"It's so lonely when you don't even know yourself."
"Eggs, bacon...she might want some juice."
Pom tried not to feel as if something terrible was going to happen. She tried to keep her spirits up and not a fumbling mess. What happened if she was related to this woman?
She never, ever thought that she might ever meet someone possibly related to her. The priestess at 'home' would tell them that it was the goddesses will that their parents gave them up. She never questioned it...it was their goddesses wish and her wishes had to be carried out. If this woman with her last name was in fact related to her did she even have the right to ask her questions?
Pom groaned softly, wiping her face with her hands as she tried to think of what her mate would do. She would love to just press herself against him and breathe in his scent. His scent made her mind clearer, made her vision better. War was a busy man though, and she had to respect that...him being a warrior meant sometimes she had to deal with things on her own.
Not freaking out was something she definitely had to figure out on her own. War had given her so much in such a little time span, the most she could do for both of them was give him some space and try to calm her spirits on her own...
The door bell rang. Pom gripped the plate tightly in her hands. It wouldn't be anyone she knew of, or used to know her. She had to think logically...
Mei was talking and she heard voices. Maybe two, she couldn't just hide in the kitchen. She had to be hospitable, this was technically her temporary home.
Taking a deep breath, she combed through her dark curls and practiced her smile. After a few seconds of giving herself a little mental pep talk, she made her way to the living room.
The first thing she noticed was two men sitting across from Luna Mei. Both in all black. The one who was speaking had black hair slicked back and tanned skin. Pomelia noticed that he had a burn maybe on the side of his face? It looked as if it was healed...but she knew it had to have been painful.
The other man had striking blue eyes, almost like Wars. Her mates eyes were of course more beautiful but the man had a nice pair. He wore a black hat and a serious expression on his face.
"Hi," Pom interrupted them awkwardly. The two newcomers immediately had their eyes on her. The man who had the burn mark on his face was staring at her oddly. The other man looked at her the same, a little less suspicion on his face though.
Mei stood up and smiled, slinging her bony arm around her neck. "Juan this is Pomelia...ah Peter this Pomelia. She's a...friend of mine," Luna Mei told the men as they both stood.
Juan seemed a little spooked by her and she wondered why. Peter reached his hand out. "Any friend of Mei's is a friend of ours. You're gorgeous by the way," Peter smiled at her as she shook her hand.
"Right. Nice to meet you," Juan said as he refrained from shaking her head. He seemed older than her but she couldn't tell by how much of course. Lycan genes made it nearly impossible to tell someone's age.
Mei cleared her throat awkwardly as she sat down, everyone else following suit. "Like I said before. She's in the car wrapping some things up on the phone," Juan spoke as his eyes kept staying over to Pomelia.
She didn't want to say that she felt uncomfortable but she did a little. Both men kept staring at her. "Right so we're just waiting for her to discuss everything...anyway how's the pack been?" The man Peter questioned. His eyes were on Mei before they went to Pomelia. His eyes slid to her neck before he seemed to be looking at her chest...
"Pack has been good. Again I apologize for Reese not being here. He's away on some business he should be back today or tomorrow," Mei said as she growled. "Peter you're speaking to me, it's rude to stare at someone else while addressing a Luna."
The man's face reddened and chuckled. "I'm sorry Mei, your friend is just gorgeous but I see she's taken. It's a shame. What pack are you from?"
Before Pomelia could answer, Mei began to talk. "My friend is her mates concern not yours Peter. You're here on business not to flirt with a mated female. Isn't that right, Juan?"
"Of course it is, leave her alone Peter. Go check on Erica." The man seemed offended and angered but rose up from his seat and left the house. The man Juan kept staring at her, but with confusion not...lust like the other man.
Pom really wished War was here. She was sure his angered glare would scare off both the men from staring at her...
"Oh...how's your little girl? She's what, six now?" Luna Mei questioned as Juan's serious demeanor suddenly softened. Pom smiled, it was nice to know that he seemed to have a soft spot for his child.
As the man pulled out his phone and began to show Luna Mei his daughter, Pom couldn't help but look. The little girl was beautiful...and she seemed eerily familiar. As Pom tried to comb through her memories she could hear the front door opening again.
"Peter I don't know what is going on but you need to correct it. We have a big break in this investigation. I need you on your toes," a sharp female voice spoke as the door slammed shut.
A woman strolled into the room and Pom glanced at her with a smile. She seemed serious, as if she meant business. Her eyes solely focused on Luna Mei who was rising from the couch to greet the woman.
The woman was tall, well taller than Pomelia. She wore a black pants suit, that formed nicely to her shape. Her dark raven curls were cut short, just an inch or two above her shoulders. Freckles splattered over her medium skin tone, on her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Something was familiar about her...
"Luna Mei I want to apologize for keeping you. I was on the phone with..." the woman paused as she shook Luna Mei's hands.
She took a step to the right of Luna Mei and the woman's striking hazel eyes landed on her. Pomelia smiled unsurely, watching the woman's eyes slowly widen as she looked over Pomelia in sheer confusion. "Oh...uh Agent Grace this is Pom-"
"-Her name is not Pomelia," the woman shook her head, as Pom's stomach began to turn staring at the woman who seemed to be falling apart right before her very eyes. "B-because my baby...her name...no."
