Chapter 16 - Devil's advocate

Jake had been surprised when he woke up.

The night before, he and Matheus had remembered an assignment that needed to be handed in right after the holidays. So the two alphas spent a good part of the night studying madly. During a break, Jake logged on to his Orkut profile and ended up finding Nathaniel's profile. He only had time to send a friend request, because soon afterwards he fell asleep in front of the computer, and only woke up with a cushion thrown by Matheus, shouting at him to stop drooling on the keyboard.

While he was waiting for his friend to shower, Jake realised that he hadn't left Orkut. Reloading the page, he was surprised to see that Nathaniel was the first person to visit his profile.

He hadn't meant to embarrass the boy when he mentioned it in college later. It was also surprising for him to see Nathaniel run away as soon as Jake brought it up, and it hadn't even crossed his mind that it would embarrass him.

— Maybe he thought you wouldn't know about it — commented Matheus with a shrug, not seeming to care much.

— How could he not? It's something that appears on everyone's profile. It's there, people who have visited your profile recently. His name was first...

— Not everyone knows how to use Orkut, Jake. That guy doesn't even talk to people in college, let alone on the internet.

That was a point.

Nathaniel rarely talked to people. If Guilherme wasn't on his side, the joker would remain alone. It made sense that he didn't know how to use the social network, since social skills could be a problem for him. 

— Haa... I messed up.

— It's no big deal, just apologise and say you didn't mean to — Matheus rummaged through his bag for a yellow envelope, then handed it to Jake — Here, what you asked for.

Jake quickly took the envelope and opened it. 

As expected, the file on that bloke from Akaguia.

— Who took his file?

— I asked a friend of mine from my computer course. When I told him you'd asked, he had it in two days. You had to see how excited he was.

— You and your contacts, eh?

Jake didn't feel comfortable investigating people like that, but the fight in the restaurant was on his mind. If it had been just any guy, an acquaintance of Guilherme and Nathaniel's, Jake probably wouldn't have bothered. But the guy was wearing an Akaguia uniform, and that was never a good sign.

Akaguia were troublemakers. A bomb about to explode.

The file showed that the little chap's name was actually Caspian. Just as Guilherme had said, the three of them went to the same school. His school record shows the start of warnings about fighting in his final year of secondary school.

That's strange.

— This Caspian bloke is Akaguia's new player, so your cousin must not know him?

— Should I try calling Milles? — Pondered Jake, then grimaced as he looked in the direction of the car park — Actually, it would be good to avoid him for the next few days.

— Why?

Pointing with his chin, Matheus looked in the direction indicated where he saw a man in a suit and a briefcase walking towards them. The brunette alpha also grimaced, patting his friend on the shoulder.

— You're fucked.

— It's always so good to have your support, Matheus. 

— I'm off to lunch and then to the gym. See you there.

Jake nodded in agreement without taking his eyes off the guy who was approaching. 

He hadn't forgotten his little meeting with the lawyer, but the son of a bitch had come at the wrong time. They were supposed to meet after training. And it wouldn't do to hide the envelope in his hands, the sharp eyes of that damned beta must have realised.

— Mr. Jake.

— Hey Dr. Otávio, I thought we'd arranged to meet later.

The lawyer raised his arm, checking the time on his wristwatch, indifferent to the complaint he had just heard

— I'm afraid that this afternoon I have another appointment that requires my attention. But knowing that at this time you've already left the classroom, it's a good time for us to talk briefly.

— I'm not going to offer you coffee or anything like that.

— I've already had lunch, don't worry, Mr. Jake.

How annoying.

That lawyer was hell to deal with. Always one step ahead, knowing all about Jake's life as if he were the producer of a play, and the alpha was just an actor following his script. The feeling of manipulation was suffocating.

Sitting down next to him, the lawyer opened the folder he was carrying and went through the meticulously organised papers.

— Mr. McKenzie heard about your return to college, and I have to say he's pleased to hear that you're still studying business administration.

— It's a good course and the market is vast. But I intend to use the degree as a plan B. 

The lawyer gave the alpha a sharp look.

— Not that being a waiter is a promising future.

Ha. Was he being monitored again? As Matheus had remarked the other day, all it took was for Jake to go back to college and the McKenzies wouldn't miss their chance.

