The Rogue & The Alpha

Chapter 16 - Worried

Natsu's POV

A loud yawn escaped my snout. It's the crack of dawn and the pack was saying goodbye to me and my team, who were about to embark on our trip to the Summer Solstice meeting place. I hate waking up this early.

"Oi, don't yawn in my face Pyro!" Gray growled. "Shut up Frosty, it's way too early for me to hear your annoying voice" I retorted. "I know a great way to wake you up" he growled as he stood in a fighting stance. I mimicked his stance and growled "bring it on." "That's enough!" the demon wolf, Erza, shouted with a dark aura around her. "AYE!" me and Gray replied in fear as our bodies stiffened.

"Make sure you come back in one piece, you two" Jellal joked with a chuckle. "Shut up!" Gray and I shouted at him. "Hey Lucy, can I speak with you for a moment before you leave?" Loke asked with concern. Lucy seemed to be distracted by a thought before because she whipped her head up when she heard him speak to her. "Hm? Oh ah yeah" she replied and the two of them walked away so they could talk in private. I was curious about what they were talking about.

"Jealous Flame Brain?" Gray's annoying voice popped up beside me. "No" I strongly denied, "I was just curious about what they're talking about. She seems distracted today" I replied while I watched Lucy talk to Loke in the distance. She was acting like her usual self since she got out of the Healer den a few days ago but today, like a switch, something seems wrong. "She might just be tired. Don't worry too much about it" Gray said and then walked over to talk to Juvia. Even though he says that, I'm sure it's something more than that.

I saw Loke give Lucy a comforting nuzzle before they both started walking back to the pack. I quickly looked away so she wouldn't notice I was staring at her but happened to see Gray smirking at me. 'Damn Popsicle' I inwardly growled as I glared at him. "Everyone ready to go?" Erza asked and everyone coming to the Solstice replied "aye." As Alpha I had to say some parting words to the pack. "Jellal, Loke, take care of the pack while we're gone" I said. "Yes Alpha" they replied. Everyone in the pack said bye as we started our trip to the Summer Solstice meeting place.

As we were trekking through the forest, I had a skip in my step. "What's got you all excited? I know you're looking forward to the friendly competition they have every Solstice but you're never this excited" Gray asked, suspiciously. "You're right I am excited for the competition but I'm extra excited because it's almost time for me to take down that damn Alpha of Sabertooth" I replied with an evil chuckle and grin. He hastily put some distance between us.

"Well I'm excited to see Shelia. I can't wait to tell her what I learnt from Lucy" Wendy said. "Oh, you mean the Beer Berry bush leaves?" Erza asked. "Yep those. I'm sure she'll be interested to know about the leave's properties" she replied. "I think we should keep it a secret. We could use it as an advantage against the other packs" Gray said. "You know we shouldn't do that" Erza replied.

I noticed as we were talking, Lucy was lagging behind the rest of us. She was looking down at the ground, in deep thought, and dragging her paws. Without the others noticing, I slowed my pace to walk beside her. "You ok Lucy?" I asked with concern, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Hm? Oh yeah I'm ok, why do you ask?" she replied. "You seem distracted. What are you thinking about?" I asked, hoping she would confide in me.

She looked down at the ground like she was contemplating whether or not to tell me. After about a minute, she sighed. "I've just been worried about seeing Sabertooth again after all these years. I don't know if I should be angry or scared" she confided. 'So that's why she was talking to Loke earlier' I thought. "Well you shouldn't be scared of them because I'll be there to protect you and if they try anything then I won't hesitate to take their horrible pack down" I said with a growl at the end. She smiled which I was happy to see. "Thanks Natsu" she said quietly but I heard her loud and clear.

"Flirt" I suddenly heard someone say in my ear and I jumped. "AH!" I exclaimed before accidentally crashing on top of Lucy. "Sorry Lucy" I apologise, looking down at her, while Gray was rolling on the floor laughing a little away from us. She looked to the side shyly which looked cute. "I-It's ok" she replied and then I climbed off of her.

I turned my attention to the culprit and glared at him. "What the heck was that for?!" I shouted. He stood back up and smirked. "You were too busy flirting to hear us say it's time to hunt some lunch" he said. I looked up at the sky and realised that it was lunch time since the sun was at its highest. "I wasn't flirting" I argued, "oh yeah?" he said and then he made his voice high. "Don't worry Lucy, I'll protect you from those mean Sabertooth wolves" he mocked. "I never said that and even if I did, I didn't sound like that!" I argued. "Yeah you did!" he said and then looked around us. "Wait a minute, where are the girls?" he asked.

I looked around and noticed the girls were gone. "Where did they go?" I asked as I began to sniff for their scents. How did we not notice them leave? It took me a moment, but I managed to pick up their scents. "I've got their scent" I said and then ran in towards the scents. Gray followed behind me as I followed the scents. Soon we spotted the girls in the distance surrounded by five male Rogues.

Lucy was glaring at one particular navy blue wolf who looked like the leader. Gray and I hid behind a bush and watched. "Nice to see you again Lucy. Who are your friends?" the navy blue wolf asked with a smirk. Lucy stepped forward, "they are none of your concern. What do you want Bora?" she asked firmly. 'Who is this Bora wolf?' I wondered. "Did you forget? I told you that the next time we meet you will be mine" he said with a disgusting grin as he looked her up and down. A growl threatened to escape my throat. "Wait for the right moment" Gray whispered, knowing how restless I was becoming. "Did you forget, I said I will never become yours?" Lucy replied with a snarl, mimicking his earlier tone. "We'll see about that" he said and was about to pounce on her, but I aggressively tackled him to the ground. "Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.