The Rogue & The Alpha

Chapter 22 - Summer Solstice Day Three

Lucy's POV

Today is the final day of the Summer Solstice where the packs have friendly one-on-one battles. All the packs made a large circle around the edges of the clearing, making a small arena. As the host of the Solstice, Alpha Jura walked into the centre of the arena and opened the event.

"Today marks the last day of the Summer Solstice. So as part of our tradition, today we will have mock battles. Before we start the first battle, let me explain the rules. First rule, as soon as the battle commences, competitors cannot have any outside help. Second rule, the battle will end once one wolf yields. Lastly, the final and most important rule, no maiming or killing your opponents" he explained.

I heard Natsu say "damn" from beside me and turned to him. He was looking away with a glare. I tilted my head slightly at his strange behaviour. "Who would like to start the first battle?" Jura asked and Natsu immediately stepped forward with no hesitation. "I, Alpha Natsu of Fairy Tail, challenge Alpha Jiemma of Sabertooth" he announced formally. I gasped, "Natsu don't!" I whispered for only him to hear but he ignored me and glared at Jiemma.

"I, Alpha Jiemma, decline Alpha Natsu's challenge. I won't waste my time with a pup like you but I would like to nominate a wolf to take my place" Jiemma replied and looked over at the cocky blond wolf behind him. "I, Sting, accept Alpha Jiemma's nomination" Sting said while stepping forward. Jura turned to Natsu, "do you accept the changes?" he asked. Natsu took a deep breath and replied "yes. I, Alpha Natsu, accept Sting of Sabertooth as my challenger." I was relieved that he wasn't going to face Jiemma by himself but I was still worried over how the fight will go against Sting.

Both wolves walked closer to the centre of the arena on either side of Jura. Sting smirked as he flicked his glance over to me and gave me a wink which made me cringe in disgust. Natsu growled threateningly at him which made his smirk grow as he turned his attention back to him. Jura stepped back until he was standing with his pack again. "Let the battle begin!" he said and let out a howl to start the battle.

Without hesitation, both wolves charged and leapt at each other. They both clashed with teeth in a blur of pink and yellow. Natsu rolled Sting onto his back with a deep growl. He landed a bite on Sting's neck, who howled in pain, before being kicked off. Sting immediately rolled over onto his feet and tackled Natsu before he could get up. Natsu pushed his paws against Sting's chest while turning his head to the side to avoid getting bitten on his snout. With a big push, he shoved Sting off of him and rolled onto his feet. Both boys stepped back slightly and growled as they circled each other.

Everyone else watching the battle from the sidelines cheered for the wolf they wanted to win. Most of the wolves, including me, were cheering for Natsu while the rest, mainly Sabertooth, were cheering for Sting. While watching the battle, I was anxiously waiting for the battle to end. I trust Natsu to win but I couldn't help but worry about the outcome of this battle. Would Sabertooth ignore the no maiming rule or could this be the start of something more violent? Seeing Sabertooth's violence first hand has only heightened my concern over Natsu.

"Go Alpha!" Gray cheered and then noticed my worried expression. "You worried about Flame for Brains?" he asked me quietly. "Yeah, I can't help it" I replied while watching Natsu's fight. I noticed a smile creep onto his face from the corner of my eye. "Why are you smiling like that?" I asked as I turned my attention away from Natsu and onto him. "Nothing" he replied which just made me more curious. "Don't worry about Natsu. He's annoyingly strong in a fight" he said as he turned to look at the battle. "Especially when he's got something to fight for" he added suggestively, his smile turning into a smirk. I tilted my head to the side, confused about what he was referring to.

A howl of pain brought my attention back to the battle and I saw Sting on top of Natsu, biting down on the middle of his back. My heart ached, worried for Natsu's safety. "Try cheering for him" Gray whispered calmly, and I raised an eyebrow at him. Why wasn't he worried that Natsu's getting hurt right now? "It'll make him stronger" he added confidently. I didn't understand how it would make Natsu stronger but there was no harm in trying. "You can do it! I believe in you Natsu!" I cheered and Natsu tensed a bit. Immediately Natsu threw Sting off his back. In almost a blink of an eye, he managed to get on top of Sting's laying form and grasp his teeth around Sting's throat. With one hard bite, he could rip Sting's throat out.

"Yield" Natsu growled, his words slightly muffled. There was no way for Sting to escape without some severe damage to his throat, but he just growled back at Natsu defiantly. Not surprised Sabertooth doesn't have the word surrender in their vocabulary. Natsu tightened his grip slightly and repeated himself. "Yield" he repeated and then a moment later Sting sighed. "I yield" he replied, loud enough for everyone to hear and then Natsu stepped away from him.

Jura stepped forward and announced Natsu as the winner of this battle. As soon as I heard that, I felt relieved. Natsu smirked proudly before walking back over to us and sitting right beside me. Sting walked back over to his pack with his head low and looking disappointed in himself. I took a glance at Jiemma's reaction, his brows were creased which meant he was not happy a member of his pack lost. Even though Sting is a cocky jerk, I was worried about what would happen to him later.

"Did you watch me Lucy?" Natsu asked happily. "Yeah I did, you were amazing" I replied and he smiled proudly. "How's your back?" I asked, concerned about the bite Sting gave him. "It's a bit sore but Wendy will patch me up" he replied. As he said that Wendy walked over with some berries and leaves to heal him.

"Who will be our next challenger?" Jura asked and then a white wolf from Lamia Scale stepped forward. "I, Beta Lyon of Lamia Scale, challenge Beta Gray of Fairy Tail" he announced. "Not surprised" Gray muttered before stepping forward. "I, Beta Gray, accept Beta Lyon's challenge" he responded officially. Something tells me that those two have some sort of connection but I don't know what.