Page 13 of Howl For Me
Her wolf wanted to nuzzle its snout against him, and she knew they must have been close. Her wolf hadn’t responded to anyone like she had since arriving tonight.
“Brianna—Damara—has no memory of any of us,” Gavin announced gently.
Elizabeth’s wide eyes flew to Brianna’s. “Brianna?” she asked, confusion lining her face.
Brianna stepped back slightly from her father and gripped her fingers together in front of her. She met the eyes of her parents and blew out a deep breath, blinking away her tears.
“I have lived the last five years not knowing myself. I woke up in a hospital with no name, no history, no identity. The name I’ve chosen and used is Brianna Wolfe.”
The Greenes stood in the entryway as if not wanting to intrude on the reunion. Gavin waved his family in. They spread out around the room as they waited and looked to Brianna.
“Brianna, I think it’s time you told us what happened.” Gavin moved next to her and guided her to the couch.
Her parents sat on either side of her. She smiled at them and took their hands in hers. She felt comforted sitting between them. Gavin settled on the couch across from her. She glanced around the room and blew out a deep breath.
She began to tell them the story of waking up in the hospital and meeting Martin and Kim Burton. She told of how she had been found wandering down a main road, battered, bruised, and bleeding from an injury to her head.
She paused when her mother began to cry. Mrs. Greene brought over a box of tissues for Elizabeth.
“The Burtons have been good to me. They didn’t have children of their own and sort of took me under their wing. They are good people. They helped me get on my feet once I was discharged from the hospital. I have my own place and a job.” Brianna squeezed her parents’ hands, trying to let them know she was okay. Besides her lack of memory and the craving to find her real family, her life in California had been good.
“I would like to one day thank the Burtons for all they have done for my child,” her father murmured.
She smiled and nodded.
“But what have the doctors said about your memory? You are a shifter. Why hasn’t your brain recovered?” Mr. Greene asked from his perch against the wall. Concern lined his face as he looked at her.
“The physicians who treated me were of the paranormal world, too. They don’t understand it and said that it’s a fifty-fifty chance that my memory would return. They said brain injuries in shifters are just as hard to understand as in humans.”
The room drew quiet while everyone looked to each other.
“I will need to call to check in with the Burtons. I’ve been searching for the past two months for my long-lost family.”
“Two months?” her mother asked.
“Yes. Two months ago, I asked for permission from Dreven to go seek out my family—”
“Who is Dreven?” Gavin asked, his eyes narrowing at the mention of her alpha. “Why would you need permission to go seek out your family? Why wasn’t this done as soon as you were healed and released from the hospital?”
She took a deep breath and looked around the room, finding curious expressions on everyone’s faces.
“I’m not sure why I haven’t left California before. When I was released, we did do searches around the entire state and those that are nearby California with no success. No one knew me.” She stood from her perch on the couch and paced the floor. Her nerves were getting to her. She didn’t know why all of a sudden her wolf had pushed her to search farther away from California.
She paused and glanced back at Gavin when the answer slammed into her.
Dreven’s proposition.
“I asked for permission because I wanted to know if I was already mated to someone or even had pups.”
