SKYLAR

I cried the whole flight back to Colorado.

I am miserable. I begged and begged my dad to let me prospect Jake, but my tears and desperate pleas would not move him. He dismissed the idea completely.

It's Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday morning, I went back to my pack in Texas to try to convince my father to approve of Jake as my prospect. He flat out denied me and basically laughed at my face for even trying to get someone like him approved for me.

I haven't stopped crying since then.

My mom was incredibly supportive of me, she helped raise a valid point that Jake is not like other people. He is not after our money, but my dad refused to listen to any argument despite my various attempts.

He simply charged me to "do better" next time.

There is nobody better than Jake to me.

After I arrived at Ravenwood, I went straight to my dorm room to cry some more. Honestly, I did not want to face anybody, much less the disappointment of telling Jake that I failed in my mission.

Now the path is clear for Jayden and him to be together forever. I am sure by now that his mother has already approved of Jake. It's just a question of time until they become official.

Tears come to my eyes.

I cannot shake the pain of the certainty of losing the love of my life. It's eerie to say this about a boy I have only become close to recently, but I don't know how to explain it. Jake did not just grow on me. He grew exponentially like no one else has ever before.

*flashback*

Last night, I tried to appeal to my father one more time to change his mind about Jake.

"I beg you, Dad. I don't care if you want to name our children, I will do everything you want me to do. I can even take a semester abroad and watch over my brother if you want me to. Just please, allow me this one thing. I swear you won't be sorry." I begged him, now done with dinner. My mom was moved by my words, but her husband...

"I already am sorry. I am sorry to have sent you to an academy that costs the same as Harvard's tuition for you to be here, whining like a bitch about a charity case. Grow up, son. We all have to make tough choices in life!" He reprimanded me harshly.

Wow. Now I know why I called Jake that in the beginning. Oh, my Goddess! How could I be so patronizing? So condescending! It's no wonder Jake called me out the way he did. I was an asshole to him.

"Thank you for that lesson, father. Don't worry. I won't forget it, I promise." I am so disappointed in myself. How could I sound like him? Jake is a saint for even accepting my self-invitation to go to his home and welcome me into his family with open arms.

"I am sorry, Sky. If it were up to me, you could prospect whoever you liked. I am not sure why your father is so hellbent on you going the same route as he did. You should go after the boy you like. For what it's worth, I think Jake is an excellent kid. I agree with you. Not many underprivileged kids would refuse a check from your father. I believe when you say that he is not interested in you as a Stronghold. The boy I saw over the course of that weekend is not a sellout, despite what your father may believe. I am truly sorry." Mom consoled me like only a mother could and I smiled at her softly.

*end of flashback*

I am in such pain that it takes me a while to get myself together. It's not like I expected it to go any different than it did, the writing has been on the wall for our relationship this whole time. But I refuse to acknowledge that I cannot prospect Jake, the boy who I want in my heart.

I refuse to believe that he is beneath me because of his circumstances. I have nothing against marrying for interest if that's your thing or you need to, but I don't need to. I will never need to. My pack doesn't need investment or allies. We are a centuries-old dynasty. We have all the connections we could possibly need.

What I don't have is someone in my life that loves me for who I am. Of course, discounting my family. I never had that before, at least not for sure. I know I was expected to prospect someone of relevance here in Ravenwood. I understand why I came here, I am not naive.

But then there was Jake. And now my heart is broken into a million pieces that will never heal, no matter what my father says. This isn't a crush or an infatuation. I am not throwing a temper tantrum over a silly thing. I am talking about my future.

As children, we shape our future relationships by the way our parents behave. You learn how to be a man by watching your father. You learn what you need in a partner by watching your mother. During your formative years, they are the ones who mold your mind and set your future, the gold standard by which you'll compare all future relationships.

Yeah... About that, my father does not love my mother and vice versa. They partnered for interest and it remained clear that they had a contract in place, nothing else. He respects her role as a mother and Luna of the pack, but that is it.

Don't get me wrong, my mother is fantastic and my father was present, despite his many commitments. He was there for the family and to help raise Seth and me. But I never saw tenderness in his eyes when it came to my mom. I saw respect but not love.

Does that sound like a relationship I would want to emulate?

Am I asking for the Moon here? All I wanted was someone who would want me for me. I did not come here seeking this because I thought it was impossible for someone like me. I came as jaded as my father, but now I am sold on the power of true love.

I walked into the cafeteria with a somber expression on my face that told everybody exactly how my mission went. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was a fool's errand. But if that was the case, I am just a fool. And I would do it all over again tomorrow.

