What?

Is this really happening right now?

Did Jayden actually ambush me right here? Inside the locker room? That he is not even supposed to enter? To propose to me? While I am wearing only a towel, I might add! Not how I would have imagined this question being popped... O.o

I know there are a few places he could do this privately, but I would rather he asked me to talk to him later in my dorm room. I am sure Seth wouldn't mind stepping out for a moment. We are very good roommates who get along great - for people who didn't know each other until two months ago.

I do admire the grand gesture and what he is doing right now to keep us together. I suspect that Skylar being in the picture must have triggered something in him to go rogue like this. He doesn't want to lose me forever, I can appreciate that sentiment.

I never wanted to lose him either. I actually thought we had a chance to be together. Much more than any chance I could ever have of being prospected by Skylar - which is an impossible task. There is a difference between being prospected by Jayden and a Stronghold. Because there is a massive set of expectations for both the twins, especially after how well their father did here - nabbing a well-connected Alpha from Tennessee, the beautiful Dahlia.

If Jayden is doing this here, then he must be sort of desperate to lock me down in response to Skylar's interest in me. I did not expect this reaction from him, but again I appreciate the grand gesture. All I ever wanted was to be prospected by Jayden.

But if he is doing this now, it means that he is going against his mother, the Alpha of his pack, who is still yet to give her permission, after the number Headmaster Lockwood did on her, when he went to Georgia to celebrate his birthday. I can only imagine the type of stuff he spoke about me if his daughter wouldn't even allow me to plead my case before her.

Now this gesture nearly one month later... what to make of this? It is everything that I ever wished for. I wanted him to fight for me, I always did. And this ring is stunning. If his father gave it to Jayden to propose to me, that means something.

I am on board with us having a fighting chance. I still love Jayden, never stopped.

I stared down at Jayden who is kneeling with a wedding ring in his hand, waiting for my response. He looked so determined to make this work, so in love with me. I just had to say...

Sometime later, I entered my dorm room where Seth was waiting for me to return, restlessly. He is the kind of roommate who doesn't sleep if I am not there by his side. Not that I am in any danger here at Ravenwood, strictly speaking.

"What took you so long? Did you have a special time in the shower thinking about your new suitor? Gross!" He asked me, looking disgusted at the thought behind posing this question. Of course, he meant his brother.

"Jayden just proposed to me." I replied, still shell-shocked by this. I could not hold myself back from telling Seth what happened. So, I did. Detail by detail.

"Oh, my Goddess! What about my brother?" He asked me, sounding concerned for Skylar. He is a twin first and a friend second. I get that. Seth's jaw dropped staring at me, waiting for an answer.

"He will have to understand my plight. The two of us were never real. Jayden is." I replied, sincerely. I cannot deny the truth staring everybody in the face, which is I will never be approved by Frederick Stronghold. Period. Full stop.

Seth was distraught by my response, but I can not sugarcoat it. I can not stop being honest now that the stakes are higher than they ever were. I can only go where my heart is and my heart belongs to Jayden. Sorry. Not sorry.

By the next morning, Seth woke up with a frown my way. I guess now he has a reason not to be on my side if his brother's heart is in the middle of it. I do not hold a grudge against him, his loyalty lies with his family. I understand that. I just hope we can move on from this somehow. I am sure Skylar did not fall in love with me over the course of one weekend.

Later at the cafeteria, the students are buzzing about something.

Do you know that feeling when you walk into a room and everybody is talking about you because they go quiet all of a sudden? It was precisely like that. The entire student body stared at me as I stepped foot into the cafeteria for breakfast. Seth was equally troubled by this.

But the reason why they were all staring at me would not remain a mystery for long.

"Did Jayden propose marriage to you last night?" Skylar approached me with an inquisitive expression on his face. At this, literally everyone's heads turn to me.

"What? How do you know this already? Did he tell you about it?" I asked him, baffled to be confronted so soon. Even Seth was shocked to hear this - and he already knew about it. Unless, of course, Jayden did it on purpose but that does not sound like him.

"NO, he didn't tell me about it! Why would that weasel tell me anything? Someone filmed the proposal and posted it online. Now it's going viral." Skylar revealed to me and I gasped in shock.

"WHAT?!" I screamed in horror. Skylar showed me the video on his phone. It was just a few frames of Jayden kneeling with the ring in his hand proposing to me. It does not have any audio, but it showed me wearing only a towel in front of the shower stall and he was knelt, expecting my answer.

Who brings a cell phone to the locker room anyway? *gasp*

The caption read: 'WHEN YOU JUST CANNOT WAIT ANOTHER SECOND TO PROPOSE'. Of course, it's going viral. A man proposing to another one inside a locker room? Come on! That's so unusual it is internet gold.

"Who the fuck filmed us inside the locker room? I am not even dressed!" I gasped in shock at seeing the viral video on his Instagram. What the hell!

"Did you accept the proposal?" Skylar looked deep into my eyes as he asked me that. There was a vulnerability there that I had yet to see. It would be endearing if not for the present circumstances.

