As students made their way into the dining hall, all everyone could talk about was the rules of engagement. I already imagined consent would be a huge thing in a place built for teenagers to relate to each other, that is not the surprising part of this Sunday evening.

What no one expected was for them to have such protective rules regarding Omegas. It's basically warning whoever plans on sleeping with one of us that you will be held accountable if we fall pregnant with your pup. And no, you can't use our heat as an excuse anymore.

There are plenty of tactics that you can deploy before abusing an Omega in heat. At least, if you are near them when it strikes. If anybody is touching us, then all bets are off. This was something that I always grew up very conscious of, the need to preserve myself against any potential harm done by an unsuspecting werewolf.

The last thing I wanted growing up was to be stuck raising a pup on my own just like my mother. But at least she loved my father, he wasn't a random stranger which is what could happen to me depending on the situation. Fortunately, I was mostly friends with humans as a teenager and they are immune from heat.

I mean, not immune per se, but heat alters our brain chemistry to emit powerful pheromones that attract male suitors in our vicinity. Werewolves are drawn to it by the smell, but humans cannot scent such pheromones therefore it is innocuous to them.

It is always the scent with us werewolves. Our most powerful sense, the one that made people discover their mates back in the day. You sniff them out and only your mate had a particular scent that would drive your wolf crazy and immediately detect that person was the one for you.

It must be nice to have that, a person chosen just for you.

Seth and I stood in a long line for food, then walked with our trays to find a table around other Omegas. Werewolves are a caste system and they all stick together, especially in an environment like this. It is interesting to see how things evolve here. This is a learning establishment that disguises itself as a mixer for the who's who in werewolf society.

There is a staggering amount of handsome, hot boys and girls already eyeing their targets, assessing who is who in this large dining room with close to two hundred voracious werewolves. Normally, I would be frightful in a room full of Alphas but somehow that speech by Headmaster Lockwood gave me just enough confidence to feel safe in this environment. At least, for now.

After dinner, Seth and I returned to our dorm room for the night. On our way back, we saw some students already making out in random corners. Apparently, people work fast here. So many potential partners to get to know, not that I had anyone vying to taste my lips.

Seth, on the other hand, was being eyed by a lot of boys and girls. Any Alpha with a brain cell knows that he is a valuable Omega to take back to their pack. Not only is he a trust fund boy, but he also stands to inherit a fortune when his parent(s) pass. That is a whole other level of pedigree.

Later that night, we went together to the (male) bathroom to check out the shower situation. It was a large room with several shower stalls, each one with a door that locked from inside. At least, we wouldn't need to worry about anyone invading our space.

As I said that, a tall, muscular, impossibly handsome boy with the most beautiful ebony skin I have ever seen in my life, steps out of one of the shower stalls wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist. His abs was so ripped you could do a (washboard) laundry on it. Our jaws dropped as we stared at the young man who immediately noticed our presence there, drooling at him.

"You are on the wrong floor! Why did you come all the way here to take a shower?" I snarled at the young Alpha, peeved at his presence in our floor.

"The Alpha bathroom was busy. Too many boys, too little stalls." He replied with mischief in his smile, gawking at Seth who was looking right back at him. Just not at his face.

"I don't think it is allowed for students from different houses to use our bathroom. I am going to have to report this." I declared, causing the boy to finally divert his attention from Seth to me.

Suddenly, he expressed concern and raised his hands as he spoke to me. Seth was silent.

"Calm down, okay? I genuinely just came here to take a shower. I promise I have no ulterior motive. Nor do I mean you any harm. I am not one of those Alphas that Headmaster Lockwood warned about, I am an ally." He defended himself, scared of the consequences of his little adventure.

Personally, I would not be caught dead in the Alpha's showers, but I guess I wouldn't care where I would take my clothes off if I weren't an Omega. Is this what they call "male privilege"? I am sure it's a bit disconcerting for me to say that as a male as well, but for once I understand women.

"Sure, ally. You can go back to your dorm now." I said, stretching my arm to point him to the exit.

"Do you want me to walk three flights of stairs naked?" He asked me, barely able to conceal his grin.

