Lexa

There was a knock on the door and when I looked up to see who it was, I was surprised to see Jackson at it.

"Jackson," I said, surprised. "Is everything alright with your clinic?"

Smiling, he replied, "Everything's fine, Lexa. I just wanted to stop by and talk with you about something."

"Alright," I said, curiously. "What did you want to talk about?"

"A couple of weeks ago I was called to the hospital to meet up with a young lady who had injured the tendons and ligaments in her shoulder. When I got there, I found out that it was a werewolf. She was completely unfamiliar to me and wasn't a member of our pack."

"Why are you telling me this," I asked as my thoughts raced towards a possible conclusion.

"I've set up an appointment for her to come here so that I can see how her shoulder is healing and start her on a physical therapy treatment."

I leaned forward a little, making him lean back, and asked, "You did say shoulder, right?"

He nodded, "I did, why?"

"Blonde woman, Mohawk, blue eyes?"

His eyes widened in surprise, "Yes. How did you know?"

"She owns the Anderson property just on the other side of our territory. Clarke."

"Yeah, that's her. She's leery of coming here. I believe she's worried that she may not be welcomed, so I told her that I would speak with you to find out."

I leaned back and said, "She's more than welcome, Jackson. Honestly, I've felt guilty over not having better control over Titus. I was furious to find out that he attacked her," I shook my head to clear it of my admission , "Anyway, I have no problem with it. You can let her know that it's perfectly safe and no one will bother her."

"Thanks, Lexa," he replied. "This'll make my job a lot easier."

"Sure, no problem," I said, smiling.

"Alright, I'll get out of your hair now," he said, chuckling. "I'll let her know."

"By chance, when is her appointment?"

He gave me a look that I chose not to interpret and said, "Next Thursday."

I nodded and he left. I leaned back further in my chair and stared at my computer screen, thinking that this may end up being a good chance to start creating trust between her and I.

The day of her appointment arrived and I found myself across the street from the clinic, watching it from within one of the shops. I wasn't exactly sure why I was doing this, but somehow I'd talk myself into it. I sighed as I leaned against the wall next to the window display, waiting. I'd already spent the morning in another shop watching and I was now berating myself for still watching.

I was behaving ridiculously. Like some schoolgirl with a crush, hoping to catch a glimpse of said crush, but I didn't have a crush on Clarke. Sure, I was attracted to her. She was breathtakingly beautiful. And I guess, I needed to admit to myself that I was curious about her. She was a total enigma. A puzzle. I still couldn't place where I'd seen her before and that troubled me. All I knew about her is that some trauma left her injured, she was an Alpha werewolf, and that she and her friends wanted to be left alone. That was it.

I sighed and glanced down at my watch. It was nearly three and she hadn't showed up yet. I mentally kicked myself for not asking what time her appointment was, but I wasn't sure if Jackson would have given it to me. Inquiries like that led to questions. I didn't want to answer questions. When I looked back up at the clinic, I saw a blue Bronco pull up and park in front of the clinic. I didn't recognize the truck, so I leaned forward a little to get a better look at the driver. There was a flash of blonde hair as the person got out of the truck before they disappeared from view. I saw the door open and close and growled slightly in frustration, but at the same time I was sure that it was Clarke. She'd finally arrived and I felt my pulse begin to quicken.

I spent the time waiting for her emerge going through my emails and responding to the ones that needed my immediate attention. When I was done, I went back to staring out the window, still waiting. A while later, I saw the door open and I stood up straighter, my eyes glued. Suddenly, she appeared from behind the truck, stopping to look around. As she gazed around, her head sharply turned in my direction and I could barely make out that she was narrowing her eyes. She started to walk across the street and in a panic, I headed to the back of the store and started perusing the clothing racks. I heard the bell over the door jingle and I dared to glance up. She looked around and before she could see me looking, I ducked my head.

I tried to calm my rapidly beating heart and hoped that she hadn't seen me. I continued to pretend to shop, even going to another rack, when I felt someone come up behind me. I ignored the feeling and continued to look.

I heard an angry sigh, making me stiffen, "I'm not surprised that it was you watching me."

I stopped what I was doing and I slowly turned around. When I faced her, I forgot to breathe. She was even more beautiful up close. I couldn't help but let my eyes roam the length of her before I settled on her face. I noticed that her eyes widened in an emotion that I couldn't decipher before they returned to a glare.

"Um, hi," I said rather weakly and then winced at how I sounded.

She didn't say anything and instead just stared at me angrily.

So, I tried again, I held out my hand and said, "I'm Lexa."

She looked down at my hand and then back up to my face, gruffly she replied, "I know who you are."

My eyes widened in surprise and I stuttered, "Y-you do?"

She nodded curtly, "Dr. Jackson told me your name. Why were you watching me?"

Suddenly flustered and feeling a blush begin creeping up my neck, I said thing I could think of, "Curiosity?"

"Hmph," she said. "I hope you got your fill because the next time I feel you watching me, you and I are going to have problems."

