The entire student body is talking about last night’s Fall Ball. Because of last night's activities, no student went home this weekend. Usually, we go back on Friday afternoon, so it doesn’t pay to leave today only to return here tomorrow.

The loud buzz is taking over the dining hall in the first tower of Ravenwood. Everybody is excited about the connections they made yesterday, some unexpected bonds were formed. Skylar unsurprisingly has to decide among several candidates for his next prospective partner.

But the biggest surprise of the day is the number of candidates his brother has to deal with now. Every day we walk up here together, but today he was bombarded with greetings from several students with whom he danced last night.

Sean is included in the mix, but now he is just one in a dozen. It seems like they lost the fear of retaliation from Skylar and now all bets are off. The blonde-ish Omega is finally having the time of his life. Or at least so it seems…

“You have never been this popular! How does it feel?” I asked my roommate as we finally managed to sit down to have breakfast in the Omega section.

“Strange, to be honest with you.” He replied, feeling at odds with his new found popularity.

“This is what should have happened from the moment you started going here. Now you are finally free of your brother's influence.” I celebrated, ecstatically happy for him.

Seth is werewolf royalty and he should be treated as such. I don't like to keep mentioning it, but the last name speaks for itself. There is no richer family [of werewolves] in America.

“I don't know if free is the word I'd use.” He rebuked me, feeling uneasy.

“You have the pick of the litter now. As does he, for that matter. But my point is: you are a Stronghold too. This is what happens to you people.” I elaborated, in between bites of my food.

Seth already has various invitations for dates later. It's going to be a busy day for him. Meanwhile, Jayden already reminded me that we are supposed to go to Georgia next weekend for me to meet his parents.

Nervous? Me?

I am only meeting the woman who will decide on our marital contract. Of course, all Alphas have to approve their children's partner. We are talking about werewolves after all.

All parents have to sign off on their children's contracts. If you don't have their approval, you can't sign a contract. It's that simple. And terrifying if you ask me. By the way, nobody needs to sign off on me putting my signature on a piece of paper. I am not that important.

But I already knew the deal before I came here. It's not exactly a secret how things are done in werewolf high society.

Without mates, you have to submit your prospect for your Alpha's consideration. It was the same with Jayden's and Seth's parents, just to name a few. No Alpha will permit their heir to commit to anybody without their expressed approval.

I told Jayden it was too soon for me to meet his parents, but he didn't want to waste any time. I cannot fault him for that. When you know, you know.

After breakfast, he scooped me up to go into town. But this time the academy van was packed to the brim. Nobody wants to stay inside Ravenwood all day, it's the weekend.

Seth and Skylar also went out on dates, but they traveled in a different van because one was not enough for the amount of students going out today.

Jayden took me sightseeing. We walked the streets that we didn't make it to the last time around. It was great to have some alone time with him, despite the seemingly busy streets downtown.

He told me all about his parents and what I should expect when I meet them. He took the time to warn me that I might feel judged for not having a father present in my life. Oh boy… Why isn’t this surprising to me?

I felt judged my whole life except for when I was around humans. There are a lot of them in Boulder and divorced parents are a common occurrence among humankind. I am certain that I am going to be presented with the challenge of my lifetime.

How am I supposed to convince Jayden’s parents that I am a worthy partner if I have nothing to offer them? Goddess knows they are not going to be sold with nice smiles and the fact that I am an Omega. My breed is a given for an Alpha like Jayden.

And there are plenty of better choices for him in this academy…

My self esteem issues creep up on me all of a sudden. I was so distracted by this that Jayden pulled me closer to him in a deep, sweet kiss that could wake anybody from a slumber.

“I am sorry, I am in my head about meeting your parents. I don't know how I am supposed to get approved for you if I have nothing to offer them.” I admitted, vulnerably. Jayden and I were sitting at a coffee shop downtown, replenishing our energy after the long walk.

Jayden frowned at my self doubt and pulled me close to hug me tenderly.

“You don’t have to be anything other than what you are. You are gorgeous and intelligent, my parents will fall in love with you in the same way that I have.” He comforted me and I gasped in shock as I heard his words.

“What?” I stared at him, wide-eyed.

“I love you, Jacob Anderson. You are the one for me.” He declared and I melted into a puddle before him.

“I love you too, Jayden Lockwood Johnson.” I admitted, completely smitten. I was totally enthralled by him, his physical appearance, his attention, and overall amazing character. I am all in. If we don’t work out, then I am done for.

The two of us made out for a while, catching the attention of other customers in the coffee shop - not that we cared about it at all. We had such an amazing date that I almost didn’t want to return in the afternoon, but I could not afford to miss the van back to Ravenwood.

Not that I would mind spending a night with Jayden if you catch my drift. *naughty emoji*

Later that day, Seth and I were reunited inside our dorm room to get ready for dinner. I couldn't resist telling him that Jayden declared his love for me and he was not the least bit surprised to hear this, as it turns out.

“That was obvious, Jake. He's head over heels for you already.” He commented, looking at me with a smirk plastered on his face.

“That's good to hear because I am too, for him.” I admitted, not that it was hard to figure that part out.

“I am truly happy for both of you. Now you just need to conquer the other Alpha's heart as well.” He said, humorously. He is referring to Jayden's mother.

“Goddess help me in this task…” I prayed out loud, fearful to meet the powerful woman. I just need to convince her that I am genuinely into her son and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make us happen.

“I am sure you will charm her with your natural charisma.” He encouraged me, smiling tenderly.

I have to acknowledge that this whole journey could have been a lot worse for me if I didn’t have a supportive roommate. All of us students are sequestered here, away from our families, and most of the time all that we have is each other.

