The Tribute (Clexa)

Chapter 6

"I will be your family now...if you want me to be."

Lexa's words had Clarke's sobs redoubling. She had no family now. Yet this alpha was offering to be her family even though she was a stranger.

The alpha didn't even know her, but she was offering Clarke something she had thought lost to her forever.

Clarke wanted to answer her. She wanted to say yes, but she still didn't trust the alpha, and she still feared her. She suspected the alpha had her motives for wanting to gain her trust, but just then, while the alpha was holding her and trying to make her feel better, the omega felt like the alpha's offer might be genuine.

She whimpered. She didn't know what to do.

"Shh, strikon (little one). It's too much right now. I shouldn't have said that. You don't have to say anything but know that the offer will always be there." Lexa squeezed her tight for another second then let her go. "I'm sorry I spoiled the night sky for you. I didn't mean to make you sad."

"You couldn't have known." Clarke sniffled and gave the alpha a weak smile when she was offered a napkin to wipe her nose. "Thank you."

"I don't know if I spoiled your appetite, but I think you should try and eat something," the alpha said as she started to light candles.

Clarke was no longer hungry, but she knew she needed to eat something. She shifted in her chair and groaned. Her back was starting to hurt again. It wasn't like it had been, not the electric pain that shot down her leg, but there was a persistent ache deep in her lower back.

It seemed Lexa was prepared for that. She handed her a warm mug of tea. "It will help with the pain but won't make you sleepy," she told Clarke.

Clarke sipped at the stuff. It was bitter and she grimaced.

Lexa took the cup back and added an amber colored syrup to it. After stirring it, she handed it back. "Try it now. It will be better."

It was. "It's sweet," Clarke commented. Surprised. Anything sweet on the Ark was exceedingly rare, and being an omega meant she'd only ever had something sweet maybe twice in her life.

"You like it?" Lexa asked. "It's honey."

Clarke took another sip of the tea. "Honey," she parroted. She'd heard once that it was bees that made honey. Finn Collins had told her that, but she hadn't believed him. She asked Lexa.

"It's true. Bees do make honey. Our farmers have learned how to create wooden hives to raise the bees and harvest the honey." She put some of the liquid gold on a spoon and gave it to Clarke. "Try it this way."

Clarke hesitated but then put the spoon in her mouth. "Oh...oh my." She sucked on the spoon until there was no honey left on it. "That's the best thing I have ever tasted."

"Then I will make sure you can have it any time you want." She gave Clarke another spoonful. "However, as wonderful as the honey is, you can't live on it alone. You need to eat something else." Lexa held out her hand for the spoon, and Clarke obediently gave it back.

Lexa chuckled. "Don't look so sad. I didn't say you couldn't have more. I said you need to eat something else too."

The alpha started to fill a plate. She pushed it over to Clarke. She then slid over the jar of honey and put Clarke's spoon in it. "You can eat the entire jar if you want, but only after you eat every single thing on your plate. Here." Lexa moved the plate closer to omega and made her take a fork.

Clarke's eyes widened, and once again, just like it had when she realized the star Lexa showed her was her home, her face morphed from pleasure into something else. It wasn't sadness that Lexa saw this time though. The omega's look held fear, a trace of suspicion, and no small amount of anger.