After stepping back inside, Clarke tried to turn her focus back to teaching the mitotic phase of an animal cell cycle, but she just couldn't. Even though Ten had tried to hide it, Clarke could pick up the hurt in Ten's voice. And it made Clarke feel guilty for causing it, but at the same time, Clarke didn't think she'd done anything wrong. It had been weeks since they'd spent any time together outside of the pack. Ten was always too busy with her apprenticeships or too tired from exercising her wolf. It left Clarke feeling ignored, and she wasn't used to the feeling. It made her angry and resentful towards the Alpha. Clarke no longer felt like a priority in Ten's life, and it hurt.

What Clarke didn't realize, and still didn't, was that her hurt was blinding her to Ten's own pain. All Clarke saw was that Ten was never there anymore. Not in the Pit. Not snuggled up to her. Not comforting her when her mother was driving her up the walls. Clarke didn't see that Ten was beyond tired. She didn't see that Ten barely spoke to anyone anymore. Clarke didn't see the regret and pain in Ten's eyes whenever she had to leave Clarke. Clarke saw none of that because she was too focused on her own feelings.

And then, Ten's surprise visit had made Clarke feel guilty. Guilty because she hadn't told her packmates that she was going to be tutoring someone. Which is something she always informed the pack. Clarke felt guilty because she witnessed how Ten's face went from the look of an excited puppy to completely shuttered. Guilty because Ten had tried to quickly excuse herself when she found out Clarke wasn't alone. Guilty because in a breath, Clarke had seen Ten shrink within herself in an instant.

And Clarke shouldn't feel guilty. It wasn't her fault that Ten had shown up unannounced. It wasn't her fault that Ten had reacted the way she had. It wasn't her fault that Ten no longer had time for Clarke. She wasn't at fault, so why was she feeling guilty?

"Hey, Ark to Princess," Finn's voice called her out of her thoughts with a shoulder nudge. "Everything okay?"

Clarke blinked a couple of times and cleared her throat, "Yeah, everything's fine, Finn. I, uh, think we should call it a day, though. You've got a handle on mitosis. We can go over cytokinesis another time."

Finn reached out and took one of Clarke's hands, and she fought the urge to flinch, "Hey, did that Alpha say or do something? Did she hurt you? You know it's illegal for an Alpha to harm someone unpresented."

Clarke looked at him sharply, "That Alpha is my girlfriend, Finn. And no, she didn't hurt me. She'd never do anything like that."

Finn snorted, "She's an Alpha, Clarke. All Alphas are assholes, and female Alphas are even worse. Come on; you can be honest with me. I'm your friend."

Clarke snatched her hand out of his and retorted, "Ten isn't like the other Alphas, Finn."

"Alright," Finn replied, trying to appease the blonde. "I believe you, but you can talk to me, Clarke."

Clarke shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "It's nothing, Finn. It's just a misunderstanding between us. I forgot to tell her that I was going to be tutoring this afternoon."

"What," Finn derisively snorted. "Do you tell her everything you're doing? How typical Alpha of her."

"I tell all of my friends, Finn," Clarke crossly replied. "Not just Ten. We all tell each other where we're going to be."

"Whatever," Finn waved her explanation off. "That doesn't explain why you got lost in your head as soon as she left."

Clarke sighed, "I don't want to talk about it, Finn. In fact, I'd prefer to be left alone now."

"I don't feel comfortable leaving you by yourself, Clarke," Finn decided to change tactics. "Ten didn't seem to like that you blew her off. What if she comes back?"

"Then she comes back, and we talk it out," Clarke explained, shutting the Biology books and gathering the transparent sheets they'd written on. "As I said, Ten's not going to hurt me. I trust her with my life. Now, I'd really like to be alone."

Realizing that Clarke wasn't going to relent, Finn nodded, "Alright. I hope you're right that I understand this stuff. It just seems to go in one ear and out the other."

"Biology isn't for everyone," Clarke replied, standing up and holding Finn's bag out to him. "I already know I'm going to be a doctor like my mother, so Bio is rather important."

Finn shook his head in puzzlement and stood up, "I don't know how you know that. We're the same age, and even I don't know what I want to do."

Clarke gave him a wan smile, "I've always been interested in medicine."

She walked him to the door and held it open for Finn, "Have a good night, Finn."

"You too, Princess," he said and quickly darted forward to plant a kiss on Clarke's cheek.

He was out the door and down the hall before Clarke had a chance to react. She stood there with the door open for a solid minute, stunned at his audacity before she collected herself enough to shut the door. Clarke wiped the sensation of his lips off her cheek, irritated that he did that, and mad that it wasn't Ten's lips that had touched her.

