SLAP

“You son of a bitch! You were caught in bed with another man?” A raging female Gamma student has just slapped Skylar across the face in the middle of the dining hall of Ravenwood Academy.

Immediately, this caught everyone’s attention while the Alpha boy was reeling from the unexpected slap.

“He was in heat, I didn’t do it on purpose!” Skylar defended himself, baffled by her attitude. The whispers were off the charts as students were gossiping about this event as it unfolded.

“I don’t care! My family will never accept our contract now! You ruined us!” She snarled at him, possessed by rage.

“Carla, I didn’t do anything to him, I swear!” Skylar protested, feeling her rage and disappointment, not to mention the judging stares from all the other students.

“You shouldn’t have gone to his room alone in the first place! Now everybody will be expecting his belly to grow and you to pay the fine. We are done, Stronghold!” She snarled, raging at him, storming out of the dining hall.

“Carla, wait! I swear I didn’t do anything to him!” He tried to explain himself to her, to no avail. She looked properly enraged by this happening.

Great, that is just great! Now on top of having almost no prospects so far, I have lost my reputation and now all the students think I am pregnant with Skylar’s child. Where did I go wrong? I cannot believe I am being punished for being an Omega in this day and age!

“I know it is hard to believe this, but I would appreciate it if people refrained from thinking I disgraced an innocent Omega boy. I swear on my life that I did not take advantage of his heat. I know this seems like an impossible task, but I was raised well.” Skylar declared loudly to the entire student body present in the packed dining hall.

“I hope you know that I truly am sorry for everything. Please, don’t let my mistake cost you the one that you want. I already lost my prospect, you shouldn’t lose yours too.” Skylar told Jayden who was sitting in the Alpha section not so far from him, he was taken aback by this. The blonde boy had tears in his eyes as he was misjudged by his peers. He looked heartbroken, genuinely.

Jayden remained silent, but he looked sorrowful. It is clear to see that he wasn’t in a happy place. At my table in the Omega section, Seth was feeling bad for his brother. He might have done the wrong thing, but he did not act as horribly as people think he did.

At this point, there wasn’t a single student here who didn’t know I was the Omega in question. This was salacious gossip. After lunch, Ravenwood’s head of security called me into his room to interview me about the events of last Sunday. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t taken advantage of.

They take Omegas’ safety very seriously here as it was attested by the academy’s rules. I reaffirmed that despite the optics, I was not ‘molested’ by Skylar. However, I am not so sure if I will ever get my reputation back now that it has gone to the toilet. I might as well say goodbye to any chance I had to ever be claimed by anybody here in this academy.

I walked the halls with a giant scarlet letter, students whispering about me and looking at my belly like I was growing a little Stronghold in there. Goddess forbids people from actually believing the truth.

“Good evening, students. I called you here tonight to clarify something.” Headmaster Lockwood summoned all the pupils to the auditorium this Wednesday evening, uncharacteristic of him. Somehow, I have the distinct impression that this is about me. And by me, I actually mean Skylar.

“There is a rumor going around in this academy that one of our students took advantage of an Omegas’ heat. From what I understand, they were caught in bed together, so people assumed the worst. I understand whoever made that assumption, I am a werewolf too.” He continued in a somber tone.

“Obviously, we talked to the students involved in this incident and gathered their reports. From that, two facts caught my attention.” He stated, sounding intrigued.

“First, from all accounts, neither of the boys in question were completely disrobed when they were caught. If they had given in to heat induced copulation, they would not have cared enough to cover themselves. You have to understand that there is nothing more powerful to a werewolf than an Omegas’ heat. It alters our brain chemistry temporarily. There is no way they wouldn’t be caught in the act of… well, I am sure I don’t need to tell you what it is that they would be doing.” He lectured, a bit embarrassed. Some students laughed at his awkwardness.

“There is also an important fact that most of you are unaware of. This was not broadcast until now, but I will tell you this because it is important for people to understand something.” He spoke with some reluctance in his voice.

“You see, Alpha Stronghold is not stupid. He knew that when his sons reached puberty, there was an inevitable heat episode to come. He didn’t want a tragedy to occur when that happens, so he planned ahead.” He spoke, immediately causing the students to stare at the twins - who were sitting far apart from each other in the auditorium.

