Chapter 20 - The self-control of an alpha

Most of an omega's pheromones were sweet and mild to seduce the alpha without being noticed. They were sneaky snakes ready to ensnare their target in a trap, with a scent that was delicious to smell and increased arousal later on.

That was something every alpha knew about omegas. It would be their choice whether to get involved or not.

However, the pheromones Jake sensed in that bathroom were completely different.

His intention was simply to see if Nathaniel hadn't been upset by his team-mates' reaction. As he didn't know how Nathaniel dealt with rumours, Jake thought he could make him feel better by explaining that his friends were naturally clueless.

However, what had happened?

From the moment he smelled that bittersweet odour, things stopped making sense. 

Intense and somewhat aggressive. As if he were an omega who had no shame in exposing himself in front of an alpha. That pheromone was overwhelming, and Jake could hardly contain himself.

Even though Nathaniel was writhing on the floor and refusing his help, the alpha couldn't get away. He just watched him without the mask and could see the blush on his cheeks and the attempt to contain himself by biting his lips. 

Nathaniel had a thin but well-drawn mouth.

He wanted to bite him.

What on earth was he thinking?

How could you think that kind of thing with the guy suffering right in front of you? 

And it was all Jake's fault for not knowing how to control his temper at lunch.

Of course he should help in some way.

Being exposed to pheromones made his mouth say things before he could think of a solution. In the end, Jake no longer knew whether it was his instinct or something else in him that controlled him.

In that bathroom, sitting on the floor, Jake got drunk on that pheromone.

Unfortunately, he had covered Nathaniel's eyes, but he wanted to see his expression as he touched him. 

Nathaniel's body was as hot as coals. He was unashamedly emitting pheromones, enveloping him and calling him to continue what they were doing. What's more, Nathaniel was letting his face show how much he was enjoying his help.

Running the tip of his nose along the boy's neck, he almost lost his mind.

Delicious.

As long as he was asking, it was okay to dominate him, wasn't it?

— Ugh!

Nathaniel's groan roused him from his stupor.

Not at all!

He was there precisely because he was to blame for leaving him like that. He shouldn't have done anything more than that.

To his relief, it wasn't long before Nathaniel came in his hand. He should only have realised that an omega in heat was always dominated by his instincts.

— I think things should calm down now.

Nathaniel kissed him. 

A wet kiss full of desire, begging to be dominated by the alpha. It was a clumsy and somewhat inexperienced kiss. The Joker even ended up biting the Alpha's lower lip, creating a wound. Holding him by the waist, Jake gently pushed him away.

— Whoa, that's dangerous.

— I need more...

Before Nathaniel could kiss him again, Jake grabbed his face. He was only a few seconds away from being drowned in all that desire. And just by seeing his pupils dilate, he knew that the boy wasn't aware of his actions.

If the alpha continued to stand there, it would only be a matter of time before he too threw in the towel and did the wrong thing. The pheromones Nathaniel emanated were irresistible.

— I know you want to, but calm down.

— Am I not to your liking?

Blinking dazedly, Jake bit his lip, not knowing what to say.

— Not really...

— I'm ugly, aren't I? You don't want to be my alpha because I look like a monster.

Nathaniel lowered his eyes in sadness. That was a real low blow.

Calling himself a monster was a nice cold shower.

As he thought, he wasn't as well-rounded as he seemed. Nathaniel could be hurt by the comments he heard in the corridors of the college. He had no idea of the story behind that scar, but for Nathaniel to call himself a monster...

— What kind of person do you think I am? — Jake growled, feeling the Joker flinch in his arms — Do you think I'm going to sleep with you like this?

The boy raised his head, staring at him in surprise.

Damn it, was he really losing his mind with someone who was going through his first heat?

— I told you I was just going to jerk you off, and that's all it's going to be.

— But you're getting horny too.

Before Nathaniel could touch the erection between his legs, Jake grabbed his hand and pulled it away.

— I'll manage on my own, the priority is for you to get well. I'm not going to sleep with you like this, Nathaniel. Then don't provoke me, or I'll go away and leave you in this state.

Once again those eyes looked sad. It hurt his heart to say harsh words to someone like Nathaniel, but he had to stand his ground. There was no point in explaining things in detail, because who was there was an omega instinct that - for some unknown reason - had taken years to come out of hiding.

And when it did, it looked like a hungry, crazed predator.

An omega in heat was the "less talk and more action" type.

The Nathaniel he knew wouldn't act like that.

— You'd better take a shower and get rid of the pheromones. I'll wait outside.

Undoing the hug, Jake got up from the floor and left the bathroom before the situation got any worse. Leaning against the door, he sighed heavily, feeling his muscles continue to tense, going numb from holding back so much in that bathroom.

Shit!

His moans were so good to hear. His whole body reacting to his touch and even his kiss. His mouth was sore from the bite, but it wasn't all bad...

Running his fingers through his hair, he had to stand still and count sheep until he was in complete control. He wouldn't give in to his instincts, nor would he let Nathaniel see him like that.

— You held up well, Jake — The alpha congratulated himself. Hearing the noise of the shower, Jake turned away from the door.

Leaving the room and heading to where he was going to sleep later, Jake rummaged through his rucksack for the bottle of inhibitors. Staring at his travelling bag, the alpha pondered for a moment. He needed to keep that omega instinct quiet and calm so as not to seduce anyone in the house. Ideally, Jake should stay away from Nathaniel since he was an alpha. But if he left him alone, Nathaniel might try to find another alpha, and the only one he had apart from himself was Matheus.

