The Unwanted Luna

-POV

Ayame-

Bear. It's a bear! He's a bear. Why was he so much bigger than last time?! I heaved internally as his roar echoed through the otherwise silent greenery. He leaned his head down to me and I reached out my hand on instinct. He huffed while his bear groaned in appreciation. He slowly stepped a couple feet at a time while his body was starting to block the sun from mine. Once my hand grazed his head, I could see Edon's smile through the giant animal's eyes.

I grinned right back as the adrenaline slowly left my body. It was still Edon. I know it was still Edon. I stood to my feet slowly, remembering what Conri said. These beasts were their most internal and instinctual emotions. Their beings from within. I don't know if control is included in that statement, but I did know that he wouldn't hurt me. Yeah.... He won't hurt me. "I'm going to climb on your back now." I said once my body was standing to its full height. A good two feet shorter than his.

He huffed and got down on his belly. I blushed and hopped on like I was getting on a horse. His fur was so...soft. My teddy bear. I let a giggle fall from my lips and pulled the basket, securely holding the food inside and his clothes on the outside, in front of me. I didn't think I would see him as my teddy ever again. It was nice. It was progress. "Shall we take this walk?" I asked in an epically failed attempt at an English accent, but I wanted to shake the tension.

He shook his head as a light roar came from his lips and I knew that was my Edon's laugh. Oh, how I missed this. It felt so different than the Edon that I've been shunned by over the last few weeks. The walk was silent, and I just enjoyed the gentle breeze cascading through the trees and the subtle shuffle, squawk, and whistle indicating the existence of other life. "Edon?" I whispered.

He huffed and continued to walk while his shoulders slowly lifted and fell one after the other. "I have so many questions, but I've noticed that werebears aren't as...high-strung as the wolves I see at training. It's almost like you have a regal heir about you." He stayed silent and I giggled. "Huff if I'm right."

He roared quietly, then huffed. "Makes sense, you guys are huge. Not as much long-term crazy to deal with. You probably just flick your wrist and the evil people are history!" The huffs this time really sounded more and more like a laugh. It was quite entertaining. We finally made it to a clearing that overlooks a waterfall and a small still pool resting below it. There were green bushes with small pink berries, bringing color to the world around it. It was literally carved out of a dream. "Where are we?" I asked.

He laid down on his belly and huffed. I took the queue and slipped off his back, grabbing the basket and making sure his clothes didn't fall on the grass below. Edon immediately shifted and I spun around while he put his clothes on. Once the noise of zippers and fabric shifting ceased, his hands gently wrapped around my wrists and pulled my hands away from my face. "Why do you always hide? It's not like you haven't seen me before. You didn't hide at the car...."

He slowly pulled away and started pulling things out from the basket. I noticed he didn't have his shoes and I mentally slapped myself. "I'm so sorry! I forgot your shoes."

He looked down at his feet and waved it off. "Please. At least I have clothes when I shifted back. You have no idea how annoying it is to walk through the woods naked."

I tilted my head. "Does that happen often?" I don't know if I was more concerned that others have seen...well...him or if I'm worried that he has to be exposed to the elements every time he shifts. A flash of the night he had to come back for me flooded my mind. He was covered in dirt and he looked like he had been through war, but I distinctly remember that he was very much in the nude.

He nodded and placed a blanket down, then reorganized the dishes in the center of the red and white, checkered design. "More than often, princess. Usually, we have to stash clothes around our territory just in case we shred or lose our clothes."

I gave myself a mental note to always find a way to preserve my clothes once I started to live this life. "What's it feel like to be a bear of all things?"