With that, she turned around abruptly and started walking out. It took me a moment to realize that she was walking away and then I went after her.

"Wait," I called out. "Clarke, just wait a moment, please."

She stopped abruptly and spun around. I could hear a growl coming from her and I had to swallow my own growl in response.

"How do you know my name," she growled, taking a threatening step towards me.

I stopped about two feet from her and replied, "The first night you arrived on the property, the guy watching the house, Lincoln, followed you into town. He overheard you and your friend talking. You called each other by name."

"What do you want, Lexa?"

"I, I wanted to apologize to you," I told her. "Watching the property, following you into town. I shouldn't have ordered that. There were better ways to handle it."

"You're damn right there were. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get home."

She turned to leave, but I reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked at me hard and I could feel rage emanating from her. I immediately let go.

"What," she hissed at me.

"Look, you have every right to hate me. All I'm asking is that you give me a chance to explain."

"Your lackeys explained it perfectly."

"That may very well be, but I'd like you to hear it from me," I said, sighing and thinking rapidly. I felt my stomach begin to rumble and a thought occurred, "Listen, give me one meal. One meal to let me explain and I'll leave you alone completely. You won't have to see me, speak to me, hear from me ever again. Just one meal."

She regarded me for a long moment. Long enough for me to feel oddly uncomfortable and self-conscious. I didn't dare look down, even though I was tempted to because her eyes gave off such intensity that it was hard to stare at them for long. It also would've been an admittance that I considered her a stronger Alpha and I didn't want to give her any ideas. I watched her as she growled again and ran her hand through her hair.

She took a deep breath and let it out roughly through her nose as she closed her eyes momentarily. When she opened them again, I could see that some of her rage had been quelled. It was still there, underneath her skin, but she was holding it in check.

"One meal," she finally replied. "One meal and then we're done."

"Deal," I said quickly before she could change her mind. "There's a place just down the street a bit."

She stepped aside and said, "Lead the way."

I walked past her and I was immediately aware of her scent. The forest in autumn, apple cinnamon, and a campfire. I inhaled deeply and then it was gone and we were out the door. I chanced a glance behind me to see if she was following me and saw that her eyes had briefly traveled to look at my ass as a ghost of a smile crossed her lips. I turned around and felt a flutter deep in my stomach. She had just checked me out and she liked what she saw. I felt my own ghost of a smile, but I couldn't lose focus. I wanted to gain her trust and this was the first step towards gaining it.

We arrived at the diner and I automatically held the door for her. She paused and then proceeded me inside, once again allowing her scent to pass me by. I inhaled a little deeper and then I was inside. I eased past her, our shoulders brushing slightly and felt a jolt race down my arm and glanced at her quickly to see if she had felt it too, but she gave no indication that she had. Her face revealed nothing more than intense annoyance, like this was an inconvenience. I sighed unhappily as I led her to my booth. She sat down begrudgingly and pulled a menu to her. I sat and grabbed a menu as well. I occasionally stole glances at her as she looked at the menu. I already knew what I was getting, but I wanted to give her the idea that I wasn't waiting for her to decide. Finally, she set the menu down and I followed suit.

Almost immediately, Kara walked over and asked, friendly as ever, "Hey Lex, would you like your usual today or did you want something new?"

"I'll just have my usual, thanks," I replied and looked across the table, "Clarke?"

"I'll just have a burger, everything except pickles on it, fries, and water. Thank you," she said, looking up at Kara and smiling.

The smile briefly transformed her face and I was struck by how much I wanted her to smile at me like that. I saw Kara blush slightly and nodded.

"I'll get that order right in and I'll be back with y'all's drinks."

As soon as Kara's back was turned, Clarke's smile immediately faded as she turned to face me. She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead she shook her head and pulled out her phone. I watched as she typed quickly and then pocketed it.

She then leaned back and crossed her arms, said, "Well?"

I was taken aback by her abruptness and had to clear my throat a few times before I could speak, "I'll start at the beginning, I guess. Um, my family was part of the founders of Eden. The first families were a mixture of werewolves and humans. I won't bore you with the town history, but during my great, great grandfather's time, something happened to cause a rift between them. The pack was forced to leave, losing all of their land and most of their belongings. We settled on the other side of the mountain and founded Polis. When I became pack Alpha four years ago, I started searching and retrieving my family's legacies. Diaries, artifacts, and pretty much anything that had been important to my family. There are only a few things left for me to find and acquire. The biggest one and probably the most important one, is the crate your construction crews found on your property. It was carried over from Estonia. I don't know what it is, I just know that it's important to my family history."

I paused to take a drink and I looked at her over the rim of my glass. She had her head tilted to the side, studying me.