“Alpha Stronghold exposed his son to Omegas in heat when he was in high school, he had an expert teaching Skylar coping mechanisms to avoid giving into it. He did this for years before the twins were seventeen because he knew that one day his Alpha son could find himself near his Omega brother in heat and that would come in handy. He wanted to prevent a tragedy.” He informed us with a mildly disgusted look on his face.

I understand where he is coming from. There is no immunity from your brother’s heat. Only Omegas are immune to other’s heat. Mated and marked people are resistant as well - though that is much less frequent to see now with four decades without mates.

“Normally, I wouldn’t concern myself with gossip that floats around these corridors, but two boys’ reputations are on the line. I would not want our students to make decisions based on false rhetoric. It’s important to me that every student here has the same opportunity, but you can’t make an informed decision if you don’t have the correct information.” He declared with half a smile.

“I hope I was able to give you some clarity on the matter. Dismissed.” He concluded and I felt like I could breathe again. The students started filling out the room commenting on what they had just learned.

“Did you know your brother was trained to withstand heat?” I asked Seth, curiously. He was by my side in the auditorium, as always.

“Yeah, I did. But that was never put to the test because we obviously couldn’t risk any Omegas from our pack.” He replied, uncomfortable at this topic.

“Well, he resisted you.” I said in a humorous tone. Seth did not appreciate my brand of humor. It would be a catastrophe of epic proportions if Skylar caught his brother in heat and alone, so I understand their father’s actions to plan accordingly. It was smart of him.

“I wasn’t near him when I got struck by my first heat. Thank Goddess! Fortunately, I was with my girl friends.” He glared at me as he said that. I smiled awkwardly.

As we left the assembly, I could not help but think maybe Jayden had something to do with his grandfather’s speech. I would hope so, but I had to talk to him to make sure. I managed to approach him outside of the auditorium.

“Good evening. How are you doing?” I greeted him as I practically accosted him before he escaped me, positioning myself in front of him in the busy corridor.

“I am doing well. Very informative lecture.” He spoke a tad awkwardly.

“Yeah, did you put your grandfather up to it?” I questioned him with a suspicious frown. He laughed at me.

“Alpha Lockwood would never do something like this for me, much less to clear the reputation of a boy he doesn’t even want me to claim in the first place.” He spoke, much more honestly than I would have expected. At this, I took some distance from him.

“Wow!” I gasped at his bluntness, widening my eyes. By all means, don’t sugarcoat it for my sake… *gasp*

“I just meant to say he probably did that for Skylar’s sake, not yours. No offense.” He spoke, not exactly surprising me this time. I figured as much.

“Well, the high tide lifts all ships.” I muttered, mildly uncomfortable. Jayden looked at me for a moment the same way he used to look at me before. It was refreshing to be seen that way.

“Thanks for your honesty, I will leave you alone now.” I spoke, sounding defeated.

“Hey, I said HE doesn’t want me to claim you. I still do.” He spoke and the widest smile was plastered all over my face.

“Oh really?” I stared at him joyfully.

“Of course. Why shouldn’t I believe you? If you said nothing happened, then nothing happened.” He spoke with a charming smile that made me swoon like a lovesick puppy.

“Trust me, I would never do you wrong. This isn’t something an Omega like me can lie about.” I said, tensely. It is not like I can hide a pregnant belly until April. Goddess protect me!

“I know… I’ve missed you.” He approached me and then pecked my lips.

“I missed you too. You have no idea how broken I was!” I exclaimed, feeling disheartened by his distance from me.

Jayden literally swept me off my feet, holding me close to him in the process. He effectively lifted me so we could be at the same height and our lips would meet.

He didn't care that we were just outside of the auditorium, nor did he care about the students watching us as they passed by. It was our moment and that was all that mattered.

By dinner time, I entered the dining hall in good spirits. People were still talking about Skylar and me, but now I really couldn't care less. As long as I had Jayden, I was good to go.

Nobody cared about me before and they are definitely not going to care about me now. It's fine, any hope I had by coming here was to make a good match, or at least a decent one.

I imagined that maybe a good Beta would look my way, but most people here are too busy trying to match above their station to look at lonely old me. Poor me.

It's like if you don't have money, breed, or at least a powerful pack backing you up you're worth nothing. I already imagined it would be an uphill battle to find anyone for me here.