Pomelia took a deep breath, standing up and giving the woman a shakily smile. "I-it is. My name is um...it's Pomelia Grace," Pom murmured, gripping the sides of her dress nervously.
It couldn't be real. This woman wasn't related to her. She couldn't be real. Tears began leak from the woman's eyes, her hand covering her mouth. She seemed as if she was attempting to hold in all of her emotions, but some things slipped through the cracks.
"When...ah when were you born?" The woman questioned, beginning to pace and stare at her as if Pom said the wrong thing it would all go down hill from there.
"Um November 2nd, 2002."
A sob left the disgruntled woman's lips. She wavered in her steps before the man who was siting jumped up from his seat and rushed over to Agent Grace. "Hey baby. You okay?" He began speaking a different language, Spanish maybe?
Pom took a few steps back, having a sensory overload. She could hear her own heartbeat, the woman's pounding heartbeat. The sorrow in her cries, the anxiousness reeling from the woman's pores. Not only was she catching that but her wolf was sniffing the confusion and tense atmosphere.
She needed her mate. "I...I'm sorry," Pom gulped, feeling like the odd ball again. Feeling as if she didn't belong. This woman had to be her, had to be the woman who gave her up. She was too distraught every time she met Pomelia's eyes.
This wasn't how she envisioned meeting her mom. With her so overtaken with sadness that she could barely stand. Causing a woman she barely knew that much distress. It made her feel terrible.
"I can't be here right now," the woman rushed her sentence out in enough time to continue her sobbing. The man by the name of Juan quickly help support the woman while also leading her out of the door.
Pom glanced to Luna Mei who worriedly looked between Pomelia and the front door that was just slammed shut. Luna Mei cleared her throat, giving Pom a soft look. "I think she's just surprised. She just-"
"-She doesn't want to see me. I-I know that. I'll go upstairs," Pom smiled, trying not to let the knot in her stomach or the deep pain in her heart show. The woman was in shambles...
Pom turned to head towards the stairs and was grabbed by the wrist. "No, you aren't going to hide and neither is she. I know Agent Grace she's just overwhelmed and-"
"-Yeah. I mean who wouldn't be shocked to have a gorgeous, beautiful daughter? I mean you're like a 10," the man Peter smirked, his eyes taking in Pomelia in a way she didn't appreciate...
Pom crossed her arms over her chest and worriedly began to pace. Was what Luna Mei and Peter saying true? Was she just overwhelmed? That couldn't be it. She gave Pomelia up. She didn't want her then, why would she want her now? Or even want to look at her...
"Hey come on it's going to be okay. I promise," Luna Mei told Pom as she patted her back awkwardly. Pom chewed on her cheek, wanting to just walk outside and talk to the woman...her mother. "Hey Peter since Erica and Juan are occupied...can you fill us in on why you guys are here?"
Pom agreed, setting her mind on something else was the best course of action. She didn't know what to do right now. Mei was a stranger, so was Peter and War was the only one she wanted to confide in. For him to give her his infamous half smile and then wrap his arms around her much smaller body.
Thinking about her mate made her eyes water. She really didn't have anyone else outside of him in the real world. She hoped he got back soon from whatever important thing he was doing. She needed him...
The man Peter shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah I mean Erica's in no shape to talk. Basically...you might want to sit for this." Luna Mei glowered at Peter and she felt like glowering at him too but that would be a little too mean. She didn't really know this man...
Pomelia sunk in the chair next to Luna Mei, watching her anxiously await what the man had to say. Pomelia's mind was trying to hone in on the sounds coming from outside though.
She could hear the woman Erica and Juan speaking to one another. She couldn't make out a lot, but it most definitely felt like Juan was consoling Erica still. Which disheartened her...
"Ben is dead. We have the man who essentially killed him in custody. We also found a hideout for this specific radical group he's apart of." Peter spoke a little softer as Luna Mei leant the weight of her head on her hands. "I apologize for this news and I wish your mate was also here to take it in but things don't always work out like their supposed to."
That much Pomelia could agree with. She turned her attention to Luna Mei who was pulling at her long, beautiful hair. "This....I mean I just," she exhaled out slowly as her eyes began to water. "He was an ass, a terrible guy but I just...I feel bad for Reese," she said as she fanned at her face, blinking rapidly as to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall. Pom was amazed at how she was able to keep the tears in and not even let a single one fall.
"Damn Reese and his emotions. I used to not be able to cry. Like at all," She snorted as Pom still stared at the woman, marveling at how not even a drop of liquid left her eyes... "D-do you know who did it? Their motives? Anything?"
The agent shrugged his shoulders once again. "Not really. The man won't talk. He was a big dude too. I had the pleasure of taking that asshole down. He was actually choking a woman as soon as we arrived. Big blonde Tarzan. Looks like a wild man," Peter chuckled as Pom frowned. Who was Tarzan?
