Grey's Tribute

Bend A Knee

The knock at the door startles both of us.

"What?" he bellows out.

Thomas is there, opening up the door, peering in. "It's time, my brother."

His head isn't in the right place, he's not even thinking about this challenge, just me. All he can think about is me.

"Come," he says. It's more begging than demanding.

Nodding my head with an agreement, turning around to go into the bedroom to change my torn sweater.

Walking slightly behind the brothers, the clearing comes into view, the five challengers in the middle, standing puffed out, full of juvenile pride. The full Moon's glow casts its light on all present.

They're so young, so naive. Their parents look on in disbelief and grief, while the Warriors of the pack look stoic. They understand that to challenge an Alpha means death.

"I'll be here, brother." Thomas's hand rests on his brother's shoulder, lending support.

I can't bring myself to give him any.

"Alpha," I call to him. He turns his eyes to me. "They don't know what they're doing. It's just their juvenile hormones out of control. And the full moon pulling on them. Surely you must know the effects of that." He looks on in understanding.

"Leave them breathing." Saying it while slinking away on the edge of the clearing, observing.

Sharp eyes are on my back. Turning, I see Sophie leaning against a tree, arms folded, bitterness raging from her body. She looks thinner. Her eyes look so sad underneath the hostility.

That's the look I've been expecting to see from the females, the look of malice and hate, but I wasn't prepared for such sadness.

"Sophie," Thomas yells at her, but she ignores it.

He comes to stand in front of her, his hands smoothing over her shoulders, whispering harshly in her ear. He turns an apologetic smile my way. "Behave!" There is no room for argument in his tone as he grips her chin in a vise-like grip. All she does is nod slightly. Thomas makes his way back to the fight.

Sensing her hackles raise as she looks at me. "Say it, Sophie," I say, my face still turned towards the fight, my body ready to spring into action if needed.

"Why are you even here?" Hot venom. That's what her words feel like against my skin, caustic and burning.

"He asked me to come." I still look forward, unable to meet her sorrowful eyes.

I can tell some of the other females of the pack are slowly inching closer to us, unconcerned with the males' violence.

The Northerner's head turns towards me, and he shows a flash of teeth before he turns back to stalking the young males with careless ease. He's too quick for them, too formidable. His muscle coordination is too well honed. How could those pups even think they are a match for him?

Sophie takes this opportunity to position herself behind me, while the other females act as a wall between us and the males.

"You never even called to see how we were doing. Everything is always about you."

The truth in her words unsettles me. "I never knew until I came back. I almost died."

She huffs out a breath. "But you didn't." Her fingers twitch with the justice she feels is needed. Blood for blood. "You think you're better than every female here, that we had it different from you, better, that we weren't taken from our friends, our family, or made to submit at some point in our lives."

I'm slightly taken aback by her words.

"We." She points to her pack mates that keep creeping closer to me. "We've all had to accept our males at some point, but you, our Luna, refuse this, condemning us with your unnatural behavior."

"I'm sorry." That's all I could get out of my mouth. I was truly sorry my actions caused this to happen to them.

"You're making him look weak to other packs, therefore you make our males look weak to other packs." All female eyes are on us, jaws snapping in my direction in a silent threat.

"Our pack is strong, the strongest, but this--" She points to the fighting. "--is not right, not natural. Your fighting is causing descention in our pack. We, as females, will not stand for this." Each word is spoken deliberately to me.

"We want to have order again. We're tied to you, we need you to become the leader that we deserve. Alphas are born to lead, Lunas are made out of hardship, so stop acting like a princess and become our Queen."

Alphas are born, Lunas are made.

Her eyes follow the fighting of the males, and she lets out a defeated breath. "We need you just as much as you need us."

I watch as the Northerner leaves the most aggressive juvenile for last. All the others on the ground are still but breathing. The young male lunges a little quicker than expected, striking the alpha on the chest, his claws gashing an uneven line deep into his flesh. Blood runs down the side of his body, soaking his pants. My chest starts to burn with his injury. I clutch the spot in pain.

"I know what he's done was not right, but you push him too hard. Your stubbornness is too much. You need to make peace with him, for our pack's future."

"And if I don't?" I cross my arms protectively around my chest.

"We will not sacrifice any more of our pups for your temper tantrums. There will be consequences." She speaks her words with truth and honesty. It wasn't a threat, it was a promise.

"Trust us when we say that it's not as bad as you think. Just give in to your instincts. Everything else will follow and it will only make the two of you stronger together. We'll all be stronger."

I keep looking forward as a tear slowly trails down my cheek.

"We want to be with you, not against you." With that she turns me around and presses her cheek to mine, her tears mixing with mine.

The challenge ends quickly, the juveniles all left on the ground, pale but breathing.

The Northerner yells out, "Who's next?" He goes up to every male, looking for any signs of aggression. Thomas is the first to bend a knee, showing his throat. The rest of the males follow.

Soon the females take a knee, leaving me the only one standing. No one breaths...waiting.

A breath of a whisper is heard on the wind, only for my ears: consequences.

I take a knee and bend my neck to him in submission. The pack is all postured down on bended knee to their Alpha.