Growling slightly in frustration, she went and got her sketchbook. Hoping that she could find the answers to her feelings in the lines of a drawing.

A few hours later, the door opened, and Jake walked in. He looked at Clarke, surprised to see her home. Callie had told him that Ten had begged for the afternoon off. Knowing how much Ten loved his daughter, Jake knew that she would have planned something with Clarke.

"Where's Ten," Jake innocently asked.

Clarke jumped at the sound of his voice. She'd been lost in drawing that she hadn't heard him come in.

"Float me, dad," Clarke said, clutching her chest. "Don't scare me like that."

Jake chuckled and stepped over to kiss her on the head. His nose wrinkled in displeasure, scenting an unknown person hovering around the scent of his daughter. A look of surprise crossed his face, but Clarke wasn't looking at him and missed it.

"Was someone here, Clarke," he asked instead.

Clarke looked up at him in surprise, "Yeah. How'd you know?"

Jake winked and pointed to his nose, "I can smell it. I'm sure that it's not prominent to you, but Alphas and Omegas have a keen sense of smell. Though it's muted with the suppressants. But you should know that."

Clarke took an experimental sniff of the air and could only detect a slight scent that wasn't too pleasing. Nothing like her parents or Ten's scents.

"I guess, I just never noticed," Clarke replied. "I was tutoring Finn this afternoon. He needed help with Biology."

"Oh, is that why Ten's not here," Jake asked, coming to sit on one of the armchairs.

"Uh, yeah," Clarke replied, looking at her dad in confusion. "But how'd you know she was here?"

"I ran into Callie, and she told me that Ten's been so tired lately, she finally relented and gave her the afternoon off," Jake explained. "Though, Callie's hoping Ten will take some time to get some proper sleep. That poor girl has been running herself ragged, trying to keep up with everything. But I don't have to tell you that, do I, kiddo?"

Clarke frowned and looked down at her sketchpad, "Um, no. Not really."

Seeing his daughter's avoidance, Jake leaned forward, "Clarke, you do understand that Ten's been under a great deal of stress lately, don't you?"

Clarke swallowed, suddenly feeling like a little girl getting scolded, "I, uh…"

Jake moved to the couch and turned Clarke to face him, even going as far as to remove the sketchbook from her hands, "Clarke, look at me." She did, and he continued, "Do you know much about apprenticeships?"

"I know it takes about three years to finish it," Clarke replied.

Jake nodded, "That's right. Did you know that before the bombs, programs like engineering and medicine took an average of six to ten years to complete?"

Clarke looked at him in surprise, "No."

He nodded again and gave her a wry grin, "No joke. And now, we do it in three years. Do you know how?"

Clarke slowly shook her head, and Jake answered, "It's because the programs are super intense. Each apprentice spends between six to eight hours learning. Every day. Did your friends tell you how they make up for missing half the day?"

Clarke shook her head, dreading the answer.

"Independent study," Jake supplied. "So, not only do they go to school in the morning. They spend six to eight hours on their apprenticeships and then go home to study for several more hours. Though, of course, that's only because they still have to finish Year Ten. Next year, they won't have independent study. Things will get easier for them. But, see that's what it's like for Raven and Bellamy. Tennyson has more work than those two."

"Because she's doing two apprenticeships," Clarke whispered, slowly beginning to understand.

Jake nodded, "Because of ArcSec, Ten is scheduled patrols just like Marcus and Bellamy. Even though she is Marcus' pup, he can't just give her a command position. Ten has to earn it, just like he did. So, between learning Callie's job and Marcus' job, she also has to walk a patrol route. That gives her even less time in the day to get what she needs to get done. And yet, she still goes and trains with you guys, doesn't she?"

Clarke nodded, feeling sick as understanding began to creep in, "Yeah. She tries, but sometimes we don't see her for a few days."

Jake nodded, "That's why." He sighed and clapped his hands on his knees, "Callie's told me that she's come to check on Tennyson only to find her asleep at her desk. Books open, and her face pressed against a tablet. She's woken her up to put her to bed, but Ten just goes right back to studying. Sometimes staying up until two, three o'clock in the morning."

"Ten's never said anything to me," Clarke whispered.

"She probably wouldn't, kiddo," Jake said. "Alpha pride and whatnot."

Clarke couldn't stop the snort that escaped, "Ten's not your typical Alpha."

Jake grinned, "No. No, she's not. But she is stubborn."

