caught up in the omega's presence that she hadn't noticed Indra dismounting from her horse and storming over. "You are invaders," the general spat, lips drawn back over her teeth. "Your ship landed in our territory, and now you have the arrogance to make excuses for the lives your people took."
"What? No!" Clarke's eyes widened in surprise, and her expression flickered with caution, but Lexa was impressed despite herself. The Skayon showed no signs of backing down despite Indra's dominant stance and the fury rolling off her in waves. "We didn’t know anyone was here. We thought the ground was uninhabited..."
Indra jerked her head toward Lincoln, but her burning stare remained fixed on Clarke's face. “You knew we were here when you sent an armed raiding party to capture one of us and torture him. These are all acts of war.”
Lexa had to admit that Indra had a point. She had been informed of the warrior's injuries in great detail by Anya, who had disagreed with her decision to attend the negotiations herself. However, such rudeness would not stand. She knew that Indra was only trying to defend her, but Heda did not need others to fight her battles. " Indra." She let her scent flare, broadening her stance and staring down her nose. "Shof op. Disha hukop laik ain sad klin."
Indra's blunt lips twitched, but only for a moment. After only a few seconds of hard, unblinking eye contact, she lowered her head the slightest bit, offering her obedience. "Sha, Heda. Ba osir nou na wich em in."
"What did she just say?"
Lexa turned her head back slowly, surprised by Clarke's boldness. The question was an impertinent one, but something about it amused her instead of raising her hackles, despite the seriousness of their situation. Or perhaps something else about her amuses you.
"Indra says she does not trust you." She took a moment to study Clarke once more, trying and failing to keep her attention from lingering in inappropriate places. "And she has good reason not to. It was not her place to speak, but you have offered us no explanations or apologies for the crimes she listed. If this is the way your people behave in a land that is not theirs, why should we allow you to remain?"
"I see your point," Clarke said. “That’s why we need to put an end to all of this.”
Lexa nodded, but rather than respond, she found herself briefly captivated by the way the omega's pulse point fluttered, unmarked, at the base of her throat. She blinked to clear some of the haze clouding her head, but it was already too late. Her pants had grown considerably tighter at the front. She clenched her teeth against the urge to trace the faded white scar beneath the collar of her coat.
What are you thinking? You are the leader of your people, here to make these strangers answer for the village they destroyed, not some pathetic pup entering her first rut. Your chance was taken from you, and you have a higher purpose. Calm your body and focus your mind until they are back under your control.
“Anya," she called, turning slightly to glance over her shoulder while keeping Clarke in the corner of her eye. "Komba raun." Anya approached more cautiously than Indra had, although she held herself just as tall. She was wise enough to remain a few yards back, and Lexa wondered privately whether her former mentor shared her discomfort. Clarke's pull was unlike anything she had felt before, and when it wasn't enticing, it was actually intimidating. "Your warrior, Lincoln. What was his report to you?"
Anya's eyes shifted over to Clarke. She folded her arms across her chest, her narrowed gaze distrustful. "He said your omega told him that there are more of you coming down. Warriors.”
Clarke nodded. “The guard, yes," she admitted, "but also farmers, doctors, engineers. We can help each other, but not if we’re at war.”
The suggestion gave Lexa pause. If the Sky People could prove useful instead of dangerous, there might be a chance for peace after all. "Can you promise that these new arrivals won’t attack us? That you will respect the terms you and I agree on?”
Clarke hesitated, chewing her lip. “I promise I will do everything I can to convince them to honor the terms that we set,” she said at last, not quite able to meet Lexa’s eyes.
Indra and Anya both let out furious snarls, and Lexa had to stop herself from issuing one of her own - though she could not quite be sure whether it was from anger at the omega, or at her subordinates for their outburst. “They haven’t even sent their leader to negotiate for them!” Indra nearly roared, gesturing so viciously in Clarke’s direction that the omega jumped. “ Heda, teik ai frag du op gon disha nospek.” Anya said nothing, but Lexa could smell her mentor’s fury as her hand tightened on the grip of her sword.
Though Lexa was the most dominant of the three of them, she was not immune to the tension humming through the air, and she knew that Indra was at the end of her rope. "Set yu daun, Indra," she ordered, letting just enough alpha overtones into her voice to make the general step back and dip her head, though the snarl did not leave her face.
