On a cold winter afternoon, the trees around the new apartment rustled under the harsh wind, creating a natural kind of music. Two small children stood before their father, heads bowed, yet their expressions showed no sign of shame. On the contrary, it was as if they knew what they did was wrong and still didn't regret it one bit.
"Let me see if I got this right," said the father, pinching his temple in a gesture of stress while holding a thin sheet of paper in his hands.
The two boys were identical and had inherited their father's red hair. The only difference between them was their heterochromia: one, who was about to laugh, had a honey-colored left eye, while the other, wearing a convincingly serious face, had the same honey color in his right eye.
The man now on the verge of breaking down is Miles Granholm, a 28-year-old who already has two blessings—or better said, two little curses.
Right now, Miles felt like screaming, but not enough to actually do it. Instead, he simply cast a disapproving look at his sons: Norman and Elliot, the mischievous twins.
"Their teacher called me in for a meeting because of your bad behavior," Miles resumed after taking a deep breath. He began to replay the information in his head, feeling a twinge of guilt as he looked at his sons, seemingly ashamed with their heads down—even if he suspected they had every intention of upsetting him.
"Yes, Daddy," both boys said in unison.
Miles didn't want to scold them. Maybe their need to seek attention in class came from missing their other father. After all, he had once been married to another alpha, but their relationship ended in a dramatic separation when his former partner kicked him out of the house overnight—kids included—simply because he never wanted to see Miles again.
He couldn't help but feel guilty about it. Perhaps it was natural for the boys to act out after he'd been somewhat neglectful lately. With a sad expression, he opened his arms to them, offering comfort. He knew his little devils, and even if they didn't seem truly sorry, it was clear they just wanted a hug from their dad. Like two little magnets, they ran toward him, jumped onto the couch—making the old springs creak—and nestled into their father's chest.
"I'll talk to your teacher and show him who's boss, alright? You're not bad kids, you're the sweetest little things I've ever had," Miles said, planting a kiss on each of their foreheads.
The more serious of the two, the one with the honey-colored right eye, dared to ask something. He didn't seem too emotional, but even so, his little voice sounded like it could crack at any moment:
"Daddy, do you still love us even if we make a mess in your office?" asked Elliot.
"Of course I do. I love you even if you put salt in my coffee," Miles replied gently.
The other child, the one with the honey-colored left eye and more energetic nature, spoke up with tears in his eyes.
"Do you love us even if we like to make a mess in the kitchen?" he asked, nearly in tears.
"Even if you make a mess trying to cook me breakfast," Miles said with a warm smile, then kissed both of them on the face again.
"Tomorrow I'm going to leave that teacher speechless. No one messes with my kids!"
Miles stood up from the couch, lifting his two sons suddenly. Even though he picked them up like sacks of potatoes, both couldn't stop laughing. Since their father was a strong, muscular alpha, it wasn't hard at all to play airplane with them.
"Defend your sons, Papa!" Norman blurted out, eyes shining.
"Papa is the best!" Elliot cheered, encouraging his father.
The children were completely enthralled with their paternal figure; to them, and even after the separation, their father was more than enough. It wasn't as if they missed their other parent; on the contrary, they felt more relaxed in that sense, being far away from the other alpha.
The children's young age wasn't an impediment to recognizing their father's effort to fill the empty space left by that "cursed Alpha" whom the children detested.
Fortunately, and thanks to Miles's effort, they no longer had to have that alpha in the same house. Although that meant they had to move from the capital, "Paradise Falls," to a small, rural town. They still didn't have many things because they couldn't take much from their old mansion, but at least they were a bit freer.
At least Miles was free from him, but the children weren't yet. They didn't have enough reasons to keep their other father away from them.
When Miles took them to the bathroom to start brushing their teeth, one of the children protested:
"I don't want to go to him, I want to be with you," Norman protested impatiently.
Today was Thursday, so the children were always more irritable than usual on Thursday evenings. So, of course, Miles had no reason to scold them too much. He would just have to talk to the teacher about their complex situation, and surely he would understand.
"I hope he can understand..." Miles thought as he brushed Norman's teeth, since Elliot was somewhat self-sufficient and could do it alone. Though, of course, Norman didn't like brushing his teeth.
"I don't want to go with him either," complained the more sensible of the pair, Elliot.
"I don't like them going either," Miles thought.
As if they were a pair of kittens before being adopted, Miles placed his hand on Elliot's head:
"It'll only be until Sunday morning; you'll see it will be very short. Besides, he has more money than I do. He'll surely give you a new toy or things you can bring here," Miles said, stroking Elliot's hair.