She tried to console Luna Mei as best as she could as the Alpha Female rubbed at her temples. She knew the woman was stressed. "So you don't know who his killer is? Is he apart of this crazy organization or something?"
"I'm pretty sure he is. We found him in a little side room that was locked up pretty tight. The rest of them ran off and we weren't able to get any of them. We have some documents we confiscated but that's it," the man explained as Pom's heart went out to Alpha Reese and even Luna Mei. She couldn't imagine the heartbreak of Luna Mei having to tell this information to her mate...she knew he would be heart broken upon finding out.
Luna Mei and Peter began to delve into the conversation of how disturbed Alpha Reese's brother was while Pom heard the front door knob beginning to turn.
She sat up straighter and clasped her hands together tightly, trying to prepare to see the woman who gave her life.
The woman walked into the living room with her head held high. Her face was flushed, her eyes blood shot red, but her stance was strong and unyielding...
"I apologize for that emotional outburst," she said while she glanced at Pomelia and gave her a slight, tight smile. "It just has been such a long time since everything has happened concerning you, Pomelia."
Pom didn't know what to say really. Not at all. Was she supposed to say it was okay? Was she supposed to ask questions? She just...wasn't sure.
"It's okay," she said awkwardly as Peter rose to his feet and her...mother and Juan sat down. Was Juan her father?
"Luna Mei do you mind if I clear things up with Pomelia before we get down to the real reason of why we're here?"
Luna Mei nodded. "Go ahead. Peter already informed me of a few things."
The woman took a deep breath, before her eyes met with Pomelia again. She felt like she couldn't move in her presence, just breathe and listen..
"I knew this day would come. You are so beautiful, so beautiful," she spoke as Juan was visibly rubbing her back as she spoke.
Her eyes remained solely focused on Pomelia as she continued the conversation. "I guess it's time for me to explain myself?" She said while she combed her hands through her short hair. "My name is Erica Grace. I was raped by a Beta from a neighboring pack on a run one day and that resulted in a pregnancy. I...I gave birth to a bald little girl. She was so quiet and small and I knew I couldn't take care of her," the woman explained.
"I gave her up after three weeks of taking care of her. An Artemis temple was a few hours away from my home pack and I brought her there and have not seen her...you, til today."
Pomelia stared at the woman, wringing her hands together tightly. She stared at her eyes...her nose, her hair, her lips. She looked like her. Erica really looked like her, or well Pomelia really looked like the woman. The resemblances were uncanny...
Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as she quickly got up. She couldn't believe everything that was happening. She was conceived through such a heinous act...she was born through the suffering of her mother. She wasn't born or love like a baby should, but by force.
It made her sick to her stomach. "I'm sorry. I-I have to use the bathroom."
Pomelia shot up from the couch and ran down the hall, her tears falling with each heavy thud of her foot slapping onto the hardwood floor.
"Pomelia!" She could bear Luna Mei call out to her.
"It's okay. Let her go."
Once she was in the bathroom she started to sob silently. This was all too much. Her mate acting weird, not giving himself fully to her, the secrecy of not telling Luna Mei that War was here to find Ben, that her mate was lying to her. It was all too much. Then of course the bomb that was just set off with her mother.
Pom shakily fished her phone out of her pocket and began to cry even more at the realization that War still hadn't called her. She decided to call him, she just needed to hear his voice. He would give her comfort just with that.
She pressed on his name and waited impatiently, wiping at her nose and eyes as they both flowed freely. Then he finally picked up the phone.
"Hey," she sniffled, trying to keep herself together. "I'm sorry f-for bothering you. I just...it's a lot going on right now," she cried as she realized that he wasn't responding to her. "War? Can you hear me? Is something wrong with your phone? War?"
"Ah, good! Now we've got a name for blonde Tarzan!"
An unfamiliar voice started to laugh on the other line before the call ended. Pom tried the number two more times, each time it kept ringing. It was that word again...Tarzan. Peter has mentioned that word or name maybe? Was War in trouble? Who had his phone?
Pomelia cried for a few more minutes, praying to the goddess for strength and help before she decided that it was time to go out and face her...past? Future? She wasn't sure...
She slowly made her way back to the living room with a wad of tissues in one hand and her other hand shaking. Everyone's eyes were immediately on her as soon as she sunk back down next to Luna Mei.
"I'm sorry," Pomelia whimpered, not even knowing what else to say as she stared at the strong woman across from her.
The woman seemed confused as Pomelia's eyes filled up with tears. "Pomelia you have no reason to apologize. I'm the one who gave you up. If anything I owe you an apology."
Pomelia disagreed. "No! Don't, please don't. I-I just don't know what to say. I'm so sorry," she rambled as the woman gave her a warm smile before a phone began to ring.
It was her mother's phone. "This is her....okay. Oh...perfect....no I haven't contacted him yet....just his mate...thank you."
"More news?" Peter questioned behind her mother.
Erica Grace smiled. "We just received a little break. The name of the man who killed Ben is War."
"What?!" Pomelia and Luna Mei said simultaneously.
*******
Aaaaand the plot thickens🤣
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter❤️
Forty is up on Patreon right now.