Triggered.

It's Sunday. November 10th. Earlier today, I saw Jayden and Skylar bicker in the food line for breakfast. It would be just as any other day, except that Skylar was being too crass and cavalier about sex - with me, that never happened, but he wished it did - and Jayden was too suspicious of the way he talked like he was insinuating that we lied about having sex.

Is he dense?

Does he not know what happens to Omegas who have sex during heat? Does that sound like something I could withhold from him until April?

Come on! The next time he alludes to something like that again, neither of us will leave this place prospected. Unless he moves on from me quickly.

I think I have already established that if not for him, nobody else here will want me. So, it is what it is. I would rather leave this place alone than be with a partner who doesn't trust me.

Unfortunately, that is not the worst thing I would hear this morning. I made the mistake of mentioning Shawn to Seth, which led to curiosity from Kyle and that eventually got Skylar talking about him and the similarities I have with the man, who got my mother pregnant, according to Skylar.

Hearing him or Seth speaking about Shawn, he doesn't sound like a horrible person. Which is all the more hurtful to me. At least, if he was in prison or just generally was a total loser, I could say I was better off without him.

But that doesn't seem to be the case. He is even especially attentive to Seth, who grew up with a lot of complexes over being born an Omega instead of an Alpha like his twin brother. Seth told me how Shawn was extra kind to him and pushed my roommate into believing he could do more with his life if he set his mind to it.

The better things Seth had to tell me about him, the harder I cried. It was torture.

Of course, Seth instantly offered to stop talking about the clearly sensitive issue, but I insisted. I wanted to hear all that he had to tell me about the man who was a second father to him and no parent to me at all. Oh Goddess, I cried so hard.

Seth did his best to comfort me by my side on the bed, but there was nothing he could do. I just needed to hear what he had to say. Maybe get it out of my system, who knows?

Maybe one day I can stop letting it get to me every time his name is dropped.

I ended up sleeping after so much crying and only woke up when Seth shook my shoulder gently letting me know it was time for lunch already. In all honesty, I could skip it but I shouldn't miss lunch. It's not like I can avoid Skylar or Jayden all afternoon.

Some time later, I was met by Skylar in the cafeteria with a bouquet of red flowers.

"I am sorry for speaking out of turn earlier. Both times. I do not ever want you to think I was objectifying you or anything like that. You know, it's not about sex with you. It's much deeper than that. I humbly apologize for my comments, my love." He handed me the lovely bouquet that looked expensive with all its ribbons adorning it.

Jayden growled at him for calling me 'my love', but I swooned.

"Thank you, Sky. You didn't have to get me roses. How did you get them delivered here on a Sunday?" I asked him, marveling at my bouquet.

"They weren't delivered. I went into town after breakfast and got them for you." He informed me and I gasped in shock. He spent an hour inside a van back and forth just to buy me roses? Damn!

"Wow. I am in awe of you, Sky. Thank you so much!" I melted at the nice gesture.

"You are worth it. That and so much more." He sounded smitten by me. It was hard to keep myself in check. I had to remind myself that he was unavailable to me.

Seth and I walked towards one of the food lines. Kyle turned to Jayden in theirs.

"Where is your rose, Alpha? Because Skylar is running laps around you." He provoked him.

Oh, that did not go over well...

"I wasn't the one triggering my prospect this morning. I did apologize to him when I was wrong. Now shut the hell up, Kyle! No matter how many times you suck up to Skylar, you're still not getting his brother to save your pack!" He snarled at him. Oh boy.

"My pack does not require any saving. I am from the biggest wolf pack in New Mexico, you ignorant fuck! I happen to find Seth incredibly adorable, so shut the fuck up!" Kyle snarled at him, possessed by rage at that attack.

Meanwhile, Seth, Skylar, and I gasped in shock at that remark.

Skylar pushed the two boys away from each other, in the line, since they were about to strike. Jayden violently removed Skylar's hand from his chest, which in turn rubbed him the wrong way.

"Take a breath, roomie! You don't want to jeopardize your chances even before you meet Dr. Anderson. If you get suspended from school, that will not look well for you. Remember what is at stake here." Skylar instructed Jayden in a surprising selfless move by him.

All of us gasped in shock at hearing him not want Jayden to get in trouble at school. There is zero tolerance for violence here. As he heard that speech, Jayden turned away from Kyle in the line, grunting.

"Are you alright? Why did you interfere? I thought you hated him!" Kyle asked Skylar, now less rabid than a moment ago.

"You haven't been paying attention, my friend. I told you before I do not hate him, if I did, I would never have said I wanted him to prospect my only brother. Also, it's not about him. It's about Jake. I want him to be happy and fulfilled. Right now, Jay is the only Alpha who could provide that for him." He lectured, heartbroken.

Oh my Goddess, that was the sweetest thing I have ever heard before in my entire life.

https://youtu.be/5WybiA263bw

"How is it that the guy who should be selfish right now is acting in your best interest even after he had his heart broken? What the hell did you do to my brother?" Seth gasped in shock. I am gobsmacked. Speechless after that.

"When I find out, you'll be the first to know." I mumbled, flabbergasted.

An hour or so later, most students were finishing up lunch. I wanted to have a serious talk with Jayden. I don't mind him fighting with Skylar, but there are some lines that should not be crossed. Everybody here is acting out of their own self-interest.

Every single student was sent here to make a great connection, utilizing the academy's prestigious reputation of matching the most powerful pack heirs of the country. There is no 'Mother Teresa' here. So, Kyle is not doing anything different than all the other students matriculated here, even me.

Regardless of his intentions with Seth, nobody has the right to judge him for it. I mean... Pot. Kettle. Hypocrisy much? This is not a good color on you, my beloved Jayden. You used to be better than this. What happened?