"No... Of course not. You can get dressed, then you leave." I said, impatiently.

"You are so cute when you get bossy. What is your name?" He flirted with me, finally making Seth turn to me and stare in surprise at this.

"My name is 'get the hell out of my bathroom so I can have a shower in peace'!" I protested, not giving in to his flirting.

"Okay, okay!" He surrendered, now opening his small duffel bag that was on the bench in the middle of the restroom. The stranger picked out his clothes and the two of us remained there, watching him doing that like a show.

Suddenly, he noticed we were watching him and turned to us with a naughty grin.

"Are you enjoying the show? It is about to get spicy if you don't look away." He cautioned us. Something tells me he is not that concerned about any possible nudity exposure on his part...

"I am Seth Stronghold, it's nice to meet you." He introduced himself to the half naked boy.

"I know who you are. It is very nice to meet you too, Seth. I am Jayden Johnson." He greeted him back, all the while still not taking his eyes off of me.

Considering I did not want to stay for the show, I took my towel and my clothes and walked to an empty shower stall. Seth could not take his eyes off the ebony god, which I can certainly understand.

"You are from Georgia, right?" Seth inquired about him.

"Yes, I am. But I wasn't kidding when I said it is about to get spicy in here. I need to get dressed before someone accuses me of inappropriate behavior." He warned him, looking at my stall. Meanwhile, I am already taking my clothes off inside.

Seth blushed because he kind of wanted to stay for the private show, but that was not appropriate behavior - though he could have gotten dressed inside the stall if he was concerned about his modesty.

Reluctantly, my roommate stepped into another empty stall and left our new acquaintance to get dressed in peace. We were the only ones here at this hour anyway. I guess it is a good thing that we were.

A few minutes later, Jayden stopped in front of my closed stall and said goodbye to me.

"It was nice to meet you, Jacob. See you around." He said with a flirty undertone.

"How do you know my name?" I was shocked to hear this as the hot water cleansed my body.

He laughed at my question and walked off without saying anything else. I was positively intrigued by this. It is not like there was a registry or a list of student names posted. That information is kept a secret to protect the identity of the students and any potential target by an enemy pack. How did he know my name?

After Seth and I exited the shower stalls, already wearing underwear and a t-shirt, I finished drying my body before I put on some pants. It was then that he laughed at something, then picked up my towel to show me my name that was embroidered on the edge. Finally, I understood how he knew my name.

On Monday, once again students packed the dining hall to grab breakfast. The bacon was going faster than the cooking staff could fry it. Fortunately for me, there were plenty of other options and three stations with food to feed the hungry teenagers.

Everybody was talking and getting to know each other. It is interesting to watch dozens of teenagers thrown into a place where they hardly knew anybody before and now are all into this social experiment of sorts. I mean, it is not exactly an experiment...

Seth and I found our seats near some Omegas like yesterday when the most beautiful boy I have ever seen in my life approached us.

"Are you settled in okay? I heard one of the Alphas was leaving your locker room yesterday. Do you need me to square things with him?" The handsome boy with muscular arms barely contained in his tight shirt asked Seth, completely ignoring my presence by his side.

"How did you hear this already? No one else was inside the bathroom with us!" Seth was surprised to hear this and it's certainly not because I told anybody.

"Did you think no one would notice an Alpha walking down the Gamma House? I don't think he was there visiting a sibling." He smirked, poking fun at the unusual situation.

"I settled in great. No, you don't need to square anything with anybody. He was never disrespectful to me or Jake." Seth explained, causing the boy to finally glance my way for a single second.

"Okay, then. If you need, call me. Have a great first day." He winked at him playfully then returned to the Alpha table.

"Nice to meet you too." I mumbled, slightly bothered by being ignored so blatantly.

Seth laughed nervously.

"That was my twin brother. He is very protective of me and thinks no one is good enough to claim me." He explained, lowering his head and feeling self-conscious.

"Then why come here in the first place? If you don't find a partner here, you won't find it anywhere else." I countered, mildly annoyed at his pretentious Alpha brother.

"My parents are contract partners. They are still together even though my dad has a mistress he doesn't think mom knows about." He told me in a low tone, embarrassed about it. I gulped awkwardly at the oversharing.