Elliot didn't seem happy with what his father said:
"Whatever," Elliot said with a pout.
Miles responsibly prepared them for bed and then shared the same bed with his two sons. They slept squeezed together, but while Miles saved money to make them their own room, it was fine temporarily.
"Can't we really stay with you?" Norman asked with another pout.
"No, your other father also has the right to see you," Miles said, understandingly.
"We don't want to," Elliot complained.
They always made parental visits more difficult, but legal negotiations simply didn't reduce the father's visits for them because his ex-partner was simply "a perfect man of high standing."
His ex-partner had everything and still didn't have enough to let them go once and for all.
At this point, Miles simply didn't know what else to tell them, so he just gave them a paternal hug.
"Someday this discussion won't be necessary; be patient."
The children, though dissatisfied, began to close their eyes, those same eyes they unfortunately inherited from that alpha.
As soon as he noticed his children had fallen asleep, he spent another sleepless night. Since he didn't want to wake the children, he got up in the middle of the night to go to the balcony and admire that darker-than-usual night, while caressing his mark on his neck that was about to disappear.
He felt alone and miserable at that moment, and it was too late to call his Uncle Lau.
Relationships between alphas were not common, and getting pregnant by another alpha was... socially embarrassing.
In this town, the most normal relationships were between omegas and alphas, and between women and men, because the population is mostly elderly or women with children.
That's why he never said that his children effectively "came from him."
It was also not very common to see someone wanting someone else's children instead of their own. Miles only had to read a study about stepmothers often mistreating children after a divorce without the birth parents knowing. Something similar to what happened in the fairy tales he used to read to the little ones.
At that moment, taking advantage of the dark night, he saw a shooting star pass by, something not commonly seen in the city.
He knew he had to make a wish, so he quickly closed his eyes and thought:
"I wish for someone who can put up with me and my children."
While at that moment he thought of a thousand things such as money, stability, and other things, due to his loneliness, the first thing he thought of was love. Money he could get, stability was coming, but could anyone want him, or at least could he allow himself that?
He had to be strong for his children, so he quickly wiped away the tears that threatened to emerge:
"Of course, I'm worthy of being loved," he whispered.
He decided to go back to bed to go to work tomorrow. Before becoming a father, he was a promising architect who was very slowly overshadowed by his ex-partner. So he currently helps repair his Uncle Lau's coffee shop and is working there while he gets the basic materials to call himself an architect again.
Even if it was hard for him to sleep because he was mentally preparing a speech to defend his children, imagining what that monster with a university degree might say about his children. They weren't bad; they were just a bit playful.
The teacher's appointment was in the morning, so he quickly called his uncle around 7 AM the next morning to say he wouldn't be able to open the cafe due to that news. But even so, since the coffee shop was a street away from the apartment, he stopped by his workplace to pick up and pay for pastries as a quick breakfast for his children.
"Little Miles!" shouted a handsome young man who looked around 30 years old, no more, no less.
"Uncle Lau!" the children exclaimed happily.
"Uncle Lau! I've already paid for the sweets," Miles announced, caught in the act.
"Don't worry about it. Did you see the shooting star?" the friendly man asked.
Uncle Lau had reddish hair and green eyes, but unlike Miles, he was a bit thinner.
"Yes! It's the first time I've seen one. In the city, they're not so clear."
Uncle Lau approached with a smile on his lips, then handed him a freshly brewed coffee.
"Cheer up. Don't you know the legend of the shooting star? Take this cappuccino."
Both the children and Miles couldn't help but pay attention to learn about the legend. The children looked excited, and Miles simply looked confused:
"Legend?"
Uncle Lau grinned from ear to ear.
"All those who see the shooting star, before midnight, will meet their soulmate."
Soulmates were a magnetic union, difficult to ignore because your body "calls" to that person in a magnetic and primitive way. This was a vestige of ancient civilization; needless to say, almost no one knew their soulmate anymore. At least Miles thought it was too late to meet someone like that.
"Uncle Lau, that's just a legend," Miles emphasized skeptically.
Uncle Lau just brought the coffee even closer, then wiped Miles's face with a damp towel, making the children laugh at seeing their dad being scolded.
"Maybe the capital isn't like that, but all the legends on Corona Island come true. This place is magical," Uncle Lau said.
Miles pouted, then looked at his watch with some nervousness, preparing to face his children's teacher.
"You're an exemplary father, Miles. You'll do great," Uncle Lau said, as if reading his mind.