Jake felt nervous every time he passed the table where the Mantovani's were sitting. Luckily for him, the restaurant was busy that day and he could hardly stand still for a minute.
As well as dealing with the pressure of Nathaniel's parents' eyes on him and Guilherme following him everywhere, Jake was also worried about Nathaniel. He had realised his condition the moment he saw him walk through the door.
The omega had a vacant, tired look on his face, he was quieter than usual and his shoulders were slightly hunched. A clear sign that something was wrong with him. And the reaction of everyone at the table when he mentioned it was proof of that.
— Boss! Send me a jug of lemonade and a light sandwich.
— For you? It's not time for your break, Jake.
— I'm going to please my guy, please! — Complained the alpha.
— Bwahahahaha, you don't waste time.
— Why do you want a light snack if it's to please your mate? — Jaqueline asked, fiddling with the till.
— He's not my mate, he's my bloke. And he's brought his family, so I have to look good — Jake quickly approached his boss, looking at her nervously — How do I look?
— Hm... Our uniform is really beautiful.
— I'm asking about me!
— Table seven ordered the bill, Jake.
Grimacing, the alpha went to the till to close the customers' accounts. How annoying, all they had to do was tell him he looked presentable. He didn't have time to check whether his uniform was clean or not.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jake spied on the situation at the table. They seemed to be chatting animatedly. Unfortunately there was a vase that completely hid Nathaniel, so he didn't know how he was doing. But judging by the countenances of the others, everything must be fine.
Haa... What was he supposed to do?
After closing the tab, Jake handed over the orders to the Mantovani and took the opportunity to look at Nathaniel. His face was red, could he have a fever?
— He's fine — murmured the woman, smiling slightly.
Ah, he's been caught.
There was no point in trying to disguise it, as she glanced in his direction and let out a little laugh. If his mum says so... Although Jake wasn't very inclined to believe it.
Being called again, Jake didn't even have time to reply. It wasn't until just after two in the afternoon that the restaurant's bustle died down. Nathaniel's family stayed there patiently the whole time, ordering cold drinks and a few snacks.
— Your time's up, Jake! I'll ask Gil to make you something to eat and take it to your mate's table.
— Thanks, boss!
Paying no attention to the little provocation coming from his boss, Jake simply took off his apron and went to the table at the back of the restaurant. As he approached, he already felt anxious.
Could he sit next to Nathaniel?
Could he hold his hand and show how close they were?
Or should he hold back?
— Are you finished, Jake?
— Finally — laughed the alpha.
Pulling up a chair to sit on the edge of the table, the alpha stood between Nathaniel's mother and the omega in question. Crossing his arms and leaning on the table, Jake calmed down before starting to talk.
— Sorry to keep you waiting. As you've seen, it gets crazy here on weekends.
— Do you work all day? — The man asked.
He remembered Guilherme commenting that his father was in the army and had a high rank. He had to be very careful what he said, as his generous appearance seemed to hide a strong soldier.
— Only on weekends. From Monday to Friday I take the night shift straight after training.
— As well as studying and working, do you play volleyball? I hear you're on Guilherme's team.
— I live with my friend, so I have to work hard to make ends meet.
There, that's enough information about him. They've seen the alpha working, they know he's busy and that he's already moved out of his parents' house. There was no free time in Jake's schedule to do bad things like a thug. What's more, they must also have observed how the alpha interacts with his co-workers, which shows that Jake is a communicative person.
— Mckenzie? — The man asked, looking at Jake's badge — Oh, sorry, I only recognised the surname.
— It's okay, people are usually surprised when they find out I'm a Mckenzie.
— I learnt that the two alphas in this family had been emancipated.
That man may have had a kind expression, but his words had thorns in them. As you'd expect from someone in the army, he knew his stuff. Did he check Jake's criminal record?
What a fear!
He had to show that he wasn't a bad person. Jake wanted to be with Nathaniel, so he couldn't say a bad word.
— My cousin and I were asked to leave the family because of moral differences.
— What does that mean? — The blond beta asked confusedly.
— That he was expelled from the family for doing something his parents didn't want him to do — Nathaniel explained naturally.
Oh dear. His efforts were unmasked in an instant by the omega.
— My goodness, how could his parents do that? It must have been something serious, right?
They had a son who had just awakened as an omega. Considering the way they treated Nathaniel, his response could shock them and even make them dislike the McKenzies. It would be interesting to know their opinion of the powerful family.
— We got involved with omega men.
— Have you ever been with an omega guy? — Guilherme was surprised.
Guilherme glanced at Nathaniel, who was quietly eating his light sandwich. Noticing the silence at the table, the boy sighed.
— Did you want to meet Jake to find out who he's dated?
— It would be nice to know...
— Mum, please.
The woman pursed her lips, and the conversation was interrupted when Jake's plate was delivered. The smell of grilled meat and sandwich sauce made his stomach growl loudly. Except that as well as his lunch being delivered, the waiter also placed plates of sweets on the table.
