"Arthur, even if you stay ho-"
The voice in the living room abruptly cut off. Outside, Kelly had waited for Arthur's usual boisterous cheering, then wondering why the typically loud house had suddenly fallen dead silent.
Curiosity piqued, she stepped into the living room to check on him. But just like Arthur, she froze, utterly stunned. Her mouth dropped open, and her hand flew to her chest as tears instantly blurred her vision.
Then, she ran.
She threw her arms around the taller, younger woman, pulling her into a fierce, desperate hug.
"Natalia… Oh my God, you're back! Kevin! Our daughter is back!"
Arthur watched as Natalia gave a small, tightly controlled nod, returning the embrace of Aunt Kelly, or rather, her mother.
He couldn't deny the sharp sting of jealousy tightening his throat as Aunt Kelly sobbed, holding Natalia as if she might vanish again.
He wondered, just for a fleeting second, if his own mother would react that way if they ever met again.
But he already knew the answer.
Not every mother loves their children. His mother certainly wasn't like Aunt Kelly. A woman who dumps her fourteen-year-old son on her best friend's doorstep because she doesn't want "baggage from her past" ruining her new life isn't exactly going to be thrilled to see that baggage return.
Yeah… Arthur was that baggage.
When Aunt Kelly took him in, he was already a broken, defensive teenager. Yet, she had opened her home and her heart without a single hesitation. She hadn't given up on him. She was, quite literally, his savior.
Truthfully, after ten years of separation, Arthur couldn't even remember what his mother's voice sounded like. He didn't wish to see her, nor did he crave her love anymore. But witnessing Aunt Kelly's raw maternal devotion always brought those buried thoughts back to the surface. He felt the sting of his own misfortune, the lack of a real mother, a real biological family.
Yet, he had been granted a second chance through Kelly and Kevin. They loved him as if he were their own blood. He was fiercely grateful, constantly striving to bring them joy. Because of that, he forced his envy down and let himself feel genuinely happy for Aunt Kelly.
And for Natalia, too.
She was incredibly lucky. She had the best parents in the world. Having been raised by them for the last decade, Arthur knew firsthand that no one else could compare.
A soft, genuine smile finally mirrored Aunt Kelly's as she cradled her daughter's face in her palms.
"Arthur," Uncle Kevin whispered, leaning in close. "What about you staying home today?"
"Well, I actually came down to ask you exactly that," Arthur murmured back.
"Ah. Then stay home today."
Arthur nodded, allowing Uncle Kevin to pull him down onto the couch, the other two settling across from them shortly after.
"You shouldn't have surprised us like this," Aunt Kelly chided gently, her hands still gripping Natalia's tightly. "I thought I was hallucinating. I nearly had a heart attack."
"If I had told you I was coming, you would have insisted on waiting at the airport for hours, Mom," Natalia explained calmly. Her voice was steady, impressing Arthur despite himself.
She was absolutely right. Aunt Kelly would get giddy for an entire day just from their usual phone calls, which happened five times a week. If she had known Natalia was flying home, she would have driven herself entirely crazy with prep work. This was easier.
However, Arthur couldn't shake the sudden wave of annoyance creeping up on him. Natalia was beautiful, effortlessly so and her cool, detached poker face carried a natural, infuriating charm.
He subtly rolled his eyes, trying to suppress the reluctant admiration blooming in his chest. A renewed surge of jealousy washed over him. Natalia's sudden presence felt like an unspoken threat. For the past few years, he hadn't had to share Uncle Kevin and Aunt Kelly's attention. Now, he was going to have to split it.
He was deeply, childishly jealous.
Yeah, yeah… If Aunt Kelly actually had a heart attack, that also would have been real easy, Arthur thought sarcastically.
He risked a glance at Natalia, only to flinch as he found her already staring directly at him. A sudden, intense heat rushed up his neck.
F-fuck!
Arthur forgot how to breathe. Just her gaze alone made his muscles lock up, an anxious tremor buzzing beneath his skin. God, she is terrifying…
Like a frightened puppy seeking shelter, Arthur leaned closer to Uncle Kevin, his hand instinctively reaching out to grip the hem of his uncle's shirt. Embarrassment, hot and inexplicable, flooded him. He kept his head down, staring fixedly at his own thigh while his nails restlessly picked and scratched at the fabric of his jeans.