He plopped on the blanket and leaned back on his elbows aimlessly looking at the sky as slowly moving clouds draped leisurely over the horizon. I hesitated then sat next to him with my legs crossed and my hands placed in my lap. "Exhilarating. However, It's like...how one would feel when you spontaneously have the strength of a hundred men with the targets of a thousand." His eyes squinted a bit when he stared off into the trickling waterfall. "A place where I can give control to my instincts, but also the anxiety of others seeing me as one of the most hunted animals on earth. So many supernatural worry about the humans that know about us, but I'm more concerned about the ones who don't. When we shift as werebears - especially alphas - we are much larger than the average bear spirit of the goddess's choice and, if not trained properly, much slower due to our sheer mass. That makes us the biggest game a hunter has ever seen."

I felt empathy building in my mind. "I'm so sorry. I never thought it would be that stressful. I guess I never really thought about the natural dangers of being an animal in the wilderness."

He nodded slowly and pulled himself up to stare at me. "Let's eat." He said with a grin, and I slowly nodded at the rapid change of the conversation.

He pulled out ham and salami sandwiches with some fruits and crackers. I took a bite and my eyes lit up as the taste catapulted me back to the simpler times of my childhood. It was delicious! "When did you have time to make all of this?"

He shrugged. "We have staff that live on the island in shifts. It makes it easier if we come here unannounced...like this weekend."

Edon shoved another bite of food in his mouth. "Oh, that makes sense. I'm sure they love it here."

He hummed and continued eating. "They should. They all live here for free and get paid. Some have even set up markets and places to drink and stuff. It's like its own little town now, but it's still pretty silent and we only allow supernatural employees." I nodded and started picking at my salad. There was something else I had noticed when he was talking earlier. It was clawing at me. "So, I have the feeling that you don't want me to pick your supernatural."

He opened his mouth then closed it. "I don't know which one I want you to pick to be honest." He laughed nervously. "If it was my decision, I would be fine with you living as long as us without the need to put yourself in danger as a new shifter." "New shifter?"

He grabbed another sandwich and I waited for him to finish his first bit before he waved at me. I hesitated. I know he wants me to sit closer to him, but I'm still supposed to be mad. I can't just cave when he gives me attention. I need to hold on. Once he realized I wasn't going to budge, his hand dropped and then he placed his already half-eaten sandwich on the plate in front of him. He dusted off his hands and pulled his shirt off. "Do you see all these scars, princess?"

I let my eyes wander over his chest and I saw all the scars - raised, reddened, or faded - slip down his chest and arms, telling a story of a challenging life. "Y-yes." I whispered.

"Not all of them are training accidents. I don't know how many times I've woken up in the hospital, not knowing how I got there with pain all over my body. It's not something I ever want you to experience again. When we found you in Paris, my heart felt like it was getting bull-kicked out of my chest."

I felt my fingers start to fidget. I know what he was saying made sense, but did that mean that he doesn't want me to shift at all? "So then...you don't want me to be m-marked at all." I said as my chest started to heave while I jumped to conclusions.

He immediately came to my side and hugged me tightly. "That is not what I want! I want you to be safe. I don't know if changing you into one of us is going to keep you that way regardless of which one of us you choose. I...I will not bury you Ayame." He growled and I felt his body shake, knowing he was holding back his anger.

I let my hands slip around his neck and he slowly relaxed. "I promise I'll be careful. No matter what spirit I decide to shift into, I won't ever make you feel like you've lost me."

"You can't promise that." He said breathlessly. "I can't promise that."

"I can promise you that I know of a werebear that would never let anything hurt me." I countered.

He pulled away and sat on his heels. "But I did though. I hurt you. We hurt you."

I felt the mist well in my eyes while I looked at him. The dejected look he gave back made my resolve crumble. "It's okay...I hurt you three too. I shouldn't have ignored you all for so long. I should have made you talk a long time ago. If there is one thing I have learned since I arrived at your home is, I cannot expect anything from you if I don't talk to you about it first."

"Our home, princess." He corrected me.

I felt the heat flood into my cheeks and crawled up to him. He sat back and spread his legs a bit. I slipped up to him and sat on my heels while he rested his arms around my lower back. "How could I forget? Our home." I whispered and let our lips connect for the first time in three weeks.