"Can I please have a hug?" I stopped by Jake's side on the food line and he saw in my face how devastated I was. At that moment, I didn't care who saw us or who judged me. I only cared about myself and my utter failure.

Jake did not hesitate to give me a tight hug. Seth was pitying me by his side - they are always together.

"I am so sorry!" I wept on his shoulder, wrecked to be forced to relinquish my chance with him.

"It's okay. You tried. I have nothing but respect for you." He consoled me, realizing what happened. That was clear to see and predictable according to everybody who never expected me to succeed. I basked in his warmth.

"Thank you, Jake. I would like you to know that I begged him to approve you. I offered everything I could think of to convince him. Even my mom was moved to tears by my passionate plea. I really tried my very best." I told him, feeling overwhelmingly saddened.

Jake looked deep into my tearful eyes after we parted from the hug and smiled at me.

"I believe you, Sky. Thank you for giving us a chance and for making me believe it was possible even if it never was. I really appreciate that and how much you fought for us. That is not lost on me." He spoke, feeling thankful for the experience.

He is such a great guy that even now that what he has always known in his heart has been confirmed, he is still smiling at me for trying. For going out of my way to give us a chance.

"Good luck in your future. Don't ever lose that side of you that I saw back in Boulder. That was your best feature." He smiled at me, encouragingly. All I wanted was to cry, but I smiled back at him and tried my best to fight back my tears.

Seth also hugged me as soon as Jake was done talking. He told me that he admired me for what I did, especially when there was no guarantee that it would work. All signs pointed towards our father's denial, but I still tried.

Later that evening, I sat down with my tray of food in the Alpha section with a broken heart. Nothing would move me from this pain I am feeling inside like I just lost the love of my life. I don't care how strange that sounds for someone I had just connected with.

"I am so sorry it didn't work out, my friend. I have honestly been rooting for you since yesterday." Kyle tried to cheer me up.

"Thank you, Ky. I really tried. I begged my father to let me prospect him. I used every single argument I could think of. But my dad is too jaded to believe in true love or anyone liking me for who I am. Even after Jake had refused his money when he fell down the stairs of Stronghold Oil Headquarters." I said, incredibly sorrowful.

"Wow. He refused a check from the Alpha. Maybe he is one of the good ones after all." He snickered.

"He is the best. I have never seen anybody act the way he did around my parents. For the first time in my life, I saw someone who had nothing to gain from being associated with them and wasn't after our money or connections. He simply was there because my brother had invited him. But he did not suck up to my parents like most people do. He didn't even let my mom and dad win in a game of charades. And my mom is very smart!" I argued, humorously.

"I am so perplexed by the way you speak of him. Not even Jayden says the things you say about him." Kyle declared, impressed by me.

"That's because Skylar sucks the air out of the entire room. It's impossible to get a word in." Jayden sulked at that comment. We exchanged glares that seemed threatening to the outside eye. Probably because they were.

"The things he says about Jake I have always known about them. That is why I fought so hard to get him back." He argued though I am not sure who he is convincing.

"Right. You fought so hard AFTER I showed interest in him. Where was that marriage proposal in the whole month you two have been apart?" I challenged him and he became furious.

"I was trying to convince my parents back in Georgia! I never stopped fighting for Jake, I just don't need to make a big spectacle like you did! I resolve things privately, I do not require an audience." He shouted at me, eyes shining in rage.

"Sure, roomie. Good for you." I said in a patronizing tone.

"It is good for me because unlike you, I won. Jake and I can finally be together like we always wanted. I love him." He glared at me with his boastful declaration and if looks could kill...

I lowered my head and ate in silence. He did win. Maybe I shouldn't have made such a spectacle of my defeat. Why did I have to announce what I was going to do? My dad was never going to approve Jake for me. It was very clear to see.

Well, I have no regrets. I did what I had to do and I am proud that I tried my best.

It is only November and there is a lot of time between now and the claiming ceremony in April. I have lost the battle. I probably lost Jake as well. Maybe this was all a lesson that I was supposed to learn. Who knows?

If ever there was a humbling lesson in store for me, this was probably it. I see it now.

You can't always get what you want, as the famous song said. But I was born to try.

https://youtu.be/qTBOJ71ypRw

A|N: BOOM!

If you think the twists end here, you are sorely mistaken.

The shenanigans have just begun.

Now, I said something about a secret...

It's all coming down next. The Harvest Ball comes with its own surprises.

If you are Team #Jayke then you're going to love the next chapter.

It's called "Never Enough".

Love,

Léo.