The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 117

I woke to the sound of rain.

It pattered softly against the windows, steady and calm, but my chest ached like I’d swallowed fire. Every inch of me throbbed — muscles sore, skin too tight, bones heavy. My throat burned raw from screaming.

When I tried to sit up, the room tilted. A low groan escaped before I could stop it.

“Kira?”

Tyson’s voice came from somewhere close. A second later he was there, crouched beside the bed, his dark eyes wide and full of worry. His hands were gentle as he helped me sit, adjusting the blanket around my shoulders. “Easy, Moon. You’ve been out for a few hours.”

I blinked, trying to remember where I was. The familiar scent of cedar and smoke hit me — the estate. My room.

“You scared the hell out of us,” Tyson murmured. “You just… collapsed. Again.”

Guilt twisted in my stomach. “Did I mess something up?”

He let out a soft laugh that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You found Talon. That’s not messing up. But you nearly fried yourself doing it.”

I swallowed hard, staring down at my trembling hands. My fingertips still tingled faintly, little sparks of leftover energy dancing under the skin. “I didn’t know it would hurt so much,” I whispered. “He’s in so much pain. I could feel it, Tyson. Every broken bone, every breath he took…”

He reached up, brushing his knuckles across my cheek. “And yet you still tried to save him. You’re too damn selfless, Moon.”

Before I could answer, the door opened and Toren stepped in. His golden eyes flicked over me, assessing, the hard Alpha mask slipping just enough to show the exhaustion underneath.

“You should be resting,” he said quietly.

I tried to smile, but it came out weak. “So should you.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Rest isn’t an option tonight. We’re forming two search parties. I’m leading one north. Tyson’s taking the other west.”

The words hit me like a stone to the chest. “You’re going after him.”

Toren nodded. “We have to. We can’t wait until morning. Every hour we waste gives Lucas—or whoever took him—more time to move him.”

Tyson stood, straightening beside him. “We’ve already called the trackers. They’ll meet us at the gate in ten minutes.”

“I want to go,” I said softly.

Both of them froze.

Toren’s jaw tightened first. “Absolutely not.”

“Why?” My voice came out small, but it still cracked through the air like a thread of lightning. “He’s my mate, too.”

Tyson crouched again, his tone gentle. “Because you can barely stand, Moon. You’d slow us down, and I can’t focus on fighting if I’m worried about you collapsing again.”

“I won’t,” I promised. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” Toren snapped, and the sharpness of it made me flinch. He noticed instantly, his tone softening. “Starlight… please. You’ve already done enough.”

I looked between them, trying to hold their gazes, but my throat closed around the words. I hated how small I felt. How helpless.

“I’m just—” I hesitated, searching for air that didn’t hurt to breathe. “I don’t know how to do any of this. Being Luna. Having… all of you. The power, the responsibility, the bond—” My voice cracked. “I feel like I’m drowning in it.”

Toren’s face softened completely. He stepped closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You think I wasn’t terrified when I first took over this pack?” he asked quietly. “Every Alpha is scared at first. The difference is, you don’t get to show it.”

“That’s not fair,” I whispered.

“No,” he agreed. “But it’s real.”

Tyson exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re doing better than you think, Moon. The pack adores you. They’ve been talking nonstop about what you did at the burial. You made them feel… safe again.”

I laughed softly, the sound trembling. “Safe. Right. Except their Luna keeps passing out and almost dying every other day.”

Toren’s hand brushed my knee, steady and warm. “You’re learning. Power doesn’t come without pain, Kira. The moon never shines without darkness first.”

For a second, none of us spoke. The quiet was almost peaceful, if not for the storm outside.

Finally, I looked up at them both. “Just promise me you’ll bring him home.”

Tyson reached forward, taking my hands in his. “We’ll find him,” he said firmly. “You have my word.”

“And if you can’t?” I asked softly.

Toren’s gaze hardened. “Then we burn everything in our path until we do.”

The way he said it sent a chill through me — not from fear, but from the raw power behind it.

They stood then, moving around the room as they gathered weapons and gear. Toren’s every movement was precise, calculated; Tyson’s were faster, more restless. I watched quietly as they strapped on tactical belts, knives, comm links.

Tyson caught me watching and smiled faintly. “You should eat something. Marianne left soup on the stove.”

“I’m not hungry.”

He gave me a look. “Eat anyway. If you don’t, Shyanne will force-feed you.”

That earned a weak laugh from me. “She would, too.”

“Damn right she would,” he said with a smirk. Then his voice dropped softer. “We’ll be back before sunrise.”

I wanted to believe him.

Toren adjusted his jacket, glancing toward the window where rain streaked down the glass. “Lock the doors once we’re gone. Keep the twins close. Don’t let anyone in who isn’t wearing this mark.” He lifted the pendant around his neck — a small silver emblem etched with a crescent moon and three interlocking lines.

“I’ll keep everyone safe,” I promised, though my voice barely rose above a whisper.

He turned back, leaning down until his forehead rested gently against mine. “You already do, Starlight.”

Tyson leaned in, brushing a kiss across my temple. “Don’t do anything reckless while we’re gone, alright?”

I mustered a tired grin. “That’s usually your job.”

He chuckled, pressing another kiss to my forehead before following Toren to the door.

The room felt colder as they left — too big, too quiet.

I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders, trying to ignore the ache that settled back into my bones. My chest still hummed faintly with the echo of Talon’s pain, and I couldn’t stop wondering if he could feel mine in return.

As the front doors closed and the sound of engines rumbled to life outside, I whispered into the silence, “Please be safe. All of you.”

The storm answered with a low roll of thunder.