SKYLAR

Shocked.

It's the third Sunday of November. After an eventful weekend in Texas where our parents confronted Seth and me regarding some hard truths about our future, we are back at Ravenwood for the mandatory assembly with Headmaster Lockwood.

In all honesty, I am doing much better than I thought I would be considering my dad told me that my mom led him to believe that I was going to harm myself if I couldn't be with Jake.

I was shocked by his statement and apologized to my parents for the assumption I led them to believe. That's not who I am. I was just in a lot of pain over not being able to be with Jake. I mean, for not having the option available to me.

Now I still am not with him, but at least it's not because I can't be. He just prefers to stick to his guns and favor my roommate, with whom he had a previous relationship.

I have to respect that. Now Jayden has met Dr. Anderson and judging by the talk I just overheard Jake have with Seth everything went well on their visit.

Jealous? Me? Why? Because Jay is going to be officially prospected to the boy I love.

Well, yeah I am.

After a rather poignant message embedded in Headmaster Lockwood's speech, Jake is now having dinner as the students buzz about the last week of school for November.

Next week is Thanksgiving, so we get a full week break from the academy. Yeah... a full week of not seeing the one I love. Yay!

It seems that Jayden's grandpa wants Jake to choose a prospect already and go forth with the marital contract negotiations.

Here I thought he had already chosen. It's Jayden. There is only one email to confirm before they are locked and loaded.

"I'm sorry that you lost Jake. I still hope you won't leave this place alone." Kyle felt sorry for me as we ate dinner at the Alpha section of the cafeteria.

"I didn't lose him. He's right over there with the other Omegas." I pouted.

"When do you expect Jake's mother to email your approval to your grandfather?" He turned to my roommate not far from our table.

"She should let him know by tomorrow, I think." He replied, dryly. For a man who has everything that I want, he sounds less excited than I thought he'd be.

"Good. Was she every bit as hard on you as Sky led us to believe she would be?" He asked, taking a jab at me who might have exaggerated the truth to scare him off.

Jayden took a good look at me before responding:

"No!"

"Aha! I knew it!" Kyle celebrated catching me in a lie. But I did not lie, per se.

"She was worse than he told us." He declared, much to our surprise. Now I know why he is sulking.

"What?" Kyle gasped in shock at hearing this.

"She asked me all kinds of probing questions regarding her son and my level of commitment to him. She kept comparing me to Skylar who is fighting like hell without even having kissed her son..." He glared at me as if somehow this was my fault.

Oh, I am loving this...

"Wow. I am sorry to hear it, dude. But you won her over in the end, right?" Kyle looked at him with a curious expression.

"Of course!" He smiled boastfully, giving away a smirk hidden from us thus far.

"She was excellent. She really took the time to get to know me properly. I loved her." He continued boasting about his wonderful experience in Boulder.

"Yeah... I don't think you're winning this fight, bro." Kyle pitied me.

"It's not a fight. If Jake chooses him, I have to respect his wishes. I can only hope that Jay loves him just as much as I do." I conceded, recognizing defeat.

"So, you are finally giving up on Jake then?" He prompted me to give the answer everyone was expecting to hear.

"NEVER! I'll never ever give up on Jake! Not until the claiming ceremony." I startled him - and everyone around us - with my loud response.

"Your weekend was so different from mine. You should have heard the arguments my mother used to convince my dad to approve of you. She went as far as saying you would be a better Luna than her to our pack." Seth was telling Jake at the Omega section, who was baffled by the information.

"Really?!" He gaped at him in shock.

"Yeah, it was very annoying. It was all Jake is this. Jake is that. She is very impressed by you." My brother confirmed, a tad annoyed at this. I laughed at his pouting, not gonna lie.

"She is an impressive woman who raised two wonderful sons, so I am in awe of her." He complimented her, which of course got my brother all gooey.

"Aww. You're right. I am wonderful." He snickered.

"My dad was not a fan of you choosing another candidate than his son, but he told us he is not going to let either of us squander our chances here to pick a prospect. He threatened to come here and pick the candidates for us himself." He continued telling the gossip from home.

"That sounds extreme, but I don't want your brother to pine over me now that Jayden and I are going to be approved for each other and start contract negotiations. I want him to be happy." Jake declared, knowing that I was listening to the conversation.

