Page 47 of Mating Mia
“It’s really you,” she breathes, reaching out with trembling fingers that stop just shy of touching my face, as if afraid I might dissolve into mist. “My baby.”
“Mom,” I manage to choke out, the word unfamiliar, but it feels right. I never felt like this when addressing Martha Jenkins at all. This feels primal and true, which feels like it’s coming from my soul.
My mom’s composure crumbles as tears flood her eyes and roll down her face. In one fluid motion, she’s beside me, herarms encircling both me and my newborn son in an embrace so gentle yet fierce it steals my breath.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” she sobs against my hair. “I’ve dreamed of this moment for years. Dreamed of holding you again.”
The scent of her fills my nostrils. Her scent is like pine trees after rain, mixed with something sweet that reminds me of honeysuckle. It feels so familiar, as if some part of me has been searching for this exact scent my whole life without knowing it.
“Why do you stay here?” I ask, my voice muffled against her shoulder.
She pulls back just enough to look at me, her thumbs wiping tears from my cheeks with the instinctive tenderness only a mother can possess. I kiss my baby’s forehead as I look back at my mother. Two new family members in one moment feels crazy to me.
“I’ve been living here for years. Behind the waterfall, there’s a network of caves. It’s the perfect hiding place because the waterfall masks my scent completely.”
“That’s why Orion never found you,” I whisper as understanding dawns over me. “The water.”
She nods, her eyes darting nervously to my alphas who stand in a protective semicircle around us.
“I can’t stay on this side for long,” she says urgently. “They’ll scent me, and if they can, others might too. I’ve managed to stay hidden all these years. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I can explain once you’ve recovered from childbirth.”
“But you just found me,” I protest, panic rising in my chest at the thought of losing her so soon after finding her. “You can’t leave now.”
“I’m not leaving you,” she assures me, brushing a strand of sweat-soaked hair from my forehead. “I’ll be waiting on theother side of the falls. Once you’re recovered, you can come back.”
My son lets out a cry that’s tiny but fierce, demanding attention, and I smile. Sarah’s eyes drop to him, filling with wonder and fresh tears.
“My grandchild.”
“Would you like to hold him?” I offer, suddenly desperate to see my mother hold my son, to connect these broken pieces of my family.
She hesitates, then nods, carefully accepting the squirming bundle. Her hands, calloused but gentle, cradle him with practiced ease.
“He’s perfect,” she murmurs, tracing one finger along his cheek. “So perfect, just like you were.”
The baby quiets in her arms, his cries subsiding to soft coos as he stares up at her with unfocused newborn eyes. I have to blink back fresh tears at how beautiful the moment is.
“Mia,” Finn’s deep voice breaks the spell, his tone gentle but insistent. “We need to get you and the baby to a hospital. You’ve both been through a traumatic birth. You need medical attention.”
I’m suddenly brought back to reality.
My body is still bleeding, still reeling from pushing a human being into the world. My son, though seemingly healthy, should be checked by doctors. The rational part of my brain knows Finn is right, but my heart rebels at the thought of leaving my mother when I’ve only just found her.
“Take me across the waterfall first,” I plead, looking up at Finn with desperate eyes. “Just for a minute. I need to see where she's been living all this time.”
Kane shakes his head, moving to kneel beside me. His hand covers mine, warm and solid. “Little omega, you’re still bleedingand possibly delirious. The baby needs warmth and proper cleaning. We can come back after you’re both checked out.”
“But what if… ?” My voice breaks as I hold back my fear.What if she disappears again? What if this is all a dream?
As if reading my thoughts, Sarah passes the baby back to me and takes my face in her hands. “I promise you, Mia. I’ll be waiting. I’ve waited years, and I’m not going anywhere now.”
Her eyes hold mine with such fierce certainty that I believe her. I have to.
“Your father,” she says suddenly. “Liam. Is he…?”
“He’s alive,” I assure her quickly. “He was searching for you when we last saw him.”
“Alive,” she repeats. “All these years, I thought... I felt the bonds with Ezra and Theo break when they died, but Liam’s bond was always there, just so faint I couldn’t track him.”