Nathaniel could find himself in an awkward and complicated position. Since it was Jake who had touched him intimately, it would be better if he looked after his friend, wouldn't it?

Afterwards, Jake went down to the kitchen to get a bottle of water, sneaking out and running to get away from the coach who had already gathered everyone outside to train.

He wasn't going to mind the training, he was going to be on standby anyway.

Besides, he could train at another time.

Back in the suite, he heard the door click. One of the suitcases had been overturned; Nathaniel had probably already taken his clothes. A surprisingly obedient omega, the alpha noted with a certain pride. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jake waited for the joker to come out of the bathroom.

A long-sleeved shirt and shorts, a strange combination for the infernal heat. Still, Nathaniel was handsome, even with wet hair. If it wasn't for the scar, he'd probably be someone popular for his beauty, that's for sure.

— How are you feeling? — Nathaniel didn't answer. But his face was still red and he was exuding some pheromones — Are you upset with me? 

The boy turned his face away in response.

He was.

Jake let out a low laugh when he saw that Nathaniel's instinct was more expressive than usual. 

— Here, take this inhibitor and go to sleep. It'll make you a bit sleepy if you're not used to taking it.

Reluctantly, Nathaniel took the bottle and pulled out a pill. Drinking the water Jake had brought him, the joker continued to ignore the alpha and lay down on the bed with his back to him.

The omega instinct is too dangerous, Jake thought. Sensitive, if not explosive, humour, desires that need to be dealt with... when left unchecked, omegas could be worse than spoiled children. 

And despite his efforts to ignore the alpha, Nathaniel spied him over his shoulder, making sure Jake was still there. It was even funny how he tried to keep his pose despite wanting to have the alpha around.

— I'm not leaving, relax.

— I didn't say anything.

Jake sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the sheet over him. He silently stayed by his side, noticing that Nathaniel took a while to close his eyes, as if he was fighting sleep. Watching Nathaniel sleep, he noticed the scars on his hand. The sleeve of his long blouse was slightly raised, enough for the alpha to notice another scar. 

Why did he have so many?

What kind of life had Nathaniel been living up until now?

His relationship with Guilherme was good, although he couldn't say how he related to his family. Jake was living proof that a family could go from love to hate overnight. 

Inevitably, his eyes stopped on the scar on Nathaniel's face. His body shivered just looking at it; he couldn't imagine the pain he felt when he had it. At the same time, it was inevitable not to find him handsome.

His hand moved on its own, gently caressing Nathaniel's face.

His skin was softer than it looked.

The bedroom door opened and Guilherme's eyes widened when he saw Jake sitting on the bed next to Nathaniel. The alpha smiled and nodded a silent request for him to come in and close the door. Taking one last look at the boy, Jake made sure that Nathaniel was sound asleep, so he could leave his side.

— What are you doing here? Did Nath sleep?

How much did Guilherme know?

They were brothers, so it's okay to tell, isn't it? Not least because Guilherme had already seen Jake use his pheromones twice.

Scratching the back of his head, the alpha was slightly embarrassed.

— Actually...

And then he told. Obviously he omitted the part where Jake masturbated Nathaniel. He just summarised it as helping him to control himself.

— I'm sorry, Guilherme. It was my fault for not controlling myself at lunch.

— All right, I know it's annoying to see people judging Nath because of his face. No matter where he goes, people will always look at him like he's a freak.

Jake remembered what Nathaniel had said in the bathroom.

His heart squeezed.

— I gave him one of my inhibitors, so that's why he rolled over.

— Usually sleeping pills don't work.

— Huh?

Guilherme shook his head and gave a sad smile.

— So you said he had omega pheromones?

— Ah, yes. It would be good to talk to your family and take him to a doctor. The inhibitor I gave him is weak, since I use it to control pheromones during training. 

— I'll talk to my dad, if our mum finds out... she'll freak. — Jake arched his eyebrow without even saying anything, and the beta quickly explained — Those scars were from an accident he had a few years ago. Since then, his health hasn't been the best.

An accident.

Of course it would be something drastic that would cause so many scars.

— Is it serious?

— Nothing serious, thank goodness. Only if he overexerts himself. By the way, did you have a fight? 

— Hm? No, why?

The beta pointed to the alpha's mouth, startling him for a moment as he remembered what had happened a few moments ago. Of course he wasn't going to say that his mouth was bruised because Nathaniel kissed him and everything.

— This? Haha, let's just say he resisted a little to calm down...

— Nath still has the punch to hit an alpha like you.

— Still does...? 

Guilherme pulled the alpha closer to a drawer. In the first drawer was a pair of boxing gloves 

— At the time, Nath had won first place in a youth competition. He had sponsors interested in him and the future was promising, but now...

How could life be so cruel?

Jake felt bad for complaining about his situation with the McKenzies, when someone so close to him was even worse off. Of course, he wasn't belittling his own situation. The McKenzies were hell in the alpha's life. However, Nathaniel seemed to be getting on with his life despite having an accident and having to give up being an athlete.

The joker was admirable.

— You're a good person, Jake — whispered Guilherme, quietly closing the drawer — It may seem rude of me to say this, but... it's a relief to know that Nath has you as a friend.