"Yeah, I don't think that's in the cards for Sky. He's not going to move on from you any time soon, but yeah, we should get a move on our next prospect. Goddess knows I need to, now that my dad got Sean expelled." Seth grunted, annoyed at our dad for that.

Awkward.

MONDAY.

I was having breakfast in the cafeteria after a busy night of dreaming of my beloved Jake when...

"You should have some consideration for your fellow roommate and stop sleeping naked. It's November in Colorado. You can't claim the weather is hot." Jayden reprimanded me after he caught my full nature earlier in our dorm room.

"It's just a naked body, roomie. I am sorry if you felt self-conscious after seeing my tent this morning." I teased him, playfully.

"Trust me, you don't want to compare size with me!" He glared at me with a threatening tone.

"Oh, can I watch? The biggest one gets Jake?" Kyle suggested salaciously and both of us gasped in shock at this.

"He's not a prize, Kyle! Come on! He's a werewolf just like us!" I chastised him, pissed off.

"If you need a judge for the contest, let me know. I have a tape measure." A female Gamma interjected much to our surprise. The same girl who was trying to kiss me at the last mixer.

"I don't think that would go very well with the school administration, Deena. But thanks." I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

These people...

"Good morning, students. This is your Headmaster speaking." I am glad you cleared that up, bud. Who else would use the intercom system in this academy? *eye roll*

"I bring you the first round of Ravenwood approved couples by both sets of parents. May your contract negotiations be fruitful. Victoria Livingstone and Carl Demetrius." Lockwood announced via the intercom system with a chipper tone.

He went on to list all the couples who were approved just as he said he would. With one notorious absence.

"That's it? Why weren't Jake and Jay's names announced?" I gasped in shock, I couldn't help myself.

Jayden glared daggers at me for speaking out.

"What business is that of yours? Maybe she forgot to send the email. It's not even 8 a.m. yet!" He reprimanded me, ferociously.

"He's right, Sky. You shouldn't pop the champagne just yet. She could email Lockwood later." Kyle sympathized with him, pulling me down from the euphoria I just felt at their notorious absence from the morning announcements.

"I know that. I was just surprised, that's all." I mumbled, knowing full well this meant nothing. I am sure she had a lot on her mind after their visit.

The truth is I am grasping at straws, I don't deny it. Any hope that I can cling on regarding Jake, I will latch myself to it. I don't have it in me to give him up. I cannot.

TUESDAY.

I woke up with my alarm clock telling me I was late for breakfast. Since I had already showered the night before, I scrambled to get ready as fast as I could and I rushed out before I missed breakfast.

Fortunately, we get an hour to eat and I can do it in half the time, as long as the food stations don't have any lines. I served myself whatever was left to eat and carried my tray to my table, at the Alpha section, passing by a brooding looking Jake sitting across from my brother.

"Late night?" Kyle greeted me as I started to eat my meal.

"No, I've been having some vivid dreams lately, that's all." I replied, not bothered.

"Did you dream Jake accepted you as his prospect?" He teased me, not that Jayden appreciated his brand of humor.

"No, it was much more R-rated than that!" I replied with my mouth full of pancakes. Kyle and the other Alphas - especially Jayden - all stared at me after I said that.

"I don't control who I dream of! It's not my fault if I love him!" I protested their judgy glares. It's not like I was with Jake behind Jayden's back.

"Did I miss the morning announcements? Was Team #Jayke finally approved of contract negotiations?" I asked Kyle, dreading the answer already. Jayden huffed and puffed at my question like he wanted to murder me.

"No, apparently Jake's mother thinks he has unresolved feelings for you, so she refused to approve of Jay." He told me and I felt like a bomb went off.

"What? Oh, my Goddess!" I gasped in shock at the revelation that was pissing my roommate off.

"Moms are the best! I love her!" I celebrated, gobsmacked to hear this. Jayden is FURIOUS! Like he wanted to murder me in my sleep. Or right here in the back end of the cafeteria. I am telling you, he was fuming...

"I hope we can work through those unresolved feelings then. Goddess, I want him so bad. Do you think he would be open to going on a trip to Texas this weekend?" I wondered, looking at Kyle, but fully aware that Jake could hear me from several tables away.

"He's going to Georgia with me!" Jayden shouted at me, revolted by the suggestion.

"What for? You were not approved to be his prospect!" I shot back at him, and before I knew it, Jayden lunged at me with rabid glowing eyes.

