JAYDEN

I am pretty sure it's too soon for me to be doing this.

After Seth dreamed that my wolf rescued him from being with Kyle under the effect of heat, Roberto told me jokingly to claim him in order for us to break the curse so he could find his mate, hopefully right here in Ravenwood.

Okay, I may have jumped the gun in my enthusiasm, but the truth is that Skylar and I had an argument before this happened, as always, and it got me riled up. I never actually thought that Seth was my Goddess-given soulmate until now.

With Seth dreaming that I would rescue him from being assaulted by Kyle - and I am using the word 'assault' loosely here because it wouldn't be his fault in that specific scenario - is not enough evidence for me to believe that he is my Goddess-given mate. He could be just romanticizing our connection or it was just his brain's way of processing everything that has been happening between the two of us since we prospected each other.

For starters, his heat wouldn't strike him one month in advance. I am not a doctor, but my dad is an Omega and it would take a severely stressful event to trigger such a biological response from his body. I am talking about a traumatic situation on a large scale.

Even if that happened, there is simply no way my wolf would know that our potential mate would be in danger. Especially because my wolf has no way of knowing whether Seth is our mate or not. It is blind to any potential mating unless I claim that person. It's not the other way around like it used to be.

Decades ago, it was our wolves that told us who our mate was. Now it is up to us, the humans. We are the ones to find out who could be our mate and claim them. As you can tell by now, that hasn't happened in four decades. We are terrible at choosing the right person for us.

That is why we werewolves used to take comfort in the fact that it was not up to us. It used to be so easy, all we had to do was to be within half of a mile of distance between us and our mate and then boom, game over. But now we have to make do with what Ravenwood has to offer us and be glad we have the opportunity. Plenty of Alphas all across America don't get the call to attend this prestigious preparatory academy.

There are so many people who are left to their own devices. It's no wonder why so many wolf packs have fallen out of grace due to single or divorced Alphas, along with cheating scandals. The werewolf world was not prepared to lose the ability of being mated and four decades later, we are still just as lost as we were back then.

My grandfather had it best, being mated to the best possible woman the Goddess could find for him. My grandmother was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. A beloved mother and Luna to our pack. She faced the discrimination of being a black woman mated to a white Alpha (in Georgia) in the early 80's. That could not have been easy for her, but you'd never find her bitter or malcontent. She was a formidable woman who is so dearly missed by all.

When people bad-mouthed her for getting pregnant with my mom - instead of a son, which was expected of her - she fought them back fiercely. She told them that no one gets to question the Goddess' decision and if She saw fit to send them a daughter, then that is what their family and subsequently our pack needed. She was a fierce advocate for her family and a mirror for my mom to become the extraordinary woman that she is.

I hope she is proud of me from up above. I miss my grandma so much at times.

It's December 8th, around noon in Colorado. It's lunchtime and I have just walked all the way to the Omega section of the cafeteria to claim Seth as dared by Roberto. At first, he was taken aback by my presence. Then, he sheepishly answered my call. He is so cute.

"I, Jayden Lockwood Johnson, claim you, Seth Stronghold, as my partner and my Luna."

Seth was flustered at the sudden bold statement. But he could not deny that was all he wanted to hear from me. Everything that he imagined should happen from the moment he laid eyes upon me on that fateful day inside the Gamma locker room.

"I, Seth Stronghold, accept the claim of Jayden Lockwood--"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Headmaster Lockwood berated me as he stepped into the cafeteria to confront us. Seth was frozen in fear of the intimidating Alpha and the room went silent as he faced us, looking dismayed by my attitude.

"Do you think this is a joke, Jayden? Do you think the claiming ceremony is an outdated notion? Do you think everybody should just go ahead, claiming each other, and see what happens?!" Grandfather was mad at me, his eyes were just about to start shining in rage.

"Do any of you think claiming people at random will solve the problem and break the curse?" He is now addressing everybody in the cafeteria, looking around the crowded room.

"News flash, people already tried this tactic! When word got out that claiming the right person would break the curse, people went on a rampage of random claims. They thought that once they claimed the right person, the curse would be broken and everything would be back on track." He informed us, sounding pissed off.

"It doesn't work like that!" He shouted at us, mainly at me.

"We are talking about a freaking deity, people! The mother of all werewolves! Do you really think she wouldn't be able to see right through this desperate tactic?" Now he is properly mad, eyes shining in rage.

"The only way for the curse to be broken is for the right person to claim the right partner. But that has to be with intent, sentiment, and feelings for each other. You can't go around claiming people at random, thinking it would break a four-decade curse!" He exclaimed, raging at me.

"Even if all of you go around claiming every single student here, it still wouldn't work. There has to be a real purpose behind it. We are talking about love, true, genuine, pure love. A love that will tell you that person is the right one for you. You have to believe in your heart that this person is your true partner or it will never work!" He lectured, loudly.

"That is why we leave the claiming ceremony for April. This way, all the couples formed here had the time to get to know each other and spend time together, allowing your heart to grow feelings for each other. When you look at the person you want to claim and they look back at you with feelings, that is when the curse can be broken, not before." He continued his passionate speech. The entire room was silent, listening to him attentively.

