The Unwanted Luna

-POV

Ayame-

The woman laughed lightly at my shock and nodded slowly before ushering me toward a subtle glow. "I'm not going to tell you everything." She said in a mocking tone. I hesitated before walking forward and my wolf followed. "I'm used to learning as I go, so I guess that makes sense."

She hummed knowingly. "I'm sure you are sweet child. I know life isn't always easy, but it's not meant to be. If it doesn't get harder, that means you have become complacent. I know you can fight through your battles. You are a strong young woman and I cannot wait to see where life takes you. Find your peace and I cannot wait to see what you become." She chuckled and ushered to the light once more while her words reminded me of what doc said when he first treated me.

I may be getting more confident with my mates, but my world is another story. I do see myself growing stronger and holding my ground as the days go on. I know they are both right, but...I still feel my shadows holding me down. One day...one day I really can do this. I...I just don't know if it'll be now. I took in a sharp breath and turned to her. "I just follow the light?" I asked, pushing down the thoughts of every single movie that tells you to run from the light.

"Yes, your past will tell you everything that you need to know...for now." She called again and I took the leap of faith with my spirit wolf right behind me.

-Ten Years Ago-

"Noooo!!!" The screaming flooded my ears and I gasped, looking around at my surroundings. I ran around the corner, realizing I was much shorter than before and the space I was in was not the pack house. This...this was my old home.

"It's okay, Cassie. Just stay calm." This man...my uncle said. I knew it was him. He looked to be a slightly younger version of the fairy that took my memories. Same shaggy hair and deep blue eyes, complementing my mother's pixie-cut locks and saphhire orbs. The two of them were in the kitchen. My mother, hunched over and buried in his chest while the man stood tall and expressed pain in his eyes. Since I was home again, I realized this isn't the present, and it's not many years in the future. This is my past. It's.... This is the day I woke up to a broken mother. "I can't stay calm. They took my Jasper. My mate. My other half is gone! Who is going to teach Ayame what she needs to know? Who is going to protect us from that horrid family?! What are we going to do?" My mother was in tears and I could feel her soul breaking. "You know I can help you, Cass. Please let me help you."

"No, I will not allow you to use your magic, Rollo. She...she will forget everything. Her world will be taken from her. As her mother...I can't...I won't.... I shouldn't." She seemed so lost.......I wanted to fix this but my little legs stayed rooted where they were.

"But she will be safe from them. One day I will give her all her memories back but she will still remember you and some of her childhood, but if she will be safer as a human, then I'd rather have my niece alive and never meet her, than dead and have to bury her in nirvana." He said with a sigh.

"I...I can still feel him. Maybe you can just get him back for me."

"You know I don't have any offensive spells. Our family is full of seers and sweepers. We are good at what we do, but combat is not one of them. Your daughter is a rare mix between fairy and shifter. It was a miracle that she possessed both gifts in the first place. She is a strong little shifter and Fae. She must be protected, Cass. We cannot go against what we know is the safest option."

"But she won't be a hybrid anymore. Everything will be taken. You know that Rollo! She will just be human. Nothing more."

"For now, yes, but maybe she might get part of her soul back if she is blessed with a shifter mate."

"You're not a seer! You can't promise that! And if we alter her memories and soul now, we might take that right away from her. Who knows what else we will have to pay to commit this curse."

"But, remember my sister.... She will be safe. That we will know."

Her breath hitched when she turned around to look at me. She was in tears and her whole face looked destroyed and broken. I felt her broken heart. "Momma?" I squeaked, but my voice sounded muffled, like it was fed through an AM radio.

She forced a smile as her arms outstretched with those fancy designs I loved so much. "It's okay.... Momma is okay. Now...please, come here, my little princess." She said, holding out her arms.

I felt my body walking toward her and a soft voice rang through my head. "I will always remember you." It wasn't my mother or my uncle, but I felt like it was something else that was more important to me than even my family. It...it was my shifter spirit.... My werebear spirit. My uncle leaned down and kissed my forehead before the world went black again.

I gasped as the feeling of a rubber band ricocheted back into my body. "I knew there was something about you I liked. We are born of the fae and wolf?! We are badass!" My wolf said, jumping happily, but I couldn't get out of my mind that she was not my first spirit, but my second, and how did I even get a spirit if I was a supernatural already? Let's not forget that my uncle said I would lose my attachment to the Fae, so...maybe I'm just a wolf? Ughhhh, I'm so confused. Not to mention the fact that my mother isn't human?!

I looked up at my uncle as tears clouded my sight. "I will tell you more soon. Just know that Cassandra held on for as long as she could, but even her power had a limit." He whispered, knowing my memories were restored, but hesitant about my reaction to this truth. I bit my lip and stood to my feet. I'm not sure if this was appropriate or not, but I ran up and hugged him tightly. Uncle Rollo should not feel guilty about trying to save me. I will ask him as many questions as I can about the curse later, but I know he had no ill will. He couldn't have. He was family and he was always there for my mother and I. He only stayed away because he had to. Rollo froze for a moment. "Thank you, Uncle Rollo." I mumbled.

"Uncle?!" The three alphas said behind me.

I laughed and pulled away. "Yeah. He's the one who took my memories because my dad was abducted. I...I was ten and I remember how much it broke my mom. She didn't have MS. She was dying due to the overexertion of her power which I think has something to do with the penance grandma was talking about?" Rollo nodded, but he still looked saddened like he did that day. Like I was missing something. I furrowed my brow, but let it slide. "I'm sure there is much more to tell about this, but not now. All I know is, she was hiding me. Both her and my uncle are the reason I wasn't in a cell next to my father. As long as they didn't know my mother and I existed, we were safe." I said and they all looked at me like I was about to break.

"Trust me. We will talk about this later. All of us." I said to Edon, Conri, and Vil. Their faces turned stern and they nodded. I was about to break, but not in front of the leaders and people of Bodhi Cora. I needed to do this alone, with my family. Not as a show.

I walked up to them and took Conri and Edon's hands while Vil stood behind us. The Elder was bowing and I turned around to see he wasn't the only one. Everyone, but my Uncle, father, and mates were on their knees. Then I noticed one more who stayed standing as the tears fell from his eyes. He noticed me staring and bowed his head before straightening back up to his full height. I turned back to the Elder and cleared my throat.

He slowly stood to his feet in shock and turned to me, then back at the triplets. "That is one strong Luna you have on your hands." I think that means I passed?

The three of them looked down at me with pride on their faces. My wolf jumped for joy and my cheeks reddened. "Hell yeah we are!" She squealed excitedly.

The three of them turned back to the Elder and I know my triplets heard her. She did that on purpose. "We know." They said in that harmonious baritone I came to love.

The Elder raised a brow but didn't push it. He cleared his throat and, after I heard some shuffling, I had a feeling everyone was back in their seats. "Now...it is time to say the pledge!" The Elder called. Yep, I definitely passed.

Even though I was doing my best to hide my internal screaming, I couldn't even think right now, let alone recite the pledge. I want to run and hide somewhere but I also want to talk to my uncle about my mother. My legs felt like jello, but I had to keep standing. I needed to stay focused. Luna Ceremony first, full on meltdown later. Either way, so many things make sense now. That's why I have always had a fascination with the supernatural. I was one. To what extent I have left is the question I have and will have for another day.