The Unwanted Luna

-POV Ayame- "Hesitations?" Conri asked, reaching out his arm and I immediately took the invitation, snuggling into his chest.

I played with the flowing sleeve on my dress, and shook my head. "No, I figured this was inevitable at some point. I was enjoying my ignorance for a little bit, but I know that won't get me anywhere."

He kissed my head. Leaning back over, he grabbed his phone, and started looking through emails on that instead of assessing the paperwork. "That's what I want to hear, little one. Those two should be here shortly." He concluded and I stretched a bit, enjoying the silence and the scent of waffles.

About five minutes later, Vil and Edon walked into the room. They seemed out of breath, and I realized they had just come here from training. "You know you two could have taken a shower first." Conri said, flipping through his phone.

"Not all of us got to sleep in this morning, Conri." Vil added tersely. I looked between the three of them and went over to sit on Vil's lap. "Not that I don't appreciate it, Angel, but I'm sweaty and I like that dress on you."

I blushed and stayed where I was. "Can I sit next to you then?"

He nodded and I slipped down to the couch cushion between him and Edon. Vil rested his hand on my thigh and I shivered. It was like my whole body was screaming, 'him next!' How do I still have enough stamina for this?! "So, what's going on, Conri?" Edon asked.

"We are going to have a chat. That's all that was said and all that was needed." Conri countered.

"Right." Edon added with a roll of his eyes.

"Ayame, I want to start with the mate bond." Conri said blatantly, while Vil and Edon went rigid.

"Mate bond." I repeated. I read what I could about it, but it wasn't too descriptive and from what I could tell, the gist was as follows: The male marks the female and they are bonded for life. However, I have three males and...I'm human. That bit was left out.

He nodded and put his phone away. "When a human mates with a supernatural shifter, the moon goddess allows that human to go through a shift and become the species their mate is. However -"

"All three of you are different species." I said, finishing his sentence.

"Exactly. So, because of this, you have to choose who to mate with first." Conri continued.

"Wait. I have to choose?" I shot out of my seat and Edon and Vil grabbed my hand as if I was going to run away. They squeezed my fingers and I realized that's exactly what I looked like I was going to do. Even Conri looked ready to catch me. "S-Sorry." I whimpered and sat back down. "Why are you apologizing?" Vil spat back through his teeth.

I flinched. "Sorry! I mean...shoot! Ugh! I'm not apologizing for no reason! I didn't mean to make you all think that I was running away. I was just shocked is all. I don't think this is a very good decision for me to make." I finally said, pulling out the words that were initially caught in my throat.

"Why shouldn't you be the one to make the decision? It's your life and your spirit. I don't want you to regret the decision later on, Ayame." Edon said, tapping my cheek. "None of us do."

"Because, you already live with these spirits...you were born with them. How...how am I supposed to just know which one to choose? By the small amount of information I found in the library?" I asked.

Edon smirked. "Would you like to meet them?"

I froze and turned to the three brothers. Meet them..... "Like you guys will shift forms?" I did see them before but seeing them intentionally felt like it would be different.

Conri nodded. "Unlike those stories you read, they aren't a separate entity. They are a part of us. We can communicate with them, but it's almost like talking to yourself more than another. They are.... They are our deepest desires. Our most primal instinct." "And they would love to meet you." Vil said, with the slight tick of his brow and smirk on his lips.

I took a deep breath. That does make sense. I mean. Maybe if I met them...spent time with them...I can make a more realistic decision. I don't mind being any one of the three spirits. Wolf, werebear, Lycan. Whatever, as long as I get to stay with them. I don't care. "Okay, I'll do it that way, but it really doesn't matter to me which one I choose."

"You need to take this seriously, little one." Conri warned.

I nodded just so that he wouldn't get mad at me. "Right, next thing on the list." Edon said, thankfully moving away from that conversation. I was over it and I was happy that he read my emotions. For the one who cannot sense them as well as the others, he seems to be the only one who picks up on them the quickest.

Then, I hesitated. I guess I didn't pay attention to the fact that I'd need to know any more than I already do. I was so used to being in the dark with them. I'm not shying away from the information, but I'm shying away from what the information might bring. "Wait, there is more?!" I asked.

Conri smirked. "Yes, there is. We weren't trying to hide anything from you before, we just wanted to get all the facts before contacting you about it. I thought that would be the safest bet."

"Yeah, he didn't even let us in on half of it." Edon grumbled.

"Does this have something to do with Prince Chaz?" I asked, remembering the scowl on Conri's face only moments ago.

Edon and Vil shot their attention my way. "You know about him?" They asked.