But what could he do? Jake wanted to provoke that proud lawyer. It wasn't in his nature to tease others, but that suit would certainly gossip to his parents, and that made Jake want to be rebellious.

Hiding his smile, the alpha rummaged through his rucksack and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Taking a cigarette and lighting it with a lighter, he took a drag and blew out the smoke. Crossing his legs, he tried to look as relaxed as possible.

— You see, I'm good at what I do. If you want to pass these words on to my father, be my guest. I want to see if he's still going to be happy.

— Mr. McKenzie is willing to forgive your sins and give you back your position as heir, Jake.

— My father is only willing to do this because my grandfather is furious about the two incompetent sons he has — the alpha muttered, taking another drag — The Mckenzies have two alpha males in the third generation, and what did the second generation do? Kicked them both out.

— You're a beloved member of the Mckenzie family.

— While Milles was still on my aunt and uncle's leash, my parents just fucked up my life. I couldn't even stay in the city, since they used your contacts to show that without the Mckenzie surname I'm nothing. — Jake laughs — But after Milles left, what did my parents do? They came running after me. You still have the nerve to say I'm sweet?

— Your parents recognise your talent, and believe that the right place to use it is with the McKenzies.

Talent. 

Jake was always the obedient son who did whatever his parents wanted. He never let them down. He got good grades, was polite, proved to be an innate leader and even sorted out something or other for his father's company when he turned sixteen. 

Jake was raised to be the perfect McKenzie.

But the first time he made a mistake, which wasn't a mistake in itself, he was written off as a failure.

— My parents are still young, they can try to have another child. Or just pass everything on to Sadie. I don't mind.

— Mr. Pablo is your grandfather's eldest son. The right to inherit what your grandfather built is his. 

— It was his, then it went to my uncle, Milles fucked it up and now it's back to my father. That's hilarious — mocked the alpha, holding out his hand to the lawyer — Come on, I'm going to play with my parents' feelings this time, so tell me what they want.

The lawyer sighed and handed over a white envelope. As he opened it, Jake arched an eyebrow, seeing profiles of omega women.

— Your mother proposes that you marry one of these omegas, who are daughters of influential families, and return to the Mckenzie headquarters. In return, you'll be able to maintain your sporting activities and your friendships. 

Stubbing out his cigarette, Jake controlled himself not to freak out.

Ha. Rubbish will always be rubbish.

— The reason I left the family was precisely because I wouldn't let them tell me who I was going to date. And now they want to force me to get married?

— There's no objection to you having lovers, as long as you're discreet and avoid getting into scandals. Mrs. Mckenzie created a plan to avoid leaks to the media.

As always, your parents were ready to control your life. They would never make a proposal without a plan up their sleeve. If Jake accepted such nonsense, he could sleep with the men and women of his choice, but the Mckenzies would always tell him that they were just lovers.

Although Jake was wary of entering into a new relationship, that didn't mean he didn't want to.

What if the person he got involved with ended up getting hurt because of it?

— This proposal isn't very attractive...

— I recommend you take a detailed look at the candidates.

Flipping through the pages, Jake's eyes widened as he recognised one of the girls. 

Wasn't that his classmate who Jake had helped weeks ago? The one who went into heat in the middle of class? 

What the fuck was that?

Did they even know who his classmates were? They probably already knew what had happened that day.

— I have to go now, Mr. Jake. I'll wait for your answer as soon as possible. You know that your parents are... anxious for a positive response.

Anxious, my arse, they were desperate. 

It was getting harder and harder to get rid of the McKenzies. Your aunt and uncle would probably also be trying to contact Milles, as if they were in a race to secure the inheritance first.

The difference was that Milles had already been bitten by an omega, which went against traditional Mckenzie morals. Jake, on the other hand, was single and not interested in relationships for the time being. His parents certainly saw him as easy prey to capture.

As soon as the lawyer got into the car and disappeared from sight, Jake threw away his cigarette with a grimace.

— Argh, now I'm going to stink all day — Sighing and staring at the papers, the alpha massaged his forehead, feeling his head ache — What the fuck.

Why would they go after him just now? Jake had been at the bottom of the barrel for two years, making it much easier to accept any offer. At the time, it didn't matter what happened to him. He'd go back to that hellhole and be the McKenzie doll they wanted him to be.

Not any more. 

