Chapter 21

Do not let yourself get excited about this.

Staring at his reflection in the steamy mirror of the shower room after Saturday afternoon’s grueling strength training session, Alex viciously scolded himself. While he had surrendered to the intoxicating delusion and accepted Nathan’s proposal like a man possessed, they weren’t actually going on a real date.

It was strictly just practice, and Nathan was merely doing this out of a sense of friendly obligation to help him…

Stop it, Alex Yeon. You’re getting way too ahead of yourself.

Hitting that wall of agonizing logic, Alex was finally forced to admit that it was physically impossible to calm the chaotic storm raging in his chest. A terrifyingly excited, flushed face stared back at him from the mirror. Thanks to the hot shower he had just taken, his cheeks were dusted with a faint pink. Feeling inexplicably self-conscious about the color, he aggressively scrubbed at his skin.

If I spend too much time styling my hair before I leave, is it going to look completely pathetic and weird?

He tugged nervously at the damp, pitch-black strands plastered to his forehead. The eyes set beneath his pale brow curved sharply upward at the corners, giving him an intensely fierce glare. That inherent harshness was only amplified by the fact that his double eyelids were so faint they were practically non-existent. Today, more than ever, he genuinely despised his own face. He had always believed he wasn’t particularly ugly, even if he wasn’t devastatingly handsome, but right now, he felt painfully, glaringly inadequate.

He lingered pathetically in front of the mirror for an agonizingly long time before finally forcing himself to change into his clothes. He had agonized over the carefully selected outfit he had brought with him for several minutes. He was terrified that he had obviously tried far too hard, and that Nathan would instantly notice and find it incredibly weird.

Although, given that he had spent the entire previous night completely unable to sleep while agonizing over the choices, he undeniably had tried too hard.

“Well, that’s a new look. Got a date?”

Liam, strolling casually past, let out a loud, obnoxious sound and roughly shoved Alex’s shoulder. At the word ‘date,’ Alex’s head snapped up violently. Before he could force the denial from his throat, his earlobes ignited in a furious red.

“It’s… not a date,” Alex stammered.

The pathetic denial carried absolutely zero credibility. Thanks to Liam’s obnoxiously loud voice, the rest of the teammates changing nearby erupted into a chorus of jeering cheers.

“What kind of Omega is it?”

“Come on, introduce us to her friends!”

Overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of attention, Alex vaulted up from the bench. Snatching his duffel bag, he practically sprinted out of the locker room, but Liam irritatingly dogged his footsteps.

His heart hammered wildly against his ribs. Acting exactly like a guilty man with something to hide, Alex ignored the searing heat burning the back of his neck and kept his gaze locked firmly ahead.

“Look at you! It really is a date, isn’t it?” Liam teased relentlessly.

“I said it isn’t.”

“If she’s actually willing to meet a guy like you, she must be drop-dead gorgeous. Does she have any cute friends?”

He’s not an Omega, he’s a Beta. Alex scowled fiercely. Objectively speaking, Liam wasn’t a terrible-looking guy, so Alex couldn’t fathom why he was so pathologically obsessed with Omegas. Even if he met the prettiest Omega on earth, they wouldn’t hold a candle to Nathan anyway.

“Piss off,” Alex snapped bluntly.

Grumbling irritably, Alex shoved through the main doors and exited the building. As he marched past the meticulously manicured, vibrant green pitch toward the front gates, he continued to bicker aimlessly with Liam. That was the exact moment David Mack materialized in their path.

“Hi.”

Liam was the first to freeze, his eyes blowing wide in shock. The boy with the swept-back, brownish-blonde hair offered a smooth, charismatic smile. Everything about the way he casually initiated the greeting screamed of effortless superiority and privilege, perfectly mirroring his dazzling football skills and powerful connections.

Deepening his frown, Alex forced his mouth open.

“Yeah. Hi.”

He genuinely needed to hurry if he was going to make it to the station on time, and he had absolutely no idea why David was suddenly talking to him. Entirely unfazed by Alex’s blatant hostility, David merely chuckled.

“Your form has been really solid lately,” David noted.

It was an incredibly random, unprompted compliment. However, Liam immediately launched into a silent, frantic pantomime of excitement, violently slapping Alex on the shoulder. Ah, shit, seriously.

“Uh… thanks?” Alex replied awkwardly.

Liam struck his shoulder a second time. Just as Alex was about to snap at him in irritation, David let out a soft laugh.

“You really are as blunt as the rumors say. Where are you heading?” David asked.

Alex offered a stiff nod. If you know I’m blunt, then get the hell out of my way.

“Yeah.”

“Got a date?”

“No.”

He fired back the answers with blatant apathy. Yet, for whatever reason, David seemed highly amused by the dismissal. Flashing a blindingly bright grin, David lightly patted Alex’s arm and offered a casual wave.

“Right, right. Catch you later, then.”

What the hell does he mean, ‘right, right’? Alex narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the cryptic farewell. However, clearly having concluded his mysterious business, David turned and began walking away.

Striding quickly toward the entrance with his long legs, David tossed a comment over his shoulder to someone waiting for him, glancing back at Alex one final time. Alex realized a boy with brown hair, who looked even shorter than Nathan, was staring intently in his direction.

“Hey, see? I told you! If you get on his good side, you’re guaranteed a spot on the first string,” Liam whispered frantically into his ear.

The boy standing next to David stared at Alex for a long moment before rising onto his tiptoes to whisper urgently into David’s ear.

“Who is that?” Alex asked.

“Him? You seriously don’t know? That’s David’s younger brother. The Omega brother he absolutely dotes on. He comes to watch practice all the time, so a ton of guys are completely obsessed with him, do you seriously not know? David is so protective of him that vicious rumors are going around claiming they look like they’re dating. It’s famous around here. That family is so rich and connected that David literally forced kids who didn’t get along with his brother to transfer schools.”

“Right. I didn’t know,” Alex replied flatly.

If the rumors were true, David was precisely the kind of dangerous, unstable person he needed to avoid at all costs, yet Liam kept desperately urging him to suck up to the striker. Aside from a fleeting, apathetic thought wondering exactly how astronomical their family’s wealth must be to possess the power to force student transfers, Alex felt absolutely nothing.

“You’re honestly unbelievable,” Liam sighed in genuine awe.

Completely ignoring Liam’s exasperation, Alex checked his phone. A new text had just arrived.

—On my way. See you soon.

The deeply ingrained scowl instantly melted away, replaced by a radiant, unstoppable smile slowly blooming across his face. Viciously biting down on his lower lip to suppress the grin, Alex broke into a dead sprint. Tossing a casual, dismissive wave over his shoulder at whatever Liam was screaming behind him, Alex ran.

His heart felt like it was already going to explode.

☂