The Unwanted Luna

-POV

Edon-

I jogged ahead and slid the door to the side so Conri could walk in with Ayame. She kissed my cheek on her way in, and I stepped in behind them. "Hey Kyle, do you mind stepping out for a minute? We need to chat privately," I said. "Ha! Did your ban only last an hour?" Kyle snorted and Ayame huffed irritably.

"You honestly think I would be that weak?" She retorted.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "One Hundred percent of the time!"

"Get out, Kyle!" She whined. They really were the stereotypical sibling dynamic. That is for sure.

Conri sat down with Ayame in his lap while vil looked between the three of us. "Fine...fine. I'm going." He grumbled. "I'll stand guard alphas." We nodded to him, and he stepped outside, drawing the curtain and closing the door behind him. "What's going on?" Vil asked.

She bit her lip then let it fall, tantalizing my soul. Her eyes darted around the room before, she focused on us and the determination was accounted for. "First, I ask that you three do not interrupt until I'm done." "Fair." The three of us said together.

"The hell happened in an hour? I'm starting to feel like I should have stayed asleep a few more days." Vil said to Conri and I. I'm starting to wish the same thing. Whatever she wants to tell us is starting to become more and more ominous. "Her uncle came to visit, and it looks like whatever he told her has really stumped her a bit." Conri said, filling in the blanks.

"Interesting." Vil answered and nothing more. The three of us turned our attention to the sweet little princess resting on Conri's thigh.

The story began and we quietly listened to the very end, but once she finally stopped talking, all four of our spirits were howling or whimpering or both. "So...you are thinking about taking your original spirit back, but if you choose that path, you might not be our mates anymore." Vil summed up the conversation in a sentence, and it hit harder than the full story.

"I don't know if I'm even thinking about what I want to do to be honest with you. You three have been there for me regardless of my needs. You were so patient and trusted me. You know my body, emotions, and mind better than anyone else possibly could. I don't know if I want to take that chance."

"That's not because of the mate bond." Conri said, what we were all thinking and she did her cute little whimper as she looked at each of us so confused.

"I don't understand. I met you three because of the mate bond." If only she knew how close we were to just letting her freeze that day. I shutter at the thought that we almost unknowingly killed our mate. But once her scent hit our noses that day, we were hooked. Even the stubborn Vilkas who took forever to cave.

"It's because we love being around you, Ayame. In the beginning, it was the mate bond that brought us together, but for me personally, my curiosity for the girl who braved the tundra, alone I might add, was what got me intrigued." I called out.

"You weren't afraid of me and you did not hesitate to let me know..... That's what I like best." Vil rushed out.

"You make it worth the time spent with you. I don't see it as wasteful to fuel your inquisitive mind, little one."

"You see," I called her attention back to me and wiped the tear from her eye. "It doesn't matter whether you are our mate or not. I don't think losing our spiritual ties to you will change how we feel about you beyond the initial attraction. If it was up to me, I'd choose you every time mate bond or not." I concluded.

She looked at the three of us and closed her eyes while her wolf rang through our minds. "I guess they are right. I can't fault them for that logic, but if that is where your heart is, I will truly miss you, Ayame."

Her small hands balled into fists while she thought about this long and hard. I know this was not easy for her. "How about this, little one? We will not rush you and it seems like there is no time limit, so we will wait for your decision. Just remember, like Conri said, no matter your choice. We will be waiting for you on the other side."

"Until then, angel, can you go get a doc for me please?" Vil said calmly. She nodded and kissed all three of us gently.

"Thank you for giving me time. I'll...I'll use it well." She mumbled before running out of the room.

"You don't need a doctor." Conri said matter-of-factly.

"No, I don't, but we shouldn't get her hopes up! Even after what we said, I cannot ignore this. If the mate bond detaches, our spirits won't want anything to do with her and we cannot fight that. Yes, we can bring her in as our chosen mate, but people can go mad fighting against the mate bond. I cannot do that to her. Our parents have gotten lucky to never meet their actual mates, but that might not be the case for us. If we do...there is no telling what might happen." Vil said. "She's been through enough. I can't break her like that."

We all sighed, knowing he was right and it seemed like the life we got out of bed to see every morning had dimmed a little.

-POV Ayame-

We are finally back home, and it was lovely. Vil was still being monitored with some painkillers, but he was adamant about signing his release papers shortly after the doctor came back with the tests he ordered. The doc was able to persuade him to stay for three more days, but after that, he was beyond ready to leave. While we were at the hospital, though, we all enjoyed ourselves and pretended to ignore the elephant in the room as much as we could, but now that I'm home, my first order of business was to chat with Rollo. I can't let this stress consume me. I'm doing much better now and I want to keep it that way.

Shortly after Vil got settled into his room, I decided it was time to go. He didn't appreciate being in a separate room from me, but we all agreed it would make it easier if he had any issues due to his wounds, I walked over to one of the cars and headed over to my dad's. "Hey you." I hummed to my wolf who was getting quieter and quieter as the days went on.

"Hello, Ayame." She called back.