"I just got a weird text from my mom." Skylar commented, looking at his phone as he disposed of his leftovers.

"What did she say?" Kyle asked him, curiously.

"She said 'an Alpha must always keep their word'." He replied, sounding cryptic.

"Maybe you promised her something and she's reminding you of that." Kyle wondered.

"I don't remember promising her anything." Skylar was confused about the text message but brushed it off.

Later that day, I pulled Jayden aside for a heart-to-heart. That is when he confessed to me he has been feeling overwhelmed lately by the constant battle with Skylar, but that is not important anymore. The two of us were never real. He and I are.

By evening, we were once again inside the auditorium for yet another self-indulging speech by Headmaster Lockwood. The Alphas, Betas, Gammas, and Omegas all settled down to hear him speak and start our week. At this point, it is just a boring tradition.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I trust you had a pleasant weekend and that our latest mixer worked its intended effect to grant you candidates for prospect." He started off, seemingly in a good mood.

"I promise not to bore you tonight with a long story, I just want to share with you a conversation that I had with my daughter about three years ago." Immediately, this caught Jayden's attention. I was curious to hear about what he had to say.

"My daughter called me one day, worried, telling me she suspected that her son was gay, but he was afraid to come out to her." He told us, turning literally everybody to glance at Jayden as he said that, including me.

"She wanted my advice on how to proceed as her father and a fellow Alpha." He specified, boastfully.

"I told her: Well, Jay knows about his uncle. It's not like he never heard of queer people in Georgia. So, I told my daughter to give it time and wait for him to go to her. She can never push her son to come out to her before he is ready, that could be dangerous for an LGBT person. I said: 'Wait for him to come to you'." He spoke like a cautionary tale.

"Dad, maybe it's time for you to tell your grandson that story." He continued, speaking his daughter's words.

"If I tell him that, he will know we are on to his sexuality and it could do worse than its intended message. Let's wait a while longer." He countered her suggestion. Jayden was mortified that he was telling everyone about that story.

"My youngest son is a queer man. Long ago when he was just a teenager, he was scared of coming out to me. I had no idea about it, but my mate in her infinite wisdom warned me that our son wanted to come out to us, but was feeling scared to do so." He informed us and I was shocked by that information. I didn't know he had a queer son.

"So, I pulled my son aside to talk to him one day. It was a Sunday much like this one and I told him the same story I am about to tell you now." He declared and I was like... wait, was that not the story he wanted to share? There's more? *gasp*

"A very long time ago, in IV Century B. C., there were these city-states in Greece. The most famous ones were Sparta and Athens, but there was another one that people don't hear much about. Its name was Thebes." He began the history lesson.

"Thebes had been occupied by Sparta for quite some time, but a general called Epaminondas wanted to take his city back. I will not bore you with the details, you can all google that later, but the point of the story is that General Epaminondas realized that people tend to fight that much harder when their family was in danger. At that time in history, same sex unions between men were common, so he used that connection. He selected 150 same sex couples, all soldiers, to form an army. An elite force of 300 men to vanquish the Spartans from his land." He told us, most of whom had never heard that story before, including me.

Wait. There was an army of soldiers, all of them queer couples? *gasp*

"Those three hundred men fought like lions because each of them had a loved one by his side that they did not want to lose. When you fight for love, ladies and gentlemen, you can accomplish anything. And so they managed to beat their enemies in combat and eradicate the Spartans from their land." He spoke, emotional.

It was impossible not to relate to that incredible story. The way Lockwood was telling it seemed special to him. Close to his heart, I could tell.

"The Sacred Band of Thebes was an army so remarkable they remained undefeated for decades to come after that famous battle of Leuctra. They became legendary for their fierceness. In the end, they were defeated (in combat) by yet another very smart queer man. His name was: Alexander the Great." He spoke with a dramatic pause.

At least, I heard of him before. I just didn't know that he was queer.

"I told that story to my son and with time, I told it to my grandson as well. I said to Jayden the same thing that I told his uncle. Your sexuality does not define you. It is but one small aspect of your existence. There is nothing on Earth stopping you from reaching whatever you want to reach in life. Nothing. And certainly not something so trivial as who you lie in bed with. Who cares about that?" He continued, raising his tone for effect.

"I wish you all success in your endeavors. Have a great week of studies." He smiled at us. And for the first time since I started here, I felt supported by him. Even if he did not tell that story for my sake. Regardless, I feel good about myself. It is a great story, especially with some male Omegas still being ridiculed because of their femininity. I say, go queen!

We began to get up from our seats, perplexed by that story, touched by his alyship. Who would have thought that Lockwood was an ally? Not me, though I know he loves Jayden very much. That was never in question for me.

"Mr. Broderick!" He called me out, grabbing my attention as I was about to file out the room. Jayden, Seth, and Skylar were all intrigued by what he was going to say. Most of the other students stopped on their tracks, curious.

"I have been a Headmaster here for more than a decade now, but I have never met a student quite like you before. I am in awe of you, really." He complimented me, baffled for some reason I am not sure.

"Thank you?" I did not know what else to say, but I ended up speaking like a question.

"You're welcome. I got an email from Alpha Stronghold about you this afternoon. It seems that you have been approved as a prospect for his son Skylar. I understand you have a decision to make now. Let the games begin!" He smiled at me wickedly. *gasp in utter shock*

*Insert Explosion Noise*

Somehow, BOOM does not quite cover that shocker.

Let The Games Begin!

Disclaimer: the story depicted in this chapter is not well researched and it is not meant to be educational, just to illustrate a point. Everyone should feel free to conduct their own research about the Sacred Band of Thebes. But they were real. There is even a monument to them in Greece where their burial site was found.

Dedicated to my dear @PinkCookieLove 

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