Asher's POV
I whimper hearing Ellie's words. I understand her thought process completely. I too have been afraid that if we start something with her we will find our fated mate and I'm afraid I won't be able to resist the mate bond and it will break Ellie's heart. I say I would take Ellie as my chosen and I do mean that but they say the mate pull is strong, stronger than any attraction to another being, so what if I can't resist it long enough to choose Ellie. Long enough for Ellie to find out what we are and accept us fully so I can mark her and break any bond with a fated mate. I would hurt her, hurt all of us, if I couldn't resist, I'm not as strong as Alex when it comes to this. If I decided to give my mate a chance, to get to know her, instead of choosing the girl I have been in love with since the day we met her in our wolf forms, the girl I know so well, I know what she is saying is true, our friendship would be ruined and their would be no turning back, no moving forward, we would have to cut ties. I didn't know if I could do that with the one I love. Back when we were pups, kids, I didn't know what our connection was but I recognized it now for what it is. I loved her back then like I love her now, love at first sight as humans call it. The real question is, do I risk it all for that love, knowing we could potentially break her for an unknown mate or do I accept what she's willing to give, a friendship and hope and pray when she turns 18 that the Goddess paired us to her and not someone else in the next three years. The sparks mean something, they have to but, until my wolf screams that one word, that word that is undeniable proof that she is ours, we can never know for sure what those sparks mean.
Alex's POV
Asher is hurting, badly. I can feel it in our family bond, and as his twin I could recognize the signs even without our wolf bonds. The moment Ellie started explaining her thought process on how she was going to decide, I knew. I knew she was going to choose to keep our friendship intact over risking it for a relationship that might not last. I get it, probably even more so than Ash. She's our best friend and I wouldn't want to risk anything that would jeopardize that friendship, that connection we share with her. Now I can't and won't pretend nothing happened between us because it did but it's more important to keep our friendship intact because there is that chance we will find our fated mate when we start leaving here to train. We are still planning to attend any mating ball that Alpha Jaydon hosts, mainly because our mom would kill us if we didn't make sure we went to rule out we didn't find our mate. She isn't convinced the sparks prove Ellie is our mate, she thinks there could be any reason for the sparks and connection to her. She also said until our wolves say the word "mate" we should keep looking. It's honestly the only way to be at our full strength and the only way we can fully take back our pack.
Ash is willing to give up his full strength to make Ellie his chosen mate, I know he is. He may struggle with the fact that a fated mate pull could be stronger than his feelings for Ellie but if he could he would reject any mate that isn't Ellie, I know without a doubt he would. His connection to her has always been slightly stronger than mine. Maybe because I am less willing to give up my strength because we really need to be at full strength to take back what's ours, don't get me wrong I love her too and I have thought about making her our chosen mate as well but Like I said, if friendship is what she offers then friendship is what we get. As much as I want her in everyway possible, the idea of hurting her because she isn't our mate isn't worth risking the friendship in my eyes. Ash however it's different, I've seen the struggle he has, it was just words before we turned 18 but since our birthday, since we felt sparks with Ellie, he is convinced she is our mate and he wants all of her now, but at the back of his mind, there's the doubt and the fear she's not. Everyday he struggles more and more with the idea that our Fated Mate is out there and that fated mate isn't Ellie, he's terrified that if he chooses Ellie, when we find our mate, he won't be able to resist the pull and then he will break Ellie and it's understandable to feel that way. We can't tell Ellie our identity until we find out if she is our fated or we find our fated, reject her and choose Ellie so either way it's a risk because who knows how she will react.
The next day after Ellie talked to us in our wolf forms, she came to talk to us in our human forms after she finished her summer camp job. Even though we already knew her decision it didn't hurt any less to here the words come out of her mouth.
"Are you guys going to be okay?" Ellie asks softly. "I promise I put a lot of thought into this. I know we could all be amazing as a thruple, but our friendship means more. I can't imagine what would happen if we tried to pursue more and it didn't work out. I would rather us all continue our friendship than risk losing it because we are attracted to one another. I hope you both understand." We sit in silence for a bit longer than usual, then she whispers, "Please say something."
'I'm going for a run. Alaric is about to force a shift, hearing it all a second time is killing him, killing me, I can't talk about this right now.' Ash gets up and runs away into the woods, out of sight so he can shift and I am left to pick up the pieces.
"Ash!!" Ellie yells and attempts to get up to go after him but I grab her wrist and pull her back to me.
"Leave him Sweetheart, he needs to run off his emotions right now." She turns to me teary eyed. "I promise, this won't change anything between us, he was just really hoping we could officially claim you as ours." I tell her, wiping a tear that escaped off her cheek. "Plus he was looking forward to getting laid." I joke in attempt to lighten the mood. Her breath hitches in shock at my more like something Ash would say comment and she smacks my chest.
"That's not funny." She pouts.
I chuckle, "It's a little funny, but like I said, it will be okay. He just needs time to process his heartbreak of not getting the awesome amazing girlfriend he's wanted for a few years now, and realize he's still keeping the awesome amazing girl FRIEND that we have always had."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"And you? You are okay with my decision?" She asks almost hesitantly.
"Yeah Love, As much as it would be the best feeling in the world to call you mine in a more romantic relationship type of way, getting to call you mine in a best friends forever type of way is pretty amazing too. As long as we have each other in our lives I will always be happy. I never want to lose you either. And I know Asher feels the same way. We all just process are emotions differently and in no time everything will go back to the way it was."