Chapter 01 - A chance to start again

End of summer, 2010

"Tune your vibration

There's no time to live in vain

And don't think about giving up

There's a world that just wants to see you smile"

The music playing through his headphones didn't suit the place he was in at all. However, they had two things in common:

New beginnings.

The passing wind swayed the white Ipe flowers, causing some of them to detach from the branch and fall to the ground, greeting the return of an alpha. 

Once again, classes were about to begin, but for this dark-haired boy, this return was a real new beginning in his life. Passing through the university gates and raising his clear eyes towards the buildings tickled his stomach. Even though he was slightly discouraged about having to study, he still managed to feel anxious.

Feeling something land in his dark hair, the alpha held up the white Ipe flower and smiled slightly. He had never been a plant lover, he would hardly have known the name of the flower he was holding so delicately, yet he thought it was beautiful. Precisely because he thought it was so beautiful, he kept holding it to keep for later.

Twirling the stem of the flower between his fingers, Jake McKenzie passed through the college gates, taking deep breaths and encouraging himself to continue with the idea.

The idea of finding his own happy ending.

As he passed through the main courtyard of the campus, Jake remembered his first year at university. He had managed to finish high school in the capital and opted to return to the countryside where he would attend college in the nearest town to where he had been born. However, his plans hadn't worked out as expected, and Jake chose to suspend his studies for two years. 

On his walk, he didn't see anything different about his college, which was somewhat of a relief. The same well-kept garden as always, the white benches scattered around, the buildings lined up separated by courses, and the coming and going of hurried students. 

He even missed the atmosphere. 

Soon he would fall into the rhythm of the others, rushing from one place to another to do work, print out texts, study for exams... Oh, and soon he would regret ever having studied again.

Once again, a strong wind blew past, swaying the trees and carrying the flowers everywhere. For a second, the alpha had to close his eyes because of the dry air around him, but when he opened them again, he realised that a piece of black fabric had fallen on his foot.

Curious, Jake picked up the piece of cloth and looked at it carefully.

— A mask?

— Excuse me, that's mine.

Jake raised his clear eyes to a tall boy who was covering his face with his shirt. He was wearing a cap and hood, with only light brown eyes and visible red circles under his eyes, giving the impression that he was the most dangerous person in the world. 

This certainly didn't surprise Jake, after all, many people walked around angry and irritated inside the college. It was a toast that the teachers left for their students. 

Despite the strangeness, what intrigued the alpha was the fact that he covered his face with his blouse. 

Come on, did he stink?

Jake knew that he sweated a lot when he trained, and even took a weak inhibitor so that his odour wouldn't be a problem for his colleagues. But he had showered before he left! There was no way he could have stunk so much that it bothered the boy.

Jake unconsciously put his nose to his arm and grimaced.

— Do I stink?

— My mask... Please.

— Of course, sorry. 

Jake handed the mask back and gave an embarrassed smile as he realised that he had sniffed his armpit in front of someone else, let alone a stranger.

— Thank you — As soon as he had taken the mask, the boy turned his back to the alpha and put the piece of cloth on. Only after he had put it on did he turn round again — And no, you don't stink. You smell like soap and kaiak.

Jake widened his eyes and let out a low laugh.

— Do you even know the name of the perfume? What a good nose you have. 

— I'm back! Sorry I took so long!

A blond-haired, light-eyed chap suddenly appeared, all flustered by the little run he'd just had. The masked man just nodded, picked up the sports bag the newcomer was carrying and slung it over his shoulder. 

Jake even considered the possibility of sneaking away unnoticed. However, the blond-haired boy soon realised his presence. 

— Is that a friend of yours?

— No, he just took the mask that flew off — the masked man hurried to say.

— He... took the mask? — The blond stared wide-eyed at Jake — Does that mean you saw it?

The surprise caught the alpha off guard, or it would have been the completely confused look that came over the blond's face immediately afterwards. For some reason, Jake felt like he'd committed a major crime in front of a policeman, which made him throw up his hands and deny it.

— I didn't see anything, I just took the mask and gave it back afterwards. Relax.

— No... it's just...

The blond glanced at the masked man, who was just staring at Jake. The alpha noticed he was being stared at, so he gave him a friendly smile. 

It wouldn't be the first time he'd been the target of prying eyes. And given that he was an alpha, perhaps his pheromones were leaking out a little, putting the other man on alert. To avoid any risk of getting into trouble, the alpha disguised himself by slung his backpack over his shoulder to take a step backwards. 

He needed to find an excuse to get out of there.

He was uncomfortable with their surprised reaction, and had only been kind enough to pick up something that someone else had dropped. 

— Come on, I'm hungry.

The masked man just nudged the blond's arm and then nodded to Jake before going on his way. Turning his back first, he walked off carrying the blond's bag without even waiting for him. Turning to the alpha, the blond smiled a little embarrassed.

— Sorry and thanks!

Your year has started well. 

He'd already bumped into someone who could cause a misunderstanding. Not just anyone, but someone who stood out for being so different from everyone else in the building. It even seemed as if there was a dark aura around him. Staring at the tall man wearing a mask over his face, Jake followed his gaze, becoming completely curious.

