Chapter 1~ Prologue
My name is Brogan Burdette. Or so they tell me. I have no recollection of my life up until I was rescued and returned to my family three years ago.
Essentially, my mind was a blank slate until I was found and rescued by Warrior Wolves, M.C. Luna Delaney ran my DNA through their databases and discovered my birth family.
My parents are Alpha and Luna at Blood Moon on the south side of Pine Grove. I am going to attend high school with Luna Delaney’s brother and some of the other kids from the club. If not for them, I doubt I could maintain my sanity. My birth family drive me crazy.
A family of six that I am completely indifferent to. And completely at odds with. I sometimes wonder if it would have been different had they acted like I had been missed.. or they cared. But. I didn’t grow up around them, so I have tried to walk in their shoes.
Somehow, I came up missing when I was two. After my rescue, many psychotherapy sessions and hypnotherapy appointments, no one can tell me anything about my eleven missing years.
I know things. Many things. Yet, I have no recollection of learning them. The doctors call it muscle memory. Or nerve memory. Even memory by rote. Which is a bunch of mumbo jumbo for their own ignorance.
For instance, I inherently knew I am a wolf shifter. My whole family are wolves. Except Georgia, a.k.a Baby. She’s human. And delicate.. Fragile, even. What she actually is, is spoiled, entitled and selfish.. but she simply is incapable of doing anything wrong, according to my brothers.
My brothers, Bertram, Antony and Michael, respectively, are convinced I have targeted the poor little human and have let it be known, in no uncertain terms, they will not tolerate me causing her any harm.
Mind you, in the three years I have been back, I have had on average, one conversation a week with this family. And probably have only ever exchanged ten words with Baby… EVER.
I don’t care, if I am honest. I seem to be happier when I am not around people. Especially these people! That works for me. Until I figure out why I went missing. How I was missing for so long.. and what happened to my memories during that time, I know I don’t people well.
My first day of school is tomorrow. Ever. My placement test scored higher than the high school curriculum, but my parents decided I need to interact with other students my age, and learn some social graces.
At dinner, Alpha Aaron let me know that he didn’t want me hanging around those ‘biker types’ at school. They’re not in our same social class. WTF? What does that even mean?
I smiled “Sir? Those bikers are personally responsible for rescuing me. Returning me to the pack and this family. More than that, they are my friends. Delilah and Valerie have been instrumental in helping me acclimate to pack life and being around others without cringing.”
He scoffed “Rescued you? That was simply a fortuitous accident. I offered them compensation, did I not? They are a biker gang, young lady! You are forbidden to see them!”
I nodded “Got it. You forbade it. Duly noted. And summarily ignored. Alpha, I respect you as the leader of this pack.. but my wolf struggles with being commanded. I fear she is an Alpha in her own right.”
He growled “You will fall in line, or you will be banished.” It struck me funny. It probably shouldn’t have, but it did. I knew. He knew. And he knew I knew he knew.. he was never going to be able to control me.
I looked directly into his eyes, then into those of Luna Alice, before I spoke. “My rescue was Not a fortuitous accident. They destroyed a government facility performing experiments on pure blood wolves. Finding You! My own family? THAT was an accident! And not at ALL fortuitous!”
Goddess. Does he not realize that, even though I have yet to shift into my wolf.. being two weeks from my sixteenth birthday.. that she has been with me my Whole life? Her name is Natalia and she IS me.. just as I am her?
I will not give up my time with the Warriors. They have helped me overcome so many things. Delaney has become a mother figure to me and I love her and Venom.
She has arranged for me to work at her diner after my birthday and she has been researching my condition of memory malfunction. Believing it will be easier to access Natalia’s memories once we shift, since I seem to have a mental block in human form.
After dinner, I was sitting on my family’s lanai, having a conversation with Nat. That’s where Georgia found me. There is NO way in hell I am calling this bitch Baby.
She sneered “Keep aggravating Daddy, would you? Bet he sends you back where you came from.” I grinned “Nope. He can’t send me back. That place no longer exists. And. Since this is where I actually came from.. see where I’m going with this? Why do you care, exactly?”
Shrugging, “I am the only daughter of the Burdette family. Next week, Daddy is turning me so I can be the mate of Alpha Sturgis at Timber Lake.”
I laughed “So you can Be his mate? Is he your mate? Does he get a say? Or you and your father have just decided all on your own?”
She snarled “Daddy needs an alliance with Timber Lake. It’s one of the largest packs this side of the Kootenai. Alpha Sturgis has already agreed and Momma has been training me to be a Luna since I could talk.”
I smiled “Hmm. Well. First of all, most turned wolves need our Goddess’s approval, since she chooses their wolf. Ones turned without it are nearly always simply an Omega. An Omega would never have the intelligence, stamina or strength to be an Alpha’s mate. It truly is all about genetics. So! Good luck with that!”
She reached to slap at me and I shoved her hand away “The fuck are you doing? How stupid are you? You are still only human and want to slap a pure blood Alpha wolf? I would break you in half!”
I heard my brothers getting louder… figuring they were on a seek and find of their ‘Baby’. What happened next completely astounded me!
Georgia started whining “Oh please. Don’t sister! I didn’t mean to upset you. Don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me again.”
She had pulled shit like this before.. several times. And always when she had a witness close enough to Hear her accuse me, but never to actually witness it. I had begun recording on my phone as soon as I heard the brothers calling her.
I sipped my highball and leaned back in my chair, as I watched her fling herself into the deep end of the pool. I smirked, as she started screaming “Help me! Save me! I can’t swim. I’m sorry sister. Please. Someone!”
Bertram dove into the pool to rescue the damsel, while Anthony and Michael started reaming me for pushing her in to the pool. All the while, I just sipped my drink.
Mind you, I had yet to set my glass down.. or bothered to move from my seat. In the corner.. at the patio table. I was still sitting exactly where I was when all three of them entered the lanai.
Bertram retrieved her from the pool and wrapped her in a towel, before he stomped over to me. Being the Heir Apparent, he believes his words and actions are absolute gospel.
He open palmed slapped me. Not gonna lie! He literally rang my bell. But I didn’t show it. He growled “Who do you think you fucking are!? How dare you push Baby into the pool, knowing she can’t swim?”
I grinned and looked over to see her smirking “With which eye did you see me push her? Y’all amaze me. She acts out her little dramas and every one of you stupid asses jump to her defense. But you know what? Fine. I pushed her because I could.”
He slapped me again and the other two grabbed my arms and dragged me out into the yard. And proceeded to beat the shit out of me.
Knowing I could fight back, but also knowing by doing this to me would sever any familial tie I may have felt. I allowed them their way. They hit, kicked and stomped on me until I fought consciousness
They left me laying in pools of my own blood, trying to breathe. These three grown men had nearly beat their blood sister nearly to death and just left me there.
I don’t know how long I laid there. But I knew I couldn’t stay there. Finally finding my feet, I started walking north, towards town.