"The people who have thought of this academy have planned for everything to go according to a master plan. This was well thought out, not a whim. You should do well to respect that plan for you and stick to the schedule. The claiming ceremony is the highlight of our time here and if ever one of you could break the curse, then it should be an occasion witnessed by your parents, don't you think?" He stared at the crowd, who seemed to agree with him. Yeah... *sigh*

"I didn't think you could disappoint me anymore, grandson. This is a new low, even for you. You are standing on very thin ice. One slip up and I will send you back to Georgia with no prospect. If you're going to disgrace our family name, I'd rather you don't do it here." He reprimanded me, furiously.

I bowed my head in shame of being called out like this. I got carried away, I realize that now.

"One week detention to you." He said, looking disappointed at me.

"Mr. Stronghold, you shouldn't have encouraged my grandson and agreed to this nonsense. A day of detention to you." He told Seth, who looked guilty and sorry. The Omega just bowed his head in obedience to the Alpha and sat back down on his chair.

My grandfather left momentarily and I took the chance to apologize to Seth.

"I am so sorry, I should never have put you in that position. I got carried away and I apologize for getting you in trouble. I truly am sorry." I told him, repentant.

"It's fine, Jay. It was a nice thought that we could be the ones to break the curse. But Headmaster Lockwood was right. If you do it on a dare, it doesn't count. You should claim me because you want to." He told me, timidly.

"You're right. I am sure that I will get to that in no time now that we can spend time cleaning this place." I snickered. He laughed and I was immediately taken by how beautiful his smile actually is. How did I not notice this before?

I went back to my table at the Alpha section and resumed eating my now cold meal.

"I'm sorry for goading you into doing that. I didn't realize you needed the intention behind the claim, but it makes sense. If it was easy, then the curse would have been broken a long time ago. I should have sent Sky to claim Jake. At least, they already love each other." Roberto apologized for putting me up to it.

"You're missing the point, Roberto! Lockwood was right! If Jake and I are the ones who will break the curse, then we should do it in front of our families. Not now." Skylar rebuked him, annoyed at his suggestion.

"Of course, Alpha. I was joking." Roberto blushed from the embarrassment.

"Chin up, roomie. You've done much worse things than this one." Skylar teased me.

I glared daggers at him.

"Oh, how I miss beating you up..." I provoked him with a wicked smile.

"You caught me off guard. That will never happen again. You get one free pass with me and that's it. Next time I will show you what the best warriors in the country have taught me." He threatened me with a calm voice and mischievous grin.

"The best warriors in the country are in Georgia." I snapped back at him.

The staring competition went on for a minute until we were distracted by Roberto speaking up.

"Americans... so silly. Google 'capoeira' and then you'll see who has the best warriors in the world." He boasted. I should finish my meal before it loses its taste.

At the Omega section...

"I'm sorry you got detention. You didn't deserve it." Jake comforted Seth as they were finishing their meal.

"It's fine. Lockwood was right, I shouldn't have agreed to his claim. I just got caught up by his attitude." Seth took the blame, though he was blameless if you ask me. I was the one who should be punished and me alone.

"I understand. Not to burst your bubble, but I don't think your dream was enough to prove that Jay is your fated mate." Jake told him, tentatively.

"I never said it was. It was the Alphas who came to this conclusion." He pouted, aggravated.

"Yeah... silly Alphas. But I will keep an eye on you just the same. I don't want anyone else to be alone with you for now." Jake cautioned him, worriedly.

"Heats don't come one month in advance, Jake. I appreciate the thought, but I'll be fine. You can live your life and enjoy your time with my brother before the Winter break." Seth refuted him, slightly pissed off at his roommate.

"If you say so. Just know that I am around if you need me." Jake told him, conformed.

"Thank you, Jake. I really appreciate the support." He smiled at him softly.

"You are banned from going into the Gamma House." Skylar told Kyle, who was not amused by this.

"You don't have that kind of power and I am not scared of you. In fact, I am pretty sure I can take you." Kyle defied him, boastfully.

Skylar laughed at his statement.

"Trust me, you can't take me on." He flaunted his muscles as he said that.

"You forget yourself, Alpha. I have the highest marks on combat classes. There is not a single Alpha here that I am afraid of, except for Jay's grandfather and that is because he can expel me. Not because I am afraid of being overpowered by anyone. You should know that money doesn't win fights, unless you hire someone to face me other than you." Kyle snapped back at thim, defiantly.

Skylar is fuming, staring him down.

"Just stay away from the Gamma House. Friendly advice." He sneered, raging.

"I will go wherever I want. I don't need you to tell me where I can or can not go. Back off, Skylar! That was a dream! I am not that guy!" Kyle was getting angrier by the second.

Not to side with him, but I don't like where this is going. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn't like it either if people were looking at me like I was a molester or something. He didn't do anything to anyone and most of all he never stepped foot inside the Gamma House, except for when he was still in consideration by Seth.

Let's not jump the gun here, people. Kyle can be many things, but that was only a dream. As far as I'm concerned, he never did anything to harm anyone and does not deserve to be treated like he is a registered sex offender.

After lunch was over, Seth and I were in charge of helping out with the cleaning and washing of the cafeteria. It was part of our detention punishment, but strangely it ended up bonding us through the misery of hard labor.

What can I say?

He is cute even when wearing an apron and latex gloves.

https://youtu.be/SM1w9PEQOE8

A|N: You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?

No, my dears, in the words of RuPaul, 'there will be several many twists and shenanigans' until the claiming ceremony. Who knows who will be alive in the end?

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 gasping for more! It's all available right now at:

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Next is "One Call Away".

Love,

Léo.