But even without looking, he could feel it.
Her gaze. It remained fixed on him, heavy and impossibly intense.
Huh! Is she mad that I've been the one taking care of her parents while she was living it up abroad? Well, she should be… Arthur thought, desperately spinning childish theories to explain her focus on him. When he got defensive, his logic rapidly deteriorated into petty delusions.
Delusion was his preferred coping mechanism, after all.
Still, his ego took a brutal hit. The sheer fact that he felt this intimidated, this flustered and small by someone a year younger than him was deeply humiliating. But he couldn't help the physical reaction.
This Alpha… She made him feel entirely unhinged.
It was a chaotic cocktail of panic, a bizarre thrill at having her attention, and a strange, deep-seated ache that amplified everything else. It was like a static tingle shooting straight through his heart and pooling in his stomach.
He hated it.
But a treacherous part of his brain liked it, too. It made him shudder, yet it left a dangerously sweet aftertaste in his mind.
He knew he was weird. Maybe this was just another manifestation of his broken psyche.
But it was entirely unfamiliar.
He barely remembered what it had been like around her six years ago. Back then, he had been too consumed by fear to ever meet her eyes.
He had been terrified of being the annoying, parasitic Omega living under the roof of the neighborhood's most coveted Alpha prodigy.
Consequently, he had kept his distance at home and school. They had lived parallel lives, never crossing paths, which suited him fine.
In fact, Arthur had spent his first five years in the house practically barricaded in his room, keeping both Kelly and Kevin at arm's length. He had been haunted by the phantom fear of being a burden, terrified that if he made too much noise or took up too much space, Aunt Kelly would realize her mistake and kick him out. He had nowhere else to go. So, he chose to be invisible.
It was only after Natalia left the country six years ago that Arthur finally began to breathe. Seeing the crushing grief and emptiness her departure left in the household, a sense of responsibility overcame his fear. He started stepping out of his room, offering quiet comfort to the lonely couple.
Through that vulnerability, he realized how profoundly wrong he had been. They had never viewed him as a burden. They loved him with the exact same depth they reserved for their biological daughter. Once Arthur finally accepted that truth, he felt a wave of regret for wasting five years isolating himself out of foolish pride.
He also eventually learned the real reason Natalia had fled the country. Her long-term Omega boyfriend had brutally betrayed her, getting marked and impregnated by another Alpha.
Arthur could only imagine the agony of that kind of betrayal. It must have been a living hell. To cope, Natalia had exiled herself, burying her head in her studies before eventually taking over half of Uncle Kevin's corporate empire. Kevin was immensely proud of her success.
Arthur, however, hadn't always felt so understanding. For the past five years, Natalia hadn't returned home even once. He had found her behavior incredibly selfish and immature, especially seeing how deeply Aunt Kelly wept after their video calls. A screen wasn't enough to fill a mother's empty arms.
But Uncle Kevin had eventually sat him down and explained the grim reality that Natalia's emotional fallout had been severe. Even with professional intervention, she had spent three agonizing years under the suffocating weight of severe depression.
She had explicitly promised to return only when she was genuinely whole again, refusing to let her mother see her broken.
Arthur understood that. He had decided that while she was away healing, he would step up and fill the void she left behind.
So, he allowed himself to transform.
Wrapped in the unconditional warmth of Kelly and Kevin, Arthur's defensive walls completely crumbled. He became the happy, clingy, shamelessly bratty Omega he was always meant to be. He joked, he pampered them, and he claimed his space, earning the affectionate title of the "son they never had."
Even now, at twenty-four, he was shamelessly spoiled. He still got tucked into bed on bad nights and coddled like a child, and they all thrived in that dynamic. Their little makeshift family was always full of laughter.
Might not be the case anymore… I can't believe my beautiful Aunt and handsome Uncle managed to breed a daughter who looks like she forgets how to smile.
Arthur's lips twitched, a sarcastic remark dying to escape his tongue, but he forcefully bit it back. He needed to make a good impression.
Well… a new impression. This wasn't their first meeting, but six years of absolute silence changed people.
It was time for a clean slate. A new beginning.
And, perhaps, a completely different story...
A start over.