JACOB

Friday, 6th of December. 11:05 p.m. Gamma House common area.

"Jake, Jake." Skylar woke me up from my slumber. He was caressing my head and I dozed off. We wake up early here in Ravenwood.

"What?" I frowned at him, irritated for being awakened. I was having a nice nap, despite the terrible nightmare.

"You were saying some incoherent things in your sleep. Are you alright?" He asked me, worriedly.

"No. I dreamed you were mean to me because I am a poor Omega. Mandy was my sister. Shawn never deserted me. It was bizarre!" I replied to him, who looked frazzled by that.

"Wow! That is weird!" He gaped at me in shock.

"Tell me about it! Have you ever told anyone that you don't date Omegas back in High School?" I asked him in an accusatory tone, frowning in disappointment.

Skylar stared at me in silence, gobsmacked that I was asking him about something I shouldn't have known. Well...

"Yeah, I didn't date Omegas back in high school. Too much of a liability. At least not until Mandy, but we never actually..." He explained, a bit too much for my taste.

"I KNOW!" - I cut him off, aggravated. - "You did to her the same thing you did to me, I realize that. You wouldn't want to risk either of us getting pregnant." I snarled, irritated.

"My father would've cut my balls off if I had showed up with a pregnant girlfriend back in High School. He always made it clear to me that I would have to go to Ravenwood to find a partner. And Stronghold Alphas can't have illegitimate children. It doesn't look good on our reputation." He explained his reasoning, which is not that unfathomable.

We have said time and time again, that a werewolf's reputation means everything to them. A wolf pack is only as good as their reputation. As far as packs are concerned, they want to be known as the fiercest - or the bloodiest - to strike fear in their enemies' eyes.

The best werewolf packs are the ones rogues would never dare come near because it's most likely to be deadly for them. Would you want to take your chances by crossing into a territory with 300 highly trained warriors? Yeah... me neither.

It all starts at the top, the head of the snake. If an Alpha has a shoddy reputation, no matter what he does for his pack, no one would want to do business with them if they cannot rely on their Alpha. That is why when you hear that the C.E.O. of a company is involved in a scandal, more often than not, they are booted from the position.

Because no one will buy stock of a company if their Chief Executive Officer is not trustworthy. Now, if you believe in the Alpha, even if the pack doesn't have much of a reputation, you can still bet on them to come through on the deal.

In the werewolf world, your word and your reputation are the most valuable stocks that you possess. It is why Headmaster Lockwood is always worried about how we do as students and how it reflects on his tenure as the leader of this academy. It only takes one scandal for a forty-year-old stellar reputation to go down the sink.

"I know, Sky. You did well. I would never prospect a candidate with another child not by me. We are all 18 years old here, none of us should have any pups for now." I agreed with him, begrudgingly. I know what he means perfectly well.

"Yeah, even if you came from the richest pack in the world, my father would never let me prospect an Omega with a child either. So, I take your point clearly." He mumbled.

Well, this conversation has certainly taken a turn...

After a moment, I got into a sitting position on the couch and as I prepared myself to go back to my dorm room, I remembered something. Something that happened before I fell asleep.

"Did I dream this, or did Jayden actually walk by in the direction of my dorm room?" I double checked, considering how wild my dream was - not that it included Jayden in any way. Skylar frowned before answering my question.

"You didn't dream, he walked past us a couple of hours ago." He replied, not a fan of this.

"Well... I guess I better go find out what he wants with Seth, though I am pretty sure what he wants from him. What any Alpha would want from an Omega." I commented, looking at Skylar's worried frown.

We said our goodbyes for the night. It was already late and tomorrow's breakfast waits for no students. We have to go to sleep because tomorrow there will be a party on the rooftop. Though it's not designed for people like me to attend - it's aimed at singles - I am looking forward to having some fun with my Alpha.

If anybody had told me six months ago that I would be prospected by a Stronghold, I would have laughed in their faces for a good time. Look at me now...

As I walked back to my dorm, I saw Jayden exiting my room looking happy. I also caught a glimpse of my roommate and he also looked content. I see what is going on here, it is not that far fetched if you think about it. Seth is the easiest target for Jayden to prospect.

Once I was inside my room, I grilled Seth about what went down between the two of them. He was tentative to speak about it, given that Jayden and I had just broken up, but I assured him I did not hold any grudge over him being with my ex-prospect.

This is not a normal situation and people like him and Jayden cannot afford to leave this place unprospected. I know the drill, I know it all too well. My mother would be disappointed in me if I left this place without any prospects. And I'm no one, imagine them.

Seth could not help himself about how excited he was that Jayden chose him to be his prospect. Though he emphasized it was mostly a business decision - Jayden is not over me, it's too soon - Seth is convinced that he can turn things around with him.

I told him I was happy for him and his happiness was all that mattered to me. It's true.

I cannot falter in his reasoning for accepting being prospected by Jayden. He has always wanted him and though the circumstances could be better, it could lead them to be happy in the future. I do not doubt that Jayden could make Seth very happy.

The alarm clock wakes me up after a busy night of sleep. My mind was still reeling after that disturbing dream yesterday, but thankfully it was all good dreams this time. Seth looked apprehensive about how people would handle the news of him and Jayden being together. I say live and let live. After April, we will never see most of these students again.

After a quick shower and a good hair brush, we were back again at the cafeteria, ready for what the weekend had in store for us. Skylar greeted me as he walked inside, pecking my lips on his way to the food line. His roommate was by his side, just a few steps away, looking at Seth romantically.

What a difference a day makes!