"Can we talk about this some other time? When the entire school is not watching us?" I pleaded with him, feeling all eyes on us at this moment.

"It's a simple 'yes or no' question. I deserve to know what you told him last night." He insisted, staring me down. I could tell he wasn't about to let me go without an answer. I wish I could mind link him, but we are not from the same pack and even if we were, we are too far away from his original pack - it works according to a geographic location because it's tethered to the Alpha.

Skylar kept staring at me, waiting for an answer, as was everybody else. Without any other recourse, I pulled him aside into a corner of the cafeteria and whispered the truth to him. I could not deny him that.

Breakfast today was full of curious eyes wondering about my answer. Jayden was not present because - surprise, surprise - he was called away by his grandfather earlier. In fact, he would not show up until we were almost done having breakfast.

"Are you okay? Did he threaten to kill you for proposing to me?" I checked in with him as he was walking to the Alpha section later this morning.

"I am fine. I already expected he would throw a shit storm about this. I just thought I'd have more time. I didn't expect my proposal to go viral like this." He replied, sounding distraught. I could tell this was as daunting to him as it was for me.

"If I discover the person who taped us, I will claw their eyes out." I growled, rabidly.

"Mr. Kirchner - Ravenwood's Head of Security - already knows who it was. She will be dealt with right after breakfast." He informed me and I gasped in shock. As did the entire cafeteria full of students.

"She?" I was jaw-dropped at the revelation. What the fuck?

Jayden turned to the Beta section of the cafeteria and spoke loudly.

"Did you forget about the cameras in the corridor? They might not have cameras inside the locker room, but they know exactly who goes where. Shame on you for turning a private moment public. If I wanted an audience, I wouldn't have proposed at eleven o'clock at night." He shouted, though not looking at any particular individual from that section.

Everybody kept looking at each other in search of a culprit. I am surprised that they found out so fast, but the first thing they sell parents on in the brochure is their state-of-the-art security system. Jayden turned his attention back to me.

"I am so sorry that you were filmed and even more sorry that is going viral. But if it makes you feel any better, you are getting lots of comments about your excellent physical form." He winked at me, playfully.

"Yeah, I think we both know that you were the one who should be shirtless, not me. But thank you. I hope your mother forgives you for doing this." I told him, preoccupied with the blowback.

"I told my parents that I was not going to stand idle and lose the love of my life." He stated, confidently. I swooned at him.

"Thank you." I smiled at him and let him have his breakfast before we ran out of time until the first class of the day.

"That was a dick move, stealing my idea. If you think I am going to stand by and watch you deceive Jake like this, you don't know me at all!" Skylar threatened him, as soon as he sat down in the Alpha section with his tray of food.

Oh right. Last Friday, Skylar made a big speech about not wanting to be deterred by his parents and if they do not approve of me, he would marry me instead and write our own contract. I guess that must have inspired Jayden - even if Skylar would never have the balls to do that in the first place. He said it himself to me when we were inside the car towards Boulder.

"Who is deceiving anyone? I will marry Jake. Unlike you, I actually have the balls to go through with it. I don't think being Alpha is more important than him." Jayden boasted with a smug grin. I wish I could say I fault him, but there is nothing more romantic about a guy who's willing to give up anything to be with me. *swoons*

"I am the only heir they have, you ass! My mother will never have another child, if it's not me then who? Wait for my father's mistress to get pregnant?" Skylar growled at him, angrily. Oh boy... *widens eyes*

"It's fine, roomie. There is nothing wrong with listening to your parents. I have done that for all my life. But I refuse to lose the love of my life due to prejudice. If my grandfather didn't want me to choose Jake, then he shouldn't have permitted him to be enrolled here in the first place." Jayden blurted, rage in his eyes.

What? Did he just say that? I know that he is angry and is coming from a vulnerable place, but come on!

"He is not the love of your life, dude! Get over yourself! You didn't even know his last name before you proposed. Jake belongs with me!" Skylar rebuked him, rabidly.

The two of them bickered for another minute before we got an alert on our phones telling us to go to the Stronghold Auditorium for a mandatory emergency assembly. Fuck!

Headmaster Lockwood is about to let us have it! I am already shaking in fear of the retaliation that is coming my way after Jayden's proposal. Is he going to expel me from Ravenwood - like he is probably going to expel the girl who filmed us last night? What is he going to do to me?

https://youtu.be/fO4BmrVjqjM

A|N: BOOM!

It's about to go down!

The war for Jake rages on.

Oh, I am sorry. Did you want to know what he answered to the proposal?

Well, what is the fun of that?

I did not expect to love writing this novel as much as I actually do. It started so timidly, but it has taken off in a way I did not expect it to.

And now that my darling editor is also Team Skylar, I get double points for getting on her last nerve. #TeamJayden

Now I promise you not to keep you guessing for long. Next is "I Do".

Just joking!

Or am I? *evil laughter*

Love,

Léo.