Though Lexa would not say so, she had to admit she was impressed. She knew it could not be easy for Clarke to hold her ground with three very dominant alphas bearing down on her, but the Sky girl’s stance held only determination. Her scent was much the same, and that would have ordinarily made Lexa want to step even closer, pumping out alpha pheromones to make the omega submit...but there was something else to Clarke's smell, a tantalizing trace that Lexa could not quite parse, yet it stung in her nose like a spark.
She hadn’t realized she was leaning in to catch more of it until she felt a tug at the back of her jacket. She glanced back over her shoulder, lip curled in a silent snarl, but settled when she caught Anya’s warning look. Her former mentor gave a brief shake of her head, and Lexa had to work hard to school her features into their usual mask of nonchalance. What was she doing? She had spent hours in meetings, coercing and cajoling and outright bribing to establish her Coalition, but for some reason this Skayon made all of her diplomatic skill fly out the window.
When she turned back to Clarke, prepared to apologize for her general's behavior and her own, she caught the tail end of a shudder that suggested fear...yet that was not what she smelled from the omega at all. She was looking up at Lexa with wide eyes, blue as a mountain lake and deep enough to drown in, and she couldn't help the step she took forward. Clarke's eyes widened even further, and her lips parted in a shallow gasp. Lexa knew this was inappropriate—this was a ceasefire, a meeting between enemy leaders, and it would be foolish to assume that only her people had hidden snipers covering their every move—but somehow that seemed inconsequential when Clarke smelled this good, and was looking at her like that...
A snarl ripped her out of her reverie, and she jerked back just in time to see the shaggy-haired boy who had come to the bridge with Clarke storming towards her, closely followed by the dark-haired girl and Anya's delinquent warrior, Lincoln. The Sky boy grabbed Clarke's hand, attempting to draw her behind him protectively. Lexa's hackles rose at the anger radiating from him, made somewhat less impressive by his bland beta smell. She curled her lip and he visibly recoiled, but held his ground. "Stay away from her!"
Rage seared through Lexa. He was standing between her and Clarke, keeping her from the omega, from what was hers…
To her shock, however, the next growl that split the air did not come from her, but from Clarke. "Finn, don’t!" she snapped, pulling away from him and crossing her arms over her chest to stop him from reaching for her hand again. "You need to calm down. I have this under control."
The beta— Finn— started to protest at once. "But Clarke, she—"
Lexa's hands bunched into fists, and she took another step forward, crowding even further into the intruder's space. Her eyes narrowed, fixing on him directly, and when she spoke, it was in a low growl that dared him to challenge her. "Think carefully before you speak, Skayon. Your leader has given you an order. If you will not heed her authority, I will make you submit to mine."
To her immense satisfaction, a visible tremor coursed through Finn's body. He took an instinctive step back and averted his gaze, staring at the ground instead. Clarke, however, was not pleased with her show of aggression. "That wasn't necessary," she said with a disapproving shake of her head. "I can handle my own people."
"He was disrespectful to both of us," Lexa said, trying to ignore the steady throb at the back of her skull. Without Finn standing between them, she was once again able to stare into Clarke's eyes, although the movement of the omega's chest every time she drew in a breath competed for her attention. It took her several moments to realize that Clarke was waiting for her to continue. "It is rude to interrupt someone else's conversation—especially since that conversation is the only chance your people have to save themselves."
"He was trying to protect me."
Clarke's jaw jutted out at a stubborn angle, and once more, Lexa found herself gazing at the smooth, curved hollow where her throat joined her shoulder. It would be just the right place to sink her teeth into... No. You cannot allow these thoughts to continue. They are are a sign of weakness, and you will not succumb.
"Besides, your guard did the same thing."
Lexa swallowed hard, fighting to keep her composure. Even Clarke's voice slid into her ears like silk, and she did not want her own to shake. "What my general does is none of your concern. She obeys my orders without question. Will your people do the same for you, Clarke? Will they listen to you when they arrive, or will they force me to finish the war you started?"
A shadow of fear crossed Clarke's face. “You don't understand. If you fire the first shot, those people coming down won’t bother negotiating, no matter what I tell them. Our technology? They will wipe you out.”
Though Clarke’s words could have been interpreted as a threat, her tone was all warning. A tinge of fear soured the sweet blanket of her scent, and Lexa stiffened. Despite her faith in her army and her warriors, she believed what this Sky girl said. Still, she could not afford to show weakness. She was Heda, and she could not allow threats to her people to go unchallenged. “They wouldn’t be the first to try. If you will not listen...”