If you think about the dynamic between Skylar and Jayden, you can see how a dorm room pairing could go easily wrong… And they are equals in all but money in the bank - in this Skylar is unparalleled in the whole Academy - and ethnicity.

They should be getting along great, but they do not for whatever reason I don’t fully comprehend other than Skylar being a jackass. Excuse my language.

Considering I am a scholarship student, I could get an insufferable spoiled brat for a roommate and this could have gone horribly wrong. I would have no support system at all here at Ravenwood. Nobody would be in my corner when things get tough.

I really lucked out in the roommate department, that is a fact. Seth is every bit of my friend just like my old high school friends back in Boulder, most of whom are now in college. Obviously, I do not regret coming here because it was the best course of action for me.

But I do appreciate having a great roommate. I hope we can remain friends for the rest of my life. I imagine Seth feels the exact same way. Plus, it’s always nice to have an Omega buddy. We can always use people who relate to specific aspects of our lives [that nobody else can].

The two of us walked inside the packed dining hall like any other day, only to find an Alpha waiting for Seth with freshly picked flowers. My roommate was surprised by this move but thanked the boy with hearts in his eyes for the sweet gesture.

“Wow. The race for your brother’s heart is going to be tight.” Jayden commented to a rather nonchalant Skylar.

“Whatever. I am staying out of it. At least until his heat strikes in January.” He replied, causing us all around him to be in shock. No one expected to hear this from him ever.

“You know your brother's heat cycle?” Jayden was wide-eyed at this information.

“He is staying out of your love life? Who is he and what did he do to the control freak twin?” I blurted, equally stunned by his statement.

Skylar glared at me from his place in the opposite line before he answered his roommate.

“Of course, I know my brother’s heat cycle! I have to stay away from him when that happens!” He grunted in annoyance as if it was obvious to everybody.

“If you are staying away from him, does it really matter what he does in January? Or who he is dating by then?” Jayden retorted, confused by his previous statement.

“I meant to say he shouldn’t be with anybody at that time and I will protect him if needs me.” He elaborated, furrowing his eyebrows.

I am not so sure what he can do if he has to stay away from his brother when in heat, but I will not comment on this issue. Especially since it’s only September. But good for him to be attentive to his brother’s cycle. Heat is not something to play around as I have just witnessed myself.

Seth was shocked to hear that his brother would cease to interfere in his love life and thought it was endearing that Skylar knew his heat cycle. That is usually information that only Omegas keep track of individually - just like women’s periods, we can calculate the window of time until it strikes us again from the last time it hit us.

The time frame can vary, but it is rare for it to occur in young Omegas like me and him.

“I can’t even think about heat without the image of you in bed with Jake popping up in my head. This is triggering for me. And I still can’t believe you managed to resist him, I know I wouldn’t.” Jayden admitted, painstakingly. I get flustered at the mention of my name in this awkward conversation.

“It is not like he is my mate, dude! I just had to use every trick I learned from my coach, though when he started stripping in front of me, I thought I was a goner!” He confessed, much more honestly than I would have preferred.

“It’s triggering to me too! How about we change the subject?” I interjected, calling their attention to me. I am beyond embarrassed by this line of conversation. The Alpha boys stared at my red face for a second and gulped awkwardly, turning their attention to the line for food.

After we filled our trays, Seth and I found a seat in the Omega section as usual. Knowing how this was a sensitive topic for me, he immediately asked me about other things to take my mind off it. I am telling you, he is a true friend.

Considering it was Saturday and we had the night to ourselves, Jayden took advantage of the fact that Seth had a date tonight to keep me company inside my dorm room. It was a brilliant move from him to go for some alone time, just the two of us.

We lay together on my bed and took advantage of our new found privacy. Finally, I had some time to enjoy my man thoroughly. Our lips met and I let out a quiet moan in pleasure. My hands were exploring his fantastic body and before I knew it, he was shirtless for my eyes to feast upon his ripped torso.

“It’s like I died and went to heaven!” I said in a humorous tone, admiring his perfect physical form. Jayden laughed at my comment and continued kissing me for a while. At the same time, his hands were busy taking my shirt off.

“You know, you’re exactly what I expected to find when I came here. You are everything I hoped for. All that I wanted in a prospective partner I found in you.” He told me and I honestly wanted to cry, but I didn’t. I fought my own emotions.

“You are absolutely the man I could never hope to find, but prayed to the Goddess he existed. You mean the world to me and I am so glad we found each other.” I declared, completely enthralled by his charming personality.

“I am so glad you came into our locker room that day. To this day, that was the highlight of my time here at Ravenwood so far.” I continued, smitten by him. He smiled at me and kissed me one more time.

“You were so feisty, I could not take my mind off of you since then!” He confessed, hearts in his eyes.

“Me neither!” I admitted, enthusiastically.

“I am glad you didn’t report me to the school administration.” He noted, a bit embarrassed by this.

“That is not what I am about. If you just came to take a shower, that’s forgivable. Why fight with you, if we could be falling in love instead?” I snickered.

“Trust me, I have already fallen. Hard.” He declared, swooning at me. We engaged in a deep, passionate kiss that ignited a fire in me unlike I had never felt before for any man. I guess this is it. There is so much I want to do with him, I hope we get the chance.

A|N: BOOM!

I have been meaning to get this song in one of my books, so it finally came to pass.

Yes, I wrote with a specific song in mind but it doesn’t always pan out in the end.

I love the path that I have with this book. I can take it the furthest away from my previous novels and that is what I am loving so far.

And I still haven’t revealed the major plot twist yet.

You can hardly wait, my dear readers.

Love,

Léo.