"My father wouldn't let either of us settle on a serious partner when we were in high school. He was very adamant that my brother and I were both going here to find a contract partner too. Someone appropriate to be associated with the Stronghold name." He spoke, though this part I had already figured out.

"Relax, Seth. That's why everybody came here to Ravenwood. I understand. I was lucky enough to get a scholarship here and my mom wouldn't let me turn it down. She too was adamant that I should come and find a contract partner. It's the only safety for an Omega like me, especially with no money or a powerful pack to back me." I sympathized with him, not letting him feel bad about his situation. I am pretty sure his father is not the first - or only - man who keeps a mistress.

The breakfast turned a bit uncomfortable, but I was finally able to grab some bacon and soon enough it was time for our first class of the day. Because this was a specialized school, the curriculum was tailored to young werewolves since we were already done with high school material. If I never see an algebra book again for the rest of my life it will be too soon... *sigh*

Considering the massive number of students, we were separated into groups of forty in each classroom. Unfortunately, the list of names was previously elaborated and Seth and I didn't have the same class. Instead, I got a front row seat to watch his brother make a fool of himself as he flirted with a ginger haired Gamma. She shot him down hard even before the class began.

"You do know I'm Skylar Stronghold, right?" He told her with his smug tone as if that was supposed to mean something to her.

"And I am Helen Matarazzo. You have nothing to offer me that I don't already have. Hell will freeze over before I move to some Goddess forsaken small town in Texas!" She shot back and the classroom was in uproar at the epic burn.

Oh, my Goddess! That was worth getting up in the morning today... *evil smirk*

"I don't think you're her type, bro." An Alpha boy poked fun at him, next to his seat in the classroom.

"Aim lower, dude! It's no use going for West Coast girls." Another Alpha teased him, getting secondhand embarrassment.

"I am a Stronghold, I do not aim lower, I aim higher." He pouted, still with an unbreakable sense of confidence. I am queasy already... *barf*

Professor Roberts introduced himself once again and began teaching us about werewolf history with a focus on strategy. This is similar to a war college, which is an interesting angle instead of simply retelling stories of the past. He dazzled us with epic battles between conflicting packs and finished off with a harrowing tale of a standoff between the Strongholds and an ancient rival pack.

At the end of the lecture, we started to file out of the room when I was surprised by a familiar face approaching me.

"Hi there, Jake." Jayden greeted me as he and I were about to leave the classroom.

"Hi, naked boy." I said playfully, causing people around us to look at him surprised. He blushed at the stares, though his gorgeous dark complexion did not allow me to see it.

"I wasn't naked. You make it sound like I am an exhibitionist. I never exposed myself to you; in fact, I made a point NOT to do so." He defended himself against the allegation. He looked nervous at the perception of this.

"I know, I am just joking. Relax, dude." I could tell how nervous he was, so I tried to put him at ease.

"Anyway, what's your next class?" He asked me, changing the subject.

"Health class." I replied, somewhat confused about what they would teach me that I didn't already know at this point.

"Me too. Can I walk with you?" He asked, politely. His charming smile would disarm a bomb. *snicker*

"Just so you know, I am here on a scholarship. I am sure you can do much better than a broke Omega like me." I informed him, trying to protect myself from the inevitable heartbreak. I did not come here thinking I would nab the hot Alpha unless maybe I got really lucky. And I don't even believe in luck.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Jake. You have plenty to offer. There is more to life than money and power." He declared, inspired.

"What are you doing here again?" I challenged him, playfully. People don't send their sons and daughters here in hopes that they find someone like me. I am just filling out a quota for them. I am painfully aware of that.

Jayden laughed at my provocative question.

"I came to find the love of my life." He replied and I genuinely swooned at his response. OK, then. Game on.

"Wow. I did not expect that response..." I am genuinely impressed. The two of us kept on talking until we took our seats in the next classroom.

A|N: It is called "Conquering the Alpha" but which one is he actually to conquer?

Your guess is as good as mine... there is so much yet to tell.

Next is "Hold me while you wait".

Love,

Léo.