I continued, "Anyway, I was pissed that you bought the property right from under me and got more so when the construction crew had found the crate before my people could. On top of the fact, that we didn't know who had bought the property, since it was a closed sale. That anger I felt, led me to have people watch the property and once you arrived, follow you. When I found out you were werewolves, it became a need to find out who you were and why you were suddenly just on the other side of my territory. I didn't anticipate that Titus, our sheriff, would see you as a danger to the pack. He cited a loss of wildlife as his reason for distrust. Then when he found out you were an Alpha, I guess he went off the deep end which led to him attacking you. I know it's hard to believe me after being followed by my people, but I didn't order Titus to follow you, confront you, or attack you. I vehemently told him to leave you alone. He disobeyed me twice, so I killed him."

I watched her to gauge her reaction, but all she did was nod.

"You're not surprised that I killed him," I asked, perplexed by her attitude.

She shrugged, "I've witnessed a lot worse. He didn't follow orders, it was your responsibility to deal with him. You dealt with him in a manner that dissuades others from disobeying you again."

I was actually shocked that this didn't bother her and that she took such a blasé attitude, "Forgive me, but you don't seem to be the type that would be okay with killing someone as punishment."

She leaned on the table, locking my gaze with hers, "You don't know me, Lexa. So, how can you be so sure that I'm not okay with killing pack members to keep order?"

I sighed, "You're right, I don't know you, but I can make some guesses about you based on what my people have told me. Since you've gotten here, you've made every attempt to stay under the radar. You didn't confront my people in the diner when you caught them following you. You only attacked Titus after he attacked you, but didn't kill him. You haven't even made a move against me for the wrong I did you. So, no, I don't think you're okay with it."

She sighed and rubbed her face and ran her hand through her hair, "You're right. I'm not okay with it. But, I also understand that sometimes that is the only recourse available. So, Lexa, what is it you really want from me?"

I thought about what it was that I wanted and had to stop myself from saying that I wanted her, so instead, I said, "Answers to some questions I still have."

She narrowed her eyes at me and I could hear a low growl coming from her, but I didn't waver my gaze. There were things I wanted to know and was startled when she nodded.

I took a deep breath and asked the question that I figured would be the easiest, "When you spoke with Anya and Lincoln that night, your friends seemed surprised to know that I was a woman, but you weren't. Why?"

"The pack we came from doesn't allow female Alphas to become pack Alphas. I know that there are female pack Alphas because my father told me about them," she replied, icily.

I nodded. It made some sense, but most of the packs that I knew about had changed with the times and allowed women to openly challenge for pack Alpha. If her pack didn't allow that then it made sense that she would have left.

"Is that why you're here? Because you weren't allowed to challenge the pack Alpha?"

Her body went rigid and I saw a myriad of emotions cross her face before she finally answered, "Yes."

I could tell that there was more to it than that, but I was afraid that maybe I would push her too much, too soon to ask for more detail. I looked down at my plate with it's half eaten fries, trying to decide what else I wanted to ask her. I looked back up at her and she was rolling her shoulder a bit and that gave me my next question.

"Can you tell me what happened to you," I asked, quietly.

I could tell that she wanted to say no, but something made her change her mind and she answered, "My boyfriend and I were attacked. He was killed and you see what happened to me."

I was surprised to find out that she had a boyfriend and thought that maybe I had misread her earlier.

"I'm sorry about your boyfriend."

She gave a short laugh and replied, "Don't be. He was an asshole. The world's a better place without him."

"Then why were you with him," I asked automatically.

That was apparently the wrong question and I could see her shutting down, but she said, "I had my reasons. I'm done answering your questions. I'm leaving."

She got up to leave, but I stalled her, "Wait. What'll it take to get the crate?"

"Leave us alone, like I've said time and time again. If you'll do that, you'll get it after the new year."

I nodded, "Thank you. We'll leave you alone. I'll leave you alone."

"See that you do," she said and left.

I stared after her for a while until Kara came over.

"That is one angry woman, Lex," she said as she started clearing the table. "I think it'd be best if you stayed away from her."

I looked up at her sharply and she dropped her eyes.

"Sorry, Lex. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but a woman like that, has been hurt one too many times."

I sighed and leaned back in the booth, "It's fine, Kara. Can you just cash me out?"

"Sure," she said and left with the plates.

She came back and I paid her. As I headed back to my office, I glanced over at the clinic and was surprised that her truck was still there. She was sitting in the driver's seat, leaning back. I watched as she straightened up and wiped her face off. She had been crying. That tugged at me and I wanted to go over there and ask her what was wrong, but I knew that would be the wrong thing to do, so I continued on my way. I heard the truck start up and drive away.

Suddenly exhausted, I changed direction and headed home instead. Being around her had been intense and I felt drained from it. When I got home, I went straight to my computer and wrote to Griffin. Seeing the words that I'd typed, made me feel lighter. Like I could breathe a little bit better. I sent it and thought about my encounter with Clarke. She was just so angry, but there was also signs of pain besides the physical. Kara had been right in her assessment, Clarke was a woman that had been hurt one too many times. I sighed and feeling restless, I took off my clothes and headed into the forest.