"This will all be over soon, I promise. I've given it enough thought. It's time to let this torture end." I sighed back at her and all I got was a whimper and a strong need to be with my mates. It almost had me pull over before I made it to the werebear kingdom, but I pushed on. I needed to focus.

After many hours of driving and letting the music pull me away from the overwhelming silence I felt, I finally made it to the main gate. The guards opened it without fuss and the moment I stepped into the castle, it seemed like a completely different building with so much more life. Luckily for my dad, he just had to do a little remodeling since we decided against burning the castle to the ground before. With this new grasp on my life, I was even able to step through the doors like I hadn't been held captive here for so long. Shockingly, it didn't scare me at all and I was grateful for that.

"Dad!" I called and I heard a few voices coming from the living room.

"In here, starlight!" He called and I ran over to meet him, Rollo, and King Zyair.

"Hello, Luna Ayame." The king said first and slightly bowed his head.

I bowed to the king and he nodded back. "Hello Zyair. Surprisingly enough, you two are the ones I want to see as well, but I'm glad all three of you are here at once. Then, I'll only have to go to one place."

"And what would this be about?" Zyair asked.

"My decision." I hummed, and Rollo produced the box on the coffee table. I looked around before taking a breath. Now, I was nervous?!

"So, what did you decide starlight?" Dad asked.

"I decided to...keep my life as it is. I cannot lose my mates and the new family I've created to hold on to a past that is no longer me. I'm so happy that I have my memories back and that you two fought so hard to get my original shifter spirit back, but I really cannot accept such a gift." I concluded. My triplets are my everything and I will not fail them. Not like this.

"Are you sure little Luna? If you have access to what she holds, you will be quite strong. Werebears are quite rare, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Who knows.... You may just be able to keep Edon at least." Zyair said.

I looked around at the birds flying behind the wall-to-ceiling windows while the sun cascaded its light throughout the room. The castle just felt so much warmer. It felt like...like a home I could visit and make new memories along with my growing family. I grinned softly as my wolf jumped for joy at my decision. "Ayame...you will keep me?" She asked and I choked up a bit and nodded.

"Of course! We've been through too much...turbulence for me to toss you aside now." I added with a giggle at my own joke when my favorite artist came to mind.

"Turbulence? That's one word for it." She said curiously.

"I'll tell you later." I hummed before turning back to my uncle, father, and friend.

"I am. I know that it seems like I didn't take enough time to think about this, but I cannot live without any of them. Even if I prefer one over the others sometimes." I turned to my dad, as he grinned from ear to ear with so much joy. "I decided to listen to you, dad. I know you would want me to be happy first and foremost and I am happy with what I was blessed with."

Zyair nodded softly. "Sound words for someone so young."

I nodded in agreement. "Don't get me wrong. If you asked me this a few months ago, I might have actually taken you up on your offer."

"So I guess timing really is everything." Rollo said with a chuckle.

I laughed along with him and nodded. The start of our relationship wasn't easy. That is for sure, but what would you expect from one girl trying to keep the hearts of three men? Especially when one of them didn't want anything to do with me. I winced at the memory. "I guess it is." "Have you told the alphas yet, starlight?" Dad asked, leaning back on the couch.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't and I can tell they are quite antsy waiting for my decision. To be honest...I was second guessing my decision all the way up to the last minute."

"Either one you would have chosen, we would not have held it against you and I'm sure your uncle would have been totally fine with wiping a few minds or more if necessary." Zyair smiled deviously and I winced.

"Um...let's not do that." I whimpered softly and the three of them laughed at my expense. Have they not learned from their prior choices? Because I have. Memory wiping did nothing but cause secrets and pain. Never again.

"Well, since you haven't told them, how about you stay for dinner and invite them over? I'm sure Vil can make his way over here too." Dad suggested.

I nodded excitedly. "Yes please!!"

Rollo nodded my way and I took a breath before calling them through the link. I don't even know why I have a phone anymore. "Hey um...I was wondering if you three wanted to have dinner at my dad's place?"

"Hello little one, it will take us some time to get there but we are already on our way. Vil wouldn't stop pacing and Edon kept asking me if we should contact you, so I finally reached my limit. We will be there in a couple of hours." Conri grumbled curtly and I snorted, holding in a laugh.

Dad and Uncle Rollo tilted their heads at my response and I blushed. "They are already on their way. It looks like Edon and Vil were a bit impatient."

They were silent for a moment before my dad stood to his feet. "I had a feeling those knuckleheads would be right on your tail. They had better know what they have been given. You are truly quite the gift from the goddess my little starlight." He grumbled before walking off to the kitchen. "I'm going to see if Merita is almost done." He called over his shoulder.

"Are you ready for this?" Rollo asked.

I nodded, sure of myself more than ever. "Yes...I am. It's time to say goodbye to my past and move on."

He nodded at my resolve. "Alright then. Shall we begin?" Rollo asked. Zyair and Rollo raised their hands over the glowing box and it shook before slowly disappearing into nothing. That was that. We all bowed to the fading particles before turning to face each other. The respect given to my previous spirit was long overdue.

It was time for her to be free. Just like me. "I cannot wait to see what you accomplish, Luna. You really have intrigued me." Zyair added.

I shrugged and got to my feet. "Neither can I."