JACOB

"SKYLAR!"

I screamed as my beloved Alpha was buried under a mountain of snow that fell from the sky. The gut-wrenching desperation of seeing someone you love being covered by a mountain of snow and there is nothing you can do to stop it from happening is truly maddening.

It's Monday, December 9th. We were having breakfast when Acting Headmaster Roberts warned us about a possible avalanche. He dismissed us from today's exams and confined us to our quarters. I stayed with Skylar in his dorm room while Seth remained with Jayden in ours.

Hours went by without a single flock of snow falling, so much for the avalanche.

We went to the cafeteria for lunch since there was no sign of any harsh weather so far except for a quick rain that fell earlier in the morning. We were already having lunch when we heard a thunderous sound shake the sky outside.

Ravenwood was covered by a foot of snow and it was enough for everybody to want to play in the snow. Skylar grew up in Texas, so he had never seen snow before in his lifetime. Neither did Seth, but he was not enchanted by it. He preferred to finish off his lunch rather than rush to see the snow.

I am a Colorado native, so I am no stranger to snow. I went outside for a moment and watched in shock a bunch of students playing around like they were small children. Skylar even did a snow angel, he was enchanted by the phenomenon.

As I watched this play out from the entrance to the first tower, Professor Roberts showed up to put an end to the playground, calling back all the students for the afternoon classes. It was then that we heard another thunderous sound that shocked the hell out of everyone.

Another avalanche, this time much more intense, hit us from above covering every single student who was caught unaware of that possibility. I was protected under the doorframe of the castle - all I had to do was retrieve back inside the castle - but everyone who was outside on the patio was overwhelmed by a mountain of snow crushing them.

I screamed in desperation to see Skylar being buried by the avalanche. How could this happen? How didn't anyone see that this was a possibility? I understand it is a rare phenomenon, but it can't be that rare if it happens every single year. Multiple times in various places in Colorado.

"I need an emergency team right now!" Professor Roberts shouted his orders onto the radio, like me, he was barely able to save himself because he was under the door frame as well. The snow invaded the first tower whose door was open, but it was nothing like it was outside. we just caught a blizzard while they were covered in snow.

Contained by the walls of the estate, the snow covered the terrain completely. From the backlot of the third tower to the entrance gate. There was nowhere to run.

"I need every available person to dig through this snow and excavate the students trapped underneath it. I need emergency gear now!" The man in charge shouted at his radio, summoning all the staff to rescue the students.

While all this was happening in a flash, the rest of the pupils who were still inside the cafeteria came out to see what had happened. When Seth saw me crying, he immediately rushed to my side.

"Where is my brother?" He cried out, nervously.

"We will do everything in our power to rescue him, don't you worry about it." Professor Roberts assured him, voice shaky with apprehension.

"My brother was buried in the snow and you want me to not worry about it?" He screamed, panicking.

"You will be lucky to be alive once my father gets a hold of you!" Seth was seething in anger, understandably so. I hate to play this card, but it should be his responsibility to keep the students safe. That door should never have been opened until they were sure it was safe for the students.

We had to clear the path for the staff to start excavating the snow. They had special gear and attacked the situation from multiple fronts. Every Security Officer on call was going through the snow to find the students who had little time left before they ran out of air.

Meanwhile, I was sobbing in desperation over possibly losing the love of my life. Seth had the unfortunate task of calling his father to let him know that his son and heir may not come out of this alive.

Pain washes me over, rendering me in shambles. A few minutes later into their conversation...

"What? Why did they let the students play outside before it was safe?" Frederick was beside himself angry as he heard the news from his son.

"Dad, I am really worried. He doesn't have much time left without oxygen." Seth was weeping over the phone with his father, who was worried sick about his son.

"Your brother is a warrior, son. He will be fine. I am taking the helicopter now to the airport. I'll be there as soon as I can." Frederick tried to be strong for his son, though clearly concerned about Skylar.

We returned to the cafeteria, which was closest to the action and we could see from the (closed) windows what was happening outside. All the students were watching what was happening apprehensively. Some of them, like me, had prospects out in the snow too.

This could be the most devastating blow to the academy's otherwise stellar reputation. If anything happens to Skylar, nobody will ever live this down. Not ever. The longer it takes to retrieve him, the more desperate I get and so does Seth, by my side, suffering in apprehension over his twin brother.