— I'm sorry, but we didn't order that.
— On the house — explained the waiter.
— How kind of you, it seems we're benefiting because of you.
Jake looked back to find his work colleagues whispering and waving in his direction. Bunch of gossips! Jake knew they were hoping Nathaniel's parents wouldn't approve of him!
— Yeah, that's very kind — growled the alpha.
— Eat first, Jake — Nathaniel said, touching him on the shoulder — You've been walking around the whole time, so you must be starving.
Assenting, the alpha obediently began to eat his snack, answering all the questions from the siblings' parents. They were very curious about his relationship with his parents, whether he kept in touch or whether the ties had been completely severed.
Of course he wouldn't tell them about the chaotic situation he was in. Being spied on, having your love life watched and their insane desire to control him were unnecessary details. Not even Nathaniel knew about it, so it was best to keep quiet.
— You know, Jake, Nathaniel told us about the late bloomer and how it all happened.
— Oh, about that, I'm sorry. Really, I had no idea that the fact that Nathaniel had helped me that day would be such a problem for him.
— It wasn't a problem — Nathaniel replied, staring at the plate of cake in front of him — I was the one who said you could cover me with your pheromones, and you did your best not to do anything other than that to me.
— That's exactly why I tell you to be careful with alphas — Jake scolded — If an omega suddenly goes into heat and there's an alpha around, things get bad. Not every alpha knows how or wants to control himself at these times.
— Is that what happened then? — Nathaniel's mum asked.
— Out of the blue a girl in my class went into heat. And to make matters worse, there were some guys in the room who wanted to attack her. Thankfully, I managed to control myself and took her to the infirmary. I get angry just thinking about it.
— That's really dangerous. There are very few times when I can sense someone's pheromones to the point of feeling influenced.
— For betas, it's more bearable.
Even after eating, Jake remained at the table chatting. Suddenly, a bittersweet odour silenced him. Glancing immediately at the omega next to him, he saw him resting his head on his arm and his eyes closed as if he had slept sitting up. Yet he was still emanating pheromones.
— Ah, he slept sitting up.
— He must have spent the night awake again.
Nathaniel's mum's concern gained Jake's attention.
— He didn't sleep properly?
— Something like that.
— But he slept well at the farm! — Both in the afternoon and at night, he hardly moved in bed.
— At the farm?
— Oh, it must be because I used my pheromones on him — Jake replied, pushing his chair to the side of the omega so that Nathaniel could lie on his shoulder — He suddenly went into heat, so I calmed him down.
— Nathaniel said that Dr. Priscilla had commented on him marking you. I think that has something to do with it.
Dr. Priscilla?
The image of the red-haired woman with the mischievous smile sent dozens of shivers down his spine. It could only be a coincidence, couldn't it? That crazy woman certainly wouldn't be the doctor who attended his omega.
— If you allow me, I can use my pheromones now to let Nathaniel rest for a while.
— In that case, it would be better if you went home. And since we have to leave tomorrow, my father can drive us.
Guilherme has suddenly become a chatterbox, hasn't he? Why didn't he just carry on eating his sweets and keep quiet?
How could Jake walk into his boyfriend's house and use his pheromones like that? I mean, what he'd offered was just to cover him in pheromones, but the way Guilherme said it, it sounded like they were going to have sex. Wasn't that too embarrassing to say in front of your lover's parents?
— I don't want to bother them. And besides, I'll probably be leaving work late. If I impregnate his clothes, that should be enough.
— No need — Nathaniel mumbled, opening his eyes — I'm fine. I won't be able to sleep the same way.
Was it your rut? Or was he ill? Jake couldn't say what was happening to Nathaniel, but it was definitely something that worried him. Although he had been marked by him, it didn't mean that the other alphas wouldn't sense his pheromones.
The thought that some funny guy might take advantage of Nathaniel...
— Right, time to go. We've already overused Jake's break time.
While Guilherme's father, Mr. Loreto, asked for the bill, Jake approached Nathaniel's ear to whisper.
— Do you want to come to my flat?
Surprised, the omega turned to Jake.
— What?
— You're emitting pheromones, it's probably heat. It could get worse later.
— And why would I go to your flat?
Arching an eyebrow, Jake gave him a sly smile.
— Oh, so you want to do inappropriate things in your parents' presence?
His cheeks, already red, looked like they were about to explode. Nathaniel elbowed him in the ribs, causing the alpha to bend over.
— I don't remember saying I wanted to do something.
— Huff... you just don't have to hit me — the alpha complained, stroking his sore rib — But seriously, I don't feel safe with you coming out smelling so good. I've already told you that other alphas can't always control themselves.
— Haa... All right.
Smiling, Jake kissed Nathaniel's cheek and then got up to go back to work. Or rather, to beg his boss to let him go early.