I shrunk a little. "I know that he wants us to go to his house for something?" I said, unintentionally adding a question mark at the end.

"He wants us to go to his house?" Edon huffed and I noticed his bear was coming out again. I rested my hand on his and he shot his attention my way. I gave him a peck on the lips and he immediately fizzled out. It was getting easier to show affection with them interchangeably. Initially, any contact with them would make my cheeks flush. Now...now I see them as their own people, but I also see them as completely mine. "Yes, he decided to send us an invitation for a dinner party next month. He even invited the new Luna, but we will get to that nuisance later. What I really wanted to talk to you about was your mother."

I winced. "My...my mother. What would you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Why doesn't she exist?"

I gasped and looked at them again. "What do you mean she doesn't exist?! She died in my arms Conri!" I bellowed. The one thing I will not tolerate is anything against my mother.

He was in front of me in seconds and tilted my chin up so I could look at him. He had already kneeled down, so he wasn't looming over me. The other thing I cannot stand. It reminds me of that thing. Always keeping me subservient to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shock you, but she really doesn't exist. No death records, birth certificates, driver's licenses.... Nothing." He confessed.

I shook my head. "That's not true. She died when I was eighteen. I buried her in the Faith Kingdom Cemetery off of Rock Creek park in northern New York. I...I watched her struggle in the hospital for years prior to that. I...I almost killed myself paying for all of her care. I.......she exists.... She's my mom...she...she would never disappear." I felt my voice almost disappear when I finally said the last words. She wouldn't disappear. But she already has. She was gone forever. No matter how hard I held onto the memory of her, she wasn't coming back. "Then someone is going to great lengths to make sure she is." Conri said.

"So, then what? I'm sure some of our contacts can dig up something." Vil said while Edon rubbed my back. Maybe we should have talked about Prince Chaz first.

"I did that already and they found out even more. Ayame Pierce doesn't exist either. Our men were easily able to trace the wipe to Kingsley and his idiotic son. However, your mother...that is a completely different story. There isn't even anything to trace. They don't know her, right?" Conri said, slowly rubbing my knees.

I shook my head. "I met Richard shortly after my mother passed." I confessed.

"Maybe a different name?" Edon said.

I shook my head. "Momma never talked about her family. I don't know her maiden name." I confessed.

"Okay...it's okay. We can talk about that another time." Edon said. The three of them went in to hug me and I didn't care. I craved it.

"Let's get you something to eat, at least, then we can hang out the rest of the day. How does that sound?" My eyes looked up in shock at Vil's suggestion.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I'm still not completely on board with you." I said, with a hint of mischief behind my words. I'll let him squirm a little longer. I hate to admit it, but it was fun.

He pursed his lips. "Fine, then, you can stay with Edon instead."

I flinched. "N-no, I'll go with you." I said with guilt. I didn't want to piss him off.

"Good." He stood to his feet and pulled off his shirt. Unlike Conri and Edon, he had the most scars out of the three of them, including a large gash across his chest. "I'm going to take a shower first." He said, walking off. Once he made it to the door, he turned and glared at Conri. "I'm sure we are done here?" He asked.

Conri nodded and waved his hand towards the door. Vil took that as a yes and disappeared behind it. "We will talk more about how to find information on your mother at a later date. In the meantime, we will deal with the threat at hand. Prince Chaz is the man who sent the rogues after our packs and...and you. Therefore, there is something he wants. Probably leverage. With that being said, he isn't like Richard. I can't just call the authorities on him and make him go away. I need you to understand that if he takes you, it won't be easy to get you back. We have to tread lightly on this one. Do you understand, little one?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Good, when we go to this banquet, we need you to be here and with either Vince or Charlie at all times. I will leave my gamma here and we will be gone for two days. We cannot let him know that we broke one of his informants." Conri said.

"Why can't one of you stay behind?" I asked...almost too desperately.

"Well, Edon has to go because Prince Chaz is the heir to the Werebear territory and Edon is the liaison for us regarding that family. I am the head of the three of us, so I have to go. Vilkas can stay behind but it will raise questions. Questions we don't want to answer right now." Conri added.

At least he has always kept to his word. They are very forward when I ask them questions. No hesitation in his words. No lying.... It was nice. "Okay...hurry back then. I have a bad feeling about this."

"So do we. That's why we had you start training. The tempo will pick up soon enough. We want to make sure you can hold your own. You may be a human, but you will still be able to find a way to fight for your life until we can get to you if it gets that far." Edon said. "We will always get to you." Conri confirmed.

I smiled gently. "Sounds fair. As long as you promise."

"Always." Edon and Conri said in unison.