Dozens of professionals do their best to excavate through the snow, some of them use small flame throwers to melt the ice - once it becomes clear that there are no students underneath it. It is absolutely teamwork, as it needs to be.

We have no choice but to watch their work from inside, not being able to help them at the moment. I mean, I would've tried but Roberts wouldn't let me. I guess he finally realized that it was too dangerous for kids to stay outside. *eyeroll*

Seth was consoling me as I was doing the same for him. We were keeping each other afloat with the hope of seeing our loving Skylar again. As soon as the workers began finding students spread across the yard, we celebrated the fact that they were found soon.

The rescued students are immediately taken to the infirmary as there is no time to waste by sending them to the hospital. But they already called an ambulance with a team of first responders to help out. They have also called a doctor, but due to the distance between Ravenwood and the nearest city, it is going to take at least an hour for them to arrive here.

The ambulance should arrive sooner than that, but the academy has a nurse practitioner who is prepared to treat hypothermia. Just not so many people at once. Every available resource is being used to successfully retrieve the students with life.

Not that this is any comfort to me or Seth, all we want is to see Skylar again, as soon as possible. I am worried about how long he can survive without oxygen before it can cause permanent damage to the brain. I am not sure that he is getting air under that much snow.

The wait is exasperating. The anticipation is killing me. The apprehension increases every minute that passes and he is not found. What is going to happen to my beloved Skylar? What is to become of his pack? His father's legacy?

My mind keeps going to these dark places the longer it takes for them to find him.

"It's been twenty minutes already! How the hell they couldn't find him?" I shouted in desperation. Who can survive such an ordeal? No one can live that long without oxygen.

Oh my Goddess! My Skylar! My beloved Alpha, my one true love, what is to become of you?

One by one, the students are found and sent to the infirmary in gurneys. Where the hell is Skylar, for Goddess' sake?

I am shaking in nervousness and desperation. I am trembling, tears are streaming down my face without hesitation. I am getting the sense that I am not going to see my loved one with life ever again. Why are they taking so long to find him?

The reality is it takes a massive endeavor to shuffle the snow out of the way in order for them to get to the students. It's not simply a search and rescue operation. It takes a village to move around and the staff is working as hard as they can.

"Why aren't they finding him? Where is Skylar?" I cry out, desperate to see my prospect again. I need him to be okay, I need him to be well.

In the meantime, Jayden, who was not caught by the snow, is comforting Seth as we wait for his brother to be rescued. He knows this is a life-threatening situation, as do we, and is showing concern for his roommate.

Nevertheless, he is continuously telling Seth that his brother is the toughest Alpha he has ever met and that he'll pull through. He would never leave him behind, which I am sure it's true. If he is given the chance, that is.

All the students gathered in the cafeteria are anxiously waiting for the remainder of the students to be rescued. One by one, each save is cheered loudly by everyone. We do not want to lose anybody - especially to a preventable accident.

I hate to play the blame game, but someone should be in charge of preventing the students from coming out during an avalanche. Just saying...

Finally, Skylar's body is retrieved by the rescuing team. We celebrated for a second until we heard one of them saying:

"He's not breathing! Start compressions!"

They started working on him, giving him CPR and chest compressions. We don't know how long he was without air. We don't know if he was able to breathe under that much snow. The longer it takes for him to live, the more desperate I become.

"He's not responding to chest compressions. What do we do?"

"Bring the defibrillator!"

"How long can the brain survive without oxygen?"

"Four minutes. After that, it's brain damage."

"Clear!"

An insurmountable pain takes over my body at seeing the love of my life lifeless on a gurney. What am I to do with myself now? *cries in despair*

https://youtu.be/aAQZPBwz2CI

A|N: No, I am not crying. You are crying.

Oh Skylar, you'll be missed sorely.

What happens next?

I guess you should really check out my Patreon account:

patreon.com/LeonardoMontero

It is unmissable!

OFF: I was saving this song for something much more sinister, but I guess I couldn't resist it. Oh well, I'll just have to get creative when I drop the bomb in the future. Rest assured the twists are far away from ending!

Next is the suggestive "Don't Leave Me This Way".

Love,

Léo.