He had to get to the gym for my afternoon training session, and then he'd take care of that. Stuffing the two envelopes into his rucksack, Jake soon set off for the gym. He needed to think of some way to stop his parents from watching him. But to do that, he had to know who the bloody spies were. 

Perhaps Jake should make use of Rapoxia sooner rather than later.

— Oh Jake!

Raising his head, the alpha found Guilherme and Nathaniel heading in the same direction as him. Putting a smile on his face, Jake ignored any worries that might spoil his day. After all, he had another little problem to take care of...

Nathaniel wouldn't even look him in the face.

Haaa... He must still be embarrassed.

— So, let's get training, shall we?

— It seems that Coach Santiago has already heard that you've been helping me. He said yesterday that he'd like to see what I've been learning.

Letting out a laugh, Jake stroked the beta's blond hair.

— And you're nervous about this? Relax, the coach knows you're good, that's why he let you join the team. You just have to do what we do in training, okay?

— Right!

Approaching the gym, Guilherme ran off to the changing room after saying goodbye to Nathaniel. Alone, the alpha found the perfect chance to apologise. He just wasn't sure how to go about it.

It was just presumptuous to think that he was embarrassed, since it was the only justification for him to have left like that in the morning. Jake was afraid to bring it up and make the situation worse.

— Do you smoke?

The question caught Jake off guard, and he automatically started sniffing his clothes. What the hell, he'd forgotten to spray on some perfume to disguise the stench.

— I don't like it, but it happens sometimes.

Nathaniel looked at him from the corner of his eye, peering at him fearfully. It took a great deal of self-control on Jake's part not to apologise for simply existing. That look in the Joker's eyes was truly frightening.

— You don't like it and you still smoke?

— I know some people who think that smoking is something for criminals. So I do it precisely to provoke them.

— I didn't realise you were the kind of person who provokes people.

Would Nathaniel have thought that the alpha had provoked him that morning?

Just as the joker was about to turn his back, Jake desperately jumped in front of him.

— Wait, wait, wait! I didn't mean that! 

— You didn't mean what?

— I'm not the type to provoke others — Ruffling his hair, already confused by his own words, Jake snorted — It's a problem with my parents, I just act like a rebellious son in front of them. I don't smoke, okay?

Nathaniel blinked slowly and then nodded.

— Right...

— And also, what I said this morning wasn't a provocation! I swear I had no intention of making you uncomfortable! 

Nathaniel pulled his mask down and took a deep breath, which surprised Jake a little. His cheeks were slightly pink. It was just unavoidable to look at that scar. He must have felt stuffy in the mask, didn't he? That's why he put it down...

— I'm sorry I ran, I was just surprised.

— Oh, no, come on! I'm to blame, relax. — Jake laughed, already relieved — But do you feel uncomfortable talking to me in public? 

Nathaniel tilted his head thoughtfully, taking a moment to answer.

— I imagined that if you were seen talking to me it might involve you in strange rumours. I don't particularly mind saying hello if we bump into each other in the corridors.

— Great! — Jake replied, holding Nathaniel's shoulders with animation — Because I don't mind either. So don't run away from me next time, okay?

Again Nathaniel's cheeks turned pink, and he just nodded. At least the misunderstanding had been resolved, and more easily than expected. Jake even let out a laugh of relief at having made a mess of things. Nathaniel wasn't a bigot, and he always listened to him and avoided misunderstandings.

Truly a golden friend.

— So, I'm off to the stands — Nathaniel said goodbye, about to enter the gym. Before stepping into the entrance hall, he turned to Jake over his shoulder — The smell of cigarettes doesn't suit you. I prefer your pheromones, they're more refreshing.

— Come on, you bunch of slobs, onto the court!

Nathaniel quickly put his mask back on and entered the gym, disappearing like a shadow.

Jake barely heard the coach's shout.

He couldn't even move.

All he could hear was the sound of his own heart beating like an unstoppable train. That moment replayed itself in his mind like a film. Nathaniel illuminated by the sun and the gentle breeze swaying a few strands of hair that escaped from his cap. And those words that remained imprinted in his memory.

Crouching down, Jake covered his mouth, his face completely red and heated. His body could barely stand and his heart would leap out of his mouth at any moment.

For a moment, he thought Nathaniel was handsome.