"No, you listen," Clarke said, bridging the last step between them. Their faces hovered only an inch apart, and Lexa had to choke back a completely inappropriate groan when she noticed how close their lips were. The air around her was suddenly filled with Clarke, and she couldn't stop drawing it in with ragged, shallow breaths. "This war doesn't have to happen, Lexa. The two of us can end it, right here and now. Together."
Lexa remained frozen. Her heart hammered hard against the cage of her ribs, and the low throb between her legs had become a pounding ache, but her limbs wouldn't to cooperate and her mouth refused to move. Instead, she held perfectly still, trembling in place like a rabbit caught in a snare. Clarke's pull had captured her, and she was terrified that if she did regain her freedom, she would use it to pull the omega into her arms. She had never felt this powerless in the face of her instincts before, not since...
Costia's last heat. The way I lost myself in her. She inhaled again, and realization dawning. Some parts of Clarke's scent were impossibly alien, but it was becoming more and more familiar. She does not have long. Perhaps another day. And that means you don't have long either. Do what is right for your people and give her an answer before you lose your reason.
Lexa opened her mouth and drew in a breath to say something, anything, but that turned out to be a mistake. Clarke's scent had descended over her like a shroud, blanketing her every thought and sense. The hints of arousal it contained were far more than hints now, and every breath Lexa took seemed to draw them in deeper, stoking the flame of her own. She could feel the shaft of her clit starting to thicken and extend, and the sudden image of what it would look like sinking into the omega made her choke back a moan.
A low hum of voices had started up around them, their cadences swift and agitated, but Lexa couldn't make out a word. Clarke's eyes had darkened even further, and she leaned slightly closer to Lexa, nostrils flaring subtly as she took in the alpha's smell. Lexa felt like pheromones must be pouring off her in response to the omega's pull. She vaguely recognized that it might serve to agitate those around her, but she couldn't quite remember why that was a problem.
That changed, of course, when the voices of their companions rose into shouts. She pulled away breathlessly, just in time to see Anya reaching out to curtail Indra, who had taken a step towards the dark-haired omega. Lincoln was attempting to put himself between the general and his mate, but Octavia was making that difficult: she was trying to take a swing at Indra, fury plain on her face. Lexa blinked rapidly, trying to regain her bearings. When had everything gone to such skrish?
Clarke appeared similarly discombobulated, but soon recovered, snapping at Finn to help Lincoln contain Octavia. Lexa turned to Indra and growled, "Chil yu daun," infusing as much command into her voice as possible. After another high snarl, the general settled to Lexa's satisfaction. She turned to Clarke, preparing to suggest that they perhaps ask their companions to leave and let them continue their...negotiations.
A shout rang out from the treeline across the bridge, making her head whip over to the far shore. A dark-haired boy had emerged from the trees and was yelling, "There are Grounders in the trees! Clarke, run!" There was something long and dark in his hands, and although he was waving it about, Lexa recognized it instantly.
"Fayagon!" she yelled, grabbing for Anya's and Indra's sleeves and diving for the cover of a crumbled parapet. The world erupted into shouting and chaos, the thunder of bullets and the hiss of arrows filling her ears with their harsh percussion. She could hear the beta, Finn, urging Clarke to come with him; a powerful impulse to rise up and rip her out of his grasp boiled in her chest, but she was far enough removed from the omega's pull to realize what an insane idea that was. She could not, however, resist poking her head over the rubble to get a last glimpse of the Skaikru, even as Anya hissed at her to keep her head down. She was granted a brief, perfect vision of the curve of Clarke's ass in motion as she sprinted for the cover of the woods before Anya put a hand on her head and forced it down.
Snarling, she struggled with her former mentor, unwilling to let the omega out of her sight, but by the time she succeeded in raising her head once more, the Skaikru were gone. Their covering fire had stopped but they waited a few more minutes as her sentries scanned the trees, making certain that there were no others lying in wait. Finally, she heard Ryder's gruff voice from the trees above: "Heda, em klir." Sighing, she let herself fall back against the parapet and rested her head on the cool stone.
Indra rose with a muted growl and began striding back across the bridge, muttering curses under her breath at their mounts, who had spooked and were currently winding nervously through the trees. To Lexa's annoyance, Anya stayed where she was, observing her closely with no small amount of concern. At last she said quietly, " Heda ...what happened back there?"
All she could do was sigh and shake her head. "I truly have no idea."