The Tribute (Clexa)

Chapter 25

Lexa escorted Clarke back to her rooms after dinner and started a fire in the bedroom fireplace. The pair then sat in the living room and chatted quietly about dinner.

Clarke had once again eaten far more than she should have, but there was so much there for her to try, and she didn't want to miss out on a single thing. She'd also drank something that had her feeling mildly tipsy. It was only Indra's intervention that kept her from drinking too much of the stuff and getting drunk for the first time.

The beta had warned her that consuming too much of the beverage could lead to stomach upset and a headache, both of which could ruin her first outing into Polis in the morning.

Clarke didn't want that. She was excited to see the city, so she switched to drinking fruit juice for the rest of the evening.

After the meal, everyone started to mingle again, and it gave the omega the opportunity to speak with Lincoln. She hated that she hadn't taken the chance before then.

Up until their arrival in the tower, the man had taken his job as her guard extremely seriously. He had been vigilant, but quiet, while protecting her, but at dinner, he had been able to relax. In fact, he was actually the one to initiate the conversation with Clarke. He'd sat in the chair next to her after Lexa vacated it to speak with Titus and Heda Malachi, and he had instantly started a chat with her.

After only ten minutes of conversation, Clarke knew that while the man was a soft-spoken, gentle giant, he was also a fierce and loyal guard that would do whatever it took to protect his Heda or the Sky Omega.

It was while she was still feeling slightly tipsy that Clarke had been brave enough to ask the man questions. She had so many for him since he was the first omega she'd had the chance to sit down with and speak to.

She asked him all sorts of questions ranging from how he was treated as an omega, to how he had become a warrior, and everything in between.

Lincoln had answered all her questions honestly, and it quickly became clear to Clarke that, for him, being an omega was just like being an alpha or a beta. Designations, obviously a factor in how an individual lived on the ground, did not define a person. In all his years, being an omega hadn't really affected his life. He was just like anyone else.

It brought great solace to the younger omega as he spoke. Yes, everyone had been assuring Clarke from the beginning that being an omega wasn't the defining attribute of a person, but having Lincoln tell her somehow meant more. Hearing it from another omega went a long way toward getting her to believe it.

She spoke at length with the dark-skinned man, and she found herself enjoying his company. He told her jokes, little secrets about all the others, and asked her questions about herself that weren't intrusive. Clarke knew without a doubt that she wanted this man to be her friend.

What she also knew was that she was going to need to speak to Lexa about it.

More than once, she caught the alpha glaring at Lincoln as he spoke to her, and suddenly, Clarke understood Lexa's reaction to Anya's earlier words. Lexa was jealous and probably more than a little worried that Clarke might fall for someone who wasn't her.

It made her smile a little. She knew the alpha was crazy about her. She could admit that now. She realized that no matter what happened, Lexa would not make a move until she was ready. She also knew that Lexa would stand back if she were to fall in love with someone else.

Her throat tightened at the thought of Lexa taking a step back from her because while she had been in serious denial of her feelings, those feelings were there, and she knew without a doubt that she wanted Lexa to be hers.