"Yeah, no kidding," Clarke said and then sighed. "I think I messed up, Dad."

Jake looked at her in confusion, "Messed up, how?"

"With Ten," she replied, fidgeting with her hands. "When she came over I, I got mad at her."

"Why would you do that, sweetheart," he asked, leaning his head slightly to the side.

"I guess she wanted to surprise me so, she didn't tell me she was coming over," Clarke explained, feeling ashamed. "She thought I'd be alone, but I wasn't. I had Finn over. It was a last minute thing. He asked if I could help him with Biology, and I agreed. No big deal, right? But I hadn't told anyone. Something I never do. But I could tell she got upset and was hurt. And, and she left. But that made me mad because I'd been feeling ignored and hurt. But I didn't know. I didn't know what she's been going through, Dad. I, I was just so focused on my own feelings that I, that I forgot that it isn't just about me."

"What did you do, Clarke," Jake asked, concern growing for his friend's daughter.

"I got mad at Ten because I felt guilty," Clarke replied in a small voice. "And I didn't think I should have felt guilty. I told her that she didn't have a right to feel hurt because she was the one at fault. I blamed her for presenting and not having time for me anymore."

"Clarke," Jake admonished her. "You can't blame someone for their biology. Ten had no control over when she was going to present. Just like you had no control when you hit puberty. I mean, genetics play a big deal, and based on family history, you can guess, but it's no guarantee."

"I know," Clarke quietly replied.

"And let's face it, you and your friends don't play by the same rules as everyone else," he continued. "Not with skipping grades or needing training to rein in your extra energy. And it seems that presentation is another one."

Clarke numbly nodded.

"And the law is quite clear, Clarke," Jake said. "With no exception, once a person presents, they begin the apprenticeship program the aptitude test points to. Unfortunately, for Ten, there was no clear choice. So, she's trying to figure out which one best suits her. And because of how education is run, she has no choice but to finish Year Ten. None of it has been under her control, Clarke. She is doing the best she can under the circumstances."

Clarke sighed and ran her hand through her blonde locks, "I see that now, Dad. I don't know if I can fix it, though. There was such finality in her goodbye. God, and knowing her, she probably blames herself."

"Clarke, listen to me before you go off the deep end and say this is the end of your relationship," Jake said, catching Clarke's chin so that she could only look into his eyes. "Talk with her. From the sounds of it, you guys haven't had a real conversation between the two of you since this all started. She hasn't told you about the stress she's been under, and you haven't told her how her absence has made you feel. Once you air everything out, you may have to make some changes. Even if it means that you guys need a break from one another to recover. But I don't think that will happen. But you have to be honest with each other and actively listen. Otherwise, it's just going to build up again, and at that point, you may not be able to get back from it."

"I hear you, Dad," Clarke nodded once Jake let go of her chin. "Should I try and talk to her now?"

"Give it tonight, Clarke," Jake told her with a small smile. "I think both of you are probably high on emotions. Give yourself a chance to cool down so that you don't accidentally say something you'll regret later."

Clarke sighed and dropped against the back of the couch, "I just don't want her to think I don't care, Dad. I love her, and I think that's why this has hurt so much."

Jake grinned, "I think deep down she knows, Clarke. Ten is quite intuitive when it comes to you. And it's obvious how much she loves you. You guys will work it out and figure out where to go from here. Just do me a favor, Clarke."

She looked up at him, expectantly, "Yeah, Dad?"

"Don't bring that boy here again," he replied, wrinkling his nose. "His scent is rather unpleasant."

"I can barely make it out," Clarke said.

"Well, I can, and so will your mother," he said, getting up after kissing her on the head. "You do know what they say about unpleasant scents, right?"

"People's or in general," Clarke asked.

"This applies to both," Jake told her. "If it doesn't smell good, stay away from it. It usually means bad things for you."

She sniffed the air again and could still detect a slightly off scent, which must be what Jake was talking about, "Yeah, okay. I'll remember that."

"Good. Now, I'm going to start dinner. Your mom should be home in an hour," Jake said, striding to the kitchen.

"Okay," Clarke replied, picking up her sketchbook and turning to a new page. Her mind going over her talk with her dad.

As she drew, Clarke realized that because of her own ignorance, she had created a situation that potentially jeopardized her relationship with Ten. Not only as girlfriends but as Pack Leader and Second. Of course, it worked both ways. Ten not talking about how stressed she was led to her own emotional state building up to a boiling point. They had both reacted irrationally and were unwilling to listen. Hopefully, the next time they had a chance to talk, they'd both be ready.