He didn't smell anything coming from him, not even beta. Could it be that his self-control was so good as to confuse the other hybrids?

— There are so many people out there...

— It's scary just to look at him. Why is the Joker wandering around? — Startled by the voice coming from behind his back, Jake sighed heavily and indignantly when he recognised his tanned friend. — Hey, bro! Finally showing your face.

Jake took out only one earphone and smiled, greeting his friend with a little wave and a hug on the side. They hadn't seen each other for a few days, but for some reason seeing his friend made Jake a little anxious.

— If I didn't turn up you'd drag me out by my knickers. So I'm here of my own accord.

— It's depressing to lose a talent like that, so do something good and come back to our volleyball team, unless you want to be haunted by me.

Jake laughed quietly, remembering how many messages he'd received from Matheus since he'd told him he was going back to college. 

He knew that the team "desperately" needed a player to help out in the league, he just wasn't sure if he could still play, since he'd been out of action for two years. Well, that could be left for later. The alpha had the impression that if he said anything like that to his friend, his pants would definitely be pulled down by the time he set foot on the court.

For the sake of his clothes, his groin and his pride, Jake would keep quiet.

— So, where are the guys? I want to see them before I go looking for my class.

— Let Dad take you, big boy. 

The neighbourhood around the administration building was bustling. Jake looked around, seemingly interested in the people laughing and chatting. He couldn't remember the college looking so lively, as if it had come straight out of a Disney musical. This only made him more anxious to meet up with the group of friends he hadn't seen for so long.

Entering the building, Matheus took Jake to the cafeteria on the ground floor. It was there that a small group of hybrids were chatting animatedly while drinking coffee and eating snacks. As soon as he laid eyes on them, the alpha recognised them immediately.

— Look who's back!

The group turned round and glances full of surprise were quickly directed at Jake. Not just glances, but euphoric shrieks followed by tight hugs, causing him to be buried by his friends.

— I can't believe you're back! 

— I'd forgotten your face, can you believe it!

— Did you miss me so much? Calm down, I need to breathe — laughed Jake as he awkwardly returned the hug.

Despite being someone who likes to hug others and show affection, Jake hadn't imagined that his friends would react like this to his return. Was he really that sweet? He even felt a little guilty for having lost touch with them for two years.

— Dude, sit down, let's catch up.

Jake threw his rucksack on the floor and sat down among his friends, managing to blend in quickly.

— You guys still like to gossip, don't you?

— Of course. Even if you want to contribute something, we're short of summer gossip — laughed a beta in a Corinthians shirt.

— I don't even have anything new to tell you, Nandinha. I'm just coming back and that's it haha.

Fernanda, the Corinthians girl, immediately grimaced as she took a sip of coffee.

— Stop being a liar. You dropped out of school out of the blue and didn't even say goodbye to us. You even let the team down.

— Not that we'll hold a grudge about that — Matheus joked as he sat down next to Jake — By the way, since when do you know the Joker?

— The Joker? — Jake laughed as he looked at his friends, trying to find someone who didn't understand either, but none of them seemed an ideal accomplice — Who?

— The Joker, that's who. The one in the mask.

— Oh, him? I don't know him.

— Well, you were talking to him before I arrived. I saw everything.

His friends were definitely gossiping, the small group was already leaning towards the alpha, waiting anxiously for an explanation.

— I never did. I just picked up something he dropped and then gave it back. That's all. But what's going on?

They looked at each other, some disguised it by drinking coffee while others ate. But Jake didn't give up, he stared straight at the dark-haired alpha until he gave in. And indeed, it didn't take long for Matheus to crack.

— There are rumours about him. They said he was in prison during high school and is now serving time on parole.

Wide-eyed, the alpha let out an incredulous laugh.

— You're kidding! The kid was really nice, he didn't strike me as a delinquent.

— So they say! I never got to talk to him — explained the alpha, then looked at the rest of his friends — Did anyone stay in his class?

— Thank God I didn't — said Ricardo, with Junior nodding in agreement.

— I'm from another course, so I'm safe.

Jake quickly realised that his friends didn't have good impressions of that boy. 

It was definitely strange that they had such rumours, since he seemed too polite. Maybe it was the soft voice he'd heard before, and his politeness in asking "excuse me", "please" and "thank you".  Well, he'd seen a few lads trying to play the alpha male, thinking that a lack of manners was synonymous with a strong personality. 

In any case, just those few exchanges were enough for Jake to imagine that the rumours might be false.

No delinquent would be polite.

— So he's from our course? — Jake wondered.

— He must be in his third year, since I'm in my fourth... — Matheus pondered, patting his friend on the shoulder — Anyway, don't worry about it, since you're unlikely to bump into this guy again.

Later, Jake wished that his friend had knocked on wood instead of his shoulder, because as soon as he stepped onto the volleyball court, the first thing he saw was a guy in dark clothes, a cap and a hooded sweatshirt and mask, with his arms crossed right next to the stands.