By the time we sat down for breakfast at the Omega section, students were buzzing about tonight's party. Especially the single folks. Skylar was confirming to another student that he had secured the booze for the party, but he had to be reimbursed for the expenses.

"I'm not made of money, you know?" He snickered.

"We'll Venmo you, don't worry about it. Just text me the amount." His peer responded from a seat in their section.

"I'd never thought I'd see the day when Skylar Stronghold was being cheap." Kyle taunted him, across from him on the table.

"I'm not being cheap. I have no obligation to pay for people's drinks. I am not running a charity!" He defended himself, peeved by the accusation.

"You're right, I just like to tease you." Kyle winked at him, playfully.

"I'm glad you're in a good mood, my friend, because there's a bomb about to be dropped at any second now." Skylar teased him with a wicked grin.

I wonder what he is talking about... O.o

"What bomb? Did they cancel our party?" He asked him, worriedly. At this, multiple students stared at Skylar looking concerned.

"NO! Why would they care about a students' party?" Skylar replied in a 'duh' tone. Most of the students breathed out a sigh of relief that their event was still going strong.

Kyle kept staring at Skylar puzzled about what he was talking about.

"Good morning, students. I wish you all a great weekend. Please make responsible choices tonight. The school nurse's office has prophylactics in case you need them. You can also talk to her about procuring the morning after pill, if you find yourself in a bind. We at Ravenwood want you to feel safe and do what is best for you, but wisely." Headmaster Lockwood interrupted our breakfast with his morning announcements.

"It is with immense pride and enormous joy that I announce that my grandson, Jayden Lockwood Johnson, and Seth Stronghold have been approved to start contract negotiations. Have a great weekend!" He announced it with incredible joy in his voice.

"Oh my Goddess!" People were in shock that it happened so fast. Seth looked apprehensive, but I reassured him that it was okay. He deserved this. And so did Jayden, for that matter.

"Traitor!" Kyle was fuming at Jayden after the announcement.

"You are in love with another boy!" Jayden defended himself, pointing out the obvious.

"So are you!" He shouted, livid.

"But Roberto didn't dump you to be with Skylar!" Jayden shot back, defensively.

Kyle looked like he was about to pounce on Jayden, he was so angry.

"Breathe, Ky. Breathe." Skylar told him, trying to get him to calm down.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" He turned his rage to Skylar.

"I found out last night, by accident. But I didn't know that Lockwood was going to announce their approval today. I don't know how he got the parents' approval so fast! This has got to be some sort of a record!" Skylar told him, baffled by the speed in which these things developed.

"And aren't you worried that this is a revenge plan against you through your brother?" He accused Jayden of scheming. Skylar was appalled by that suggestion! And he wasn't alone, Jayden was winded by the accusation.

Skylar took a deep breath before responding, with his eyes shining in rage.

"It's not a secret to anyone in this room that my brother always liked Jayden. I know why he chose to go for him. He needed a new prospect and Seth is the best choice of Omega in this institution. That is how logic dictates he behaved. It would take a psychopath to prey upon a vulnerable student, promising him a lasting partnership, only to break his heart later in order to hurt his brother." Skylar was fuming, livid with pure rage.

"I would take a thousand beatings before I let anyone do that to my brother. So, I am trusting my judgment that it is not the case. I wish for the two of them to be happy. But for the first time in my life, I am glad that my brother did not choose you. You don't deserve him, you never did!" Skylar concluded, seething in anger.

He got up and left with his plate barely touched. His eyes were still shining in rage.

"Dude, who the fuck do you think you are?!" Jayden was fuming at the accusation.

"Do you really think that I'd stoop so low as to play with someone's heart only to break it later for some revenge plan? Against who? Skylar? For what? For going after a single boy? I just had my heart broken, why would I want to inflict that pain on someone else? An innocent person? What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you so desperate to bag a rich Omega that you would do anything to secure it?" Jayden went off on him, not only angry but mostly disappointed in him.

Seth was distraught, refusing to eat his food. He was in shambles after that horrible display. Skylar went ahead and left the cafeteria. But Seth was more disturbed than he was. It didn't take long for him to walk away too, so I followed him, troubled.

What the hell, Kyle? Go fuck Roberto and leave my friend alone! Vulture!

The cafeteria was like the end of "Dangerous Liaisons" or its remake "Cruel Intentions". A bunch of people harshly judging one person for what they did. Kyle was too ashamed to eat anything else, so he bolted in disgrace.

Seth was so in his head, concerned about what he implied, but I assured him that Jayden is not that type of person. He stands to gain much more by prospecting him than the other way around. Seth comes with the golden ticket. He could have any Alpha he wanted - maybe even a straight one, Goddess forbids.

It's Jayden who struck gold by prospecting my roommate and he should be glad he did. Seth is a catch and everybody knows it. My poor best friend... he did not deserve this. He was riding such a high this morning after the pact with Jayden, only for someone who cannot stand to see people happy to rip it apart.

Let's not fret. This too shall pass and they will be happier because of it. I mean, despite it.

https://youtu.be/1lyu1KKwC74

A|N: BOOM!

Please do not judge Kyle too harshly. He is under a lot of pressure from his father to make a good match. Unfortunately, he is coming across as desperate. It happens.

Nothing that a night of good booze won't cure.

Are you ready for the blowout?

OFF: I've been meaning to get this song in one of my books for a while.

If you want to check out the next 7 (SEVEN) chapters of this book, subscribe to my Patreon account and read now the twist that will leave you GAGGING! I am talking about an event so big, it will take you a lot to process. It's all available right now at:

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Next is "Yummy".

Love,

Léo.