Of course, I could never imagine someone like Jayden would ever look my way. This is the stuff of fairy tales.

A wealthy son of a powerful Alpha? How could he ever glance at me? I guess I was lucky to have caught his attention when he was in our locker room that day, though at the time I could have sworn that he was eyeing Seth, not me.

What a pleasant surprise he turned out to be. I still pinch myself from time to time. How did I nab such a prestigious prospect?

The truth is I didn't.

Nothing is guaranteed until Jayden's mother, the Alpha of the White Claw pack, approves me and our marital contract. There is a hierarchy to these proceedings and in my world, the Alpha's orders must be obeyed.

At all times, with no exceptions.

So you see, the game is far from being won.

“You look radiant tonight. Does it have something to do with a certain ebony god that was seen kissing you outside of the auditorium?” Seth teased me as we took our seats for dinner in the Omega section of Ravenwood's dining hall.

I laughed at his question.

“I am not going to lie, I was heartbroken over what happened on Sunday. This heat business not only almost destroyed my reputation, it broke my heart to be apart from Jayden since then.” I told him in a dreadful tone.

Seth reached out his hand to touch mine softly and gave me an encouraging smile.

“I am just glad for you to have survived this episode. I was heartbroken for you. You didn't deserve any of this, so I am glad that you and Jayden are together again.” He sounded supportive and I really appreciated that. This could be a lot worse if I didn’t have any support whatsoever, so it is very nice to have a fellow Omega in my corner.

At the same time, in the Alpha section of the dining hall, a Gamma female student approached Skylar looking rather guilty.

“Hi. I am sorry for overreacting before.” She apologized for slapping him this morning. Skylar stood up from his table and spoke to her looking deep into her eyes.

“Thank you for that. The truth is you were not that far off. It was incredibly hard for me to resist his heat and I should never have gone to his room alone in the first place. You were right to call me out. I escaped this by the skin of my teeth.” He bore his soul, catching her by surprise. She smiled at him and took his hands on hers.

“I appreciate your honesty. Let’s start fresh now, how about that?” She proposed with a very beautiful smile.

“Thanks but no, thank you. Not only did you completely humiliate me in front of the entire student body. But the worst of all is you didn’t give me a chance to explain myself. I expect better from my future Luna. We are done.” He declared, causing everybody around him to gasp in shock at this turn of events.

“But Sky, I didn’t mean to–”

“We ARE done, Carla. Good luck next time!” He dismissed her, not wanting to hear her out. Which would be kind of poetic if it weren’t so brutal.

The girl left the dining hall tearing up while Skylar sat back down and resumed eating like nothing happened.

“Oh, my Goddess!” Seth gasped in shock at witnessing this scene.

“Dude, you are ruthless!” One of the Alphas commented to Skylar.

“No, I am not. Did you see Jayden hitting his Omega? No! Because he gave him the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t assume immediately that he had done something wrong. He took a beat until he was ready to talk things out. I should be afforded the same treatment. If my own partner doesn’t believe in me, why should I believe in her or any future we might have together?” He ranted, sounding pissed off.

Jayden widened his eyes as he mentioned his name in the conversation.

“It helps that my Omega was innocent of your mistakes.” He told him in a snarky tone.

“I never said anything to the contrary and I have apologized for my wrongdoings. But I will be believed. I deserve a partner who expects the best of me, or at the very least gives me a chance to explain myself. Clearly, it was not her.” He retorted, adamant.

The Alpha boys stared at each other for a moment before they continued eating their dinner.

“I can’t believe he said ‘my Omega’.” Seth whispered to me, perplexed by this.

“Well, I hate to say it, but your brother is right. No matter how bad things looked, he deserved a chance to explain himself. She owed him that much.” I admitted, relating to Skylar in some weird way.

For once, I felt bad for him. He was wrong, of course, but he should be offered a chance to explain things. He should be believed by his partner, no matter how unlikely the situation presents itself. And I do mean unlikely… We dodged a bullet. *breathes a sigh of relief*

A|N: BOOM!

Kids, don't try this at home. If your man was caught in bed with another man, he is definitely gay. And a cheater.

It is an incredibly happy accident how that first video could relate to Skylar's situation so perfectly.

Love,

Léo.