He started punching me while I tried to defend myself from it before the security officers managed to pull him away from me. I took some hard hits that I didn't know were coming. It's not like I said anything that wasn't true...

Half an hour later, I left the infirmary where I was taken to be treated for my injuries all the while Jayden was taken to Mr. Kirchner's office for disciplinary actions. I walked straight to the classroom before I missed the entire first period.

Everybody stared at me when I walked into the classroom, with bruises visible on my face and jawline. Jayden was angry, so he released his frustrations on me. That was very unfair because despite my feelings for Jake, I was never disrespectful to him. I fight fair.

Minutes later...

"Are you alright?! I saw them carrying you to the infirmary, blood pouring out of your wounds. I was worried for you. What was that all about?" Seth came to talk to me as soon as the class was dismissed. Jake was by his side, and also worried for me.

"I will survive, brother. I don't know what I could have done to set him off like that. All I said was something that he already knew." I told him, still reeling from that unprovoked aggression.

If there was one thing that my mother and father taught me well, it was to reign in my rage and let it work to my advantage. There are ways that an Alpha can exert dominance over others without having to resort to violence. I have a ton of flaws but being a violent person isn't one of those.

Unless of course if you hurt a person I care about it, then all bets are off. Yes, I meant physically. But even then, I am not going to interject myself unless it's not a fair fight. Sometimes kids were mean to Seth back in elementary school and he got into some heated arguments but it was mostly other kids of the same level as him in stature and force.

"I am so sorry that he went off on you like that! It's not like any of that was your fault!" Jake approached me, curiously studying the bandages on my body. My head and arms were bruised after the hard fall on the ground. I am trained as a warrior, but I did not want to escalate the aggression because I sensed that Jayden wasn't angry at me, per se. His situation was very frustrating after all the tribulations they surpassed to be with each other, just to fail at the finish line. But the game is far from over.

Trust me, I can defend myself pretty well. But I have to pick my battles, play smart. This game will not be won with brawns, but with brains.

"You have nothing to apologize for, my love. The important thing is that you are here, next to me." I melted at his presence close to me. I am not going to lie, my heart skipped a beat when he threatened to touch me with his finger just now to examine my wounds.

"How could you possibly have fallen in love with me so fast, having had such little contact with each other? I am baffled to hear you say this." He was perplexed by my resolve.

"I wish I could tell you, my love. I wish I could explain how much you mean to me in words that would make sense, but I can't. I don't know why, I just know that I love you. You are the one for me and I am not going to stop saying that until you start believing me." I declared, much to his complete surprise.

All the other students that were yet to leave the classroom were baffled by my statement. I am unafraid and unabashedly in love with him. I will not stop talking, even if it hurts my roommate's feelings. I will not stop myself from expressing my love for him.

Seth and Jake kept staring at me in complete awe of my declaration until the bell snapped them from the spell.

As we entered the next classroom on the second floor of the first tower, the intercom system alerted us of a message that at this point was pretty much expected.

"ATTENTION STUDENTS. We do not tolerate any form of violence in this academy. Your high school days are over. If you have an issue, talk to each other like adults. I do not care who takes part in it. Violence shall never be tolerated." Headmaster Lockwood sounded angry as hell as he spoke. Not like Jay was an hour ago, but close.

"My grandson was suspended for two weeks, but the next time this kind of thing happens, it will be expulsion. Good day to you all." He concluded, embarrassed that his own heir was not leading by example. I felt sorry for Jayden, despite what happened between us. I do not bear any ill will against him.

Students whispered as they heard the message loud and clear. The buzz was loud all across the school. And for once, it's not about me or what I have done.

Later that day, during lunch break in the cafeteria, it was all the Alphas were talking about.

"I am so sorry for everything, man. I truly was so surprised by Jay's attack against you that I barely had any time to react." Kyle offered his sympathies, disturbed by what happened.

"It's fine, Ky. This is what happens when you keep things bottled up inside. We should all learn to express ourselves. I have no secrets, no skeleton in my closet. I make no promise that I can not keep. And I love Jacob Anderson." I declared, boldly.

Not everything that I said was completely true - who doesn't have secrets?

I will say that I committed no crime, let's leave it at that.

https://youtu.be/GsVcUzP_O_8

A|N: BOOM!

The fight - literally - goes on.

Poor Jayden can't catch a break in this. I feel bad for him, but don't be discouraged. #TeamJayke should prevail in the end.

Next is "Every You Every Me".

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