The door to Kael and Jaden's dorm room opened, and they both stepped out. Jaden came out first, dressed in sneakers, shorts, and a round-neck shirt, his hair permed and his face moisturized, while Kael was the opposite. He also wore the same outfit as Jaden, but his hair was unruly, and his face unkempt.
"Are you sure I'm okay this way?" Kael asked, his hand trying to tame his unruly curls.
Jaden turned to look at him, giving him a quick once-over. He sighed and said, "Not that bad, but you could make some changes. But that's gone, you'll do better tomorrow."
"What!" Kael exclaimed, his mouth agape. "You mean we'll do this every day?"
"Yes," Jaden said, but then he suddenly straightened up, his body facing forward, and yanked Kael to do the same.
Just then, a man walked up to them. He was also dressed for the gym and held an iron pole in his hand. He looked at Jaden and nodded before turning his gaze to Kael.
He stopped right in front of Kael, and Kael felt his breath hitch.
'It's oppressive. I can smell his pheromones... It feels like he just did something indecent before coming here…' Kael mumbled internally, keeping his mouth shut while the man scrutinized him.
The man stared into his eyes. "Why are you gripping your top so tightly?"
"Huh?" Kael mouthed, then looked at his hands. Sure enough, he was clutching his shirt and shorts.
He coughed as he let go and looked back at the man. "Ah… I think I just realized."
"Do I scare you?" the man asked.
"No," Kael replied.
'If I can't handle just one Alpha's scent, how can I possibly disguise myself as one?'
"You should be scared of me!" the man suddenly shouted.
Kael looked up, startled.
"What—" His voice trailed off as he was met with the iron pole striking his leg.
Kael grimaced in pain, clutching his leg, then glared at the man. His words bolted out before he could stop them. "What is wrong with you? Why did you do that?"
As soon as he spoke, he received a knock on his head. The man sighed. "You were woken up at five and had thirty minutes to get ready, yet you couldn't even wash your face or comb your hair. If you want to be a strong and independent Alpha, if you want to study at this college, you must at least be able to wake up early and complete your morning tasks. So, yes, you should be scared of me."
"Oh…" Kael coughed, scratching the back of his neck. His other hand moved to his head where he had been hit. Then he bent slightly and muttered, "It won't happen again."
"Good," the man said before moving away.
As soon as the man was gone, all the emotions Kael had been suppressing suddenly surged, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out his suppressants. Without hesitation, he swallowed one without water.
"Are you okay?" Jaden, who had been silently observing him, asked once he was done.
"Ermm—" Kael was startled by his voice. He had forgotten he had a dorm mate. Looking at Jaden, he thought, 'I just took my suppressant in front of him. What… would he… Should I tell him?'
Jaden sighed when Kael remained silent, simply staring at him. "You must be scared, right? That's Assistant Instructor Jude. He'll be in charge of our morning training today. And you know, he's still better than the other instructor, that guy's even tougher."
Kael, still sweating from his earlier panic, asked, "How do you know all this?"
"Ah… I forgot to tell you. I have a senior here. He told me everything," Jaden chuckled.
Just then, they were instructed to head to the field.
Their exercise took place at the school's sports complex, where they had to run around the field as long as possible to test their strength and endurance. By the third lap, Kael felt like his life was leaving his body, while Jaden was already moving ahead.
After they finished their laps, Kael was berated by the senior for being the only one to run only three laps while others managed five or more.
But it wasn't his fault. The Alpha pheromones leaking due to the intense exercise overwhelmed him. Relying on suppressants, he couldn't afford to let his own pheromones or scent slip out. After three laps, he had no choice but to stop.
The scolding didn't stop, and by the final exercise at the gym treadmill, Kael was asked to sit it out after being seen drenched in sweat, looking as if he had just taken a shower fully clothed.
"Wow… I almost died," Jaden mumbled as he slumped beside Kael on the chair.
Kael just stared at him, panting hard. Sweat streamed down Jaden's face, making him look even more attractive, his veins bulging from the workout.
'What?' Kael exclaimed internally. 'Was I just checking Jaden out?'
'Have I suppressed my pheromones too much that I've gone crazy? Or… wait… is my heat coming? Damn, I completely forgot about that… I'll definitely need to be home when it happens…'
Kael berated himself, then glanced at Jaden again but this time, seeing him as his usual annoying and nosy friend.
Just as his eyes lingered, Jaden suddenly turned to him. Kael instantly looked away as though caught doing something wrong.
"What? What's wrong with you?" Jaden asked, trying to turn Kael's face back toward him.
"Nothing," Kael muttered before bringing his hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn.
"Are you sure?" Jaden pressed.
"Why? Would you do something if I said I wasn't?" Kael asked suspiciously.
"Hmm…" Jaden tapped his finger against his lips, thinking. "Not really, but I have an idea. Something fun."
"Fun?" Kael's face lit up at the word. He turned eagerly to Jaden. "What is it?"
"How about we go to the club after this? I have some friends I want to meet up with there. You should come too and just have fun. Who knows? You might even meet your sexy Beta there…" Jaden said, licking his lips playfully.
"What?!" Kael exclaimed. "I don't want to meet any sexy Beta there!"
"What?!" Jaden shouted back. "If you don't want a Beta, then you just won't go to them!"
Then, after studying Kael carefully, he asked again, "So, are you coming?"
Kael mulled it over before saying, "If it's fun, as in, nothing about lifting weights or running around the field, then I'm in."
"Sure! Let's go register our courses first, and then we can head out," Jaden said.