Can someone explain 3‐(propan‐2‐yl)cyclohex‐1‐ene forming a carbocation?
You are correct that the $\alpha$-carbon would be protonated... and then deprotonated, and back and forth, until eventually, the $\beta$-carbon is protonated, the hydride shift proceeds, and the molecule is trapped in the product state. Since protonating the $\alpha$-carbon doesn't result in some other reaction, it doesn't really matter which secondary cation is more stable. I think the important thing here is recognizing where and when a hydride shift can occur.