206 Chapter 206 Reclaiming My Name
206 Chapter 206 Reclaiming My Name
Briar’s POV
The more time I spend with this pack, the more I realize something unsettling. These werewolves show more genuine compassion than any of the Hunters I grew up around. The people who were supposed to be the moral compass, the protectors of humanity, turned out to be the real
monsters.
It makes me question everything I thought I knew about what it means to be
human.
“We heard what went down with the werewolf council,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over our small group. “What’s the fallout going to be? Are you all in hot water?”
Damien shook his head, though his expression remained serious. “We’re in the clear for now. But they’ve called an emergency Alpha assembly. We’ll have to go away for that.”
Elena stepped closer, her eyes finding mine with that gentle intensity I was still getting used to. “Asher, would you mind if I borrowed her for a bit?”
“Not at all,” Asher replied without hesitation.
Elena led me upstairs to what I assumed was the Alpha suite. The moment we stepped inside, my breath caught. The room was absolutely stunning, spacious in a way that made my guest room look like a closet. I hadn’t thought that was even possible in this already impressive house.
We settled on the edge of the massive bed, and Elena immediately started checking in on how I was adjusting. She wanted to make sure everyone was treating me well, that I felt welcome here. I kept quiet about Bianca’s attitude because I could see right through that woman’s jealousy. No point in stirring up unnecessary drama.
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206 Chapter 206 Reclaiming My Name
“There’s something I wanted to ask you about,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “It’s about Asher’s family.”
Elena’s expression grew somber. “That’s one of the most heartbreaking stories I know. Damien discovered him wandering through the forest when he was just a teenager. At first, we thought he might be a rogue, but he didn’t exhibit any of those dangerous characteristics. He told us his parents had been brutally murdered, and despite all the investigations, no one ever found the killers. When the case went cold and everyone gave up searching for justice, he couldn’t bear to stay in that place anymore. He ran, and we took him in.”
“That was incredibly kind of you,” I said softly.
“It was the right thing to do. He was just a lost kid with nowhere else to turn.”
I took a deep breath before continuing. “We were talking earlier, and I want him to take me to visit his hometown. I know his parents are gone, but he mentioned having other family members still there.”
Elena nodded slowly. “That’s going to be entirely his decision. If he’s ready for that kind of trip.”
“I understand that. Does he ever talk about his past? His home or his parents?”
“Never,” Elena said with certainty. “I think he’s trying his best to bury those memories completely.”
“That makes sense,” I murmured.
We spent the next several hours in that room, just talking and reconnecting. Elena was eager to catch up on everything we’d missed over the years. She even pulled out albums full of baby pictures she’d kept of me, flipping through page after page of memories I had no recollection of.
Every photograph showed me growing up in this very house. The rooms looked almost identical to how they appeared now. Remarkably little had changed over all these years.
206 Chapter 206 Reclaiming My Name
I was amazed she’d preserved everything so carefully. But as it turned out, the photographs were just the beginning.
Elena guided me up to the attic, and what I found there left me speechless. All of my childhood belongings had been stored up there, organized with meticulous care. She’d never thrown away a single thing. My clothes, furniture, toys, everything was stacked neatly in perfect condition.
In the center of it all sat an old rocking chair, worn smooth from years of use. Elena explained that whenever she visited this pack, she would climb up to the attic and sit in that chair, surrounded by my things. She’d hold my stuffed animals and just remember.
The image of her up here alone, clinging to these remnants of our lost time together, broke something inside my chest. But when I looked at her face now, I could see pure joy radiating from her features. The happiness of having me back, of our family being whole again after all these years of searching.
“I’ve made a decision,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “I want everyone to call me Briar. It’s the name you gave me, and I don’t want to take that away from you.”
The impact of my words was immediate. Elena’s eyes filled with tears, and she pulled me into a fierce embrace that spoke of years of longing and loss finally being healed. In her arms, surrounded by the physical proof of a mother’s unwavering love, I felt something I’d been missing my entire life click into place.
This was what it meant to truly belong somewhere. Not because of duty or obligation, but because of love that had endured through years of separation and uncertainty. It was then I realized she must have kept faith that we’d find each other again, preserving every trace of the daughter she’d lost while waiting for the day I’d come home.
And now I was finally here.
207 Chapter 207 Buried Secrets Surface
207 Chapter 207 Buried Secrets Surface
