The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 13

A rough hand shook my shoulder, dragging me from the shallow escape of sleep. My father’s voice lashed through the fog of dreams.

“Wake up, girl! Quit sleeping all the time." He gagged, "You stink! Do you ever bathe?”

His words struck harder than his grip. Humiliation rushed through me, burning hotter than the sunlight pouring through the SUV’s windows. My cheeks flamed as I blinked against the brightness, my body stiff from being curled awkwardly in the corner seat. I scrambled upright, fumbling for the door handle before he yanked me into the open air.

And then I froze.

My breath caught, lodging in my throat as the world opened before me.

A hotel rose ahead, not the sagging motels I’d seen clinging to the outskirts of town, but a palace of glass and stone. Its windows shimmered like fractured sky, endless shards of blue reflecting the sunlight in dazzling bursts. Massive pillars framed the grand entrance, carved with intricate spirals of wolves and moons. A broad staircase climbed to the doors, alive with movement. Wolves swarmed the steps, their strides purposeful, their pride palpable.

The air itself seemed to thrum with energy—dominance, anticipation, raw power.

Vehicles lined the circular drive, disgorging sleek luggage and elegant passengers. Warriors carried trunks strapped with leather, their motions sharp and efficient. Lunas glided beside them in gowns that rippled like rivers of silk, jeweled shoes clicking against the polished stone. Perfume and musk mingled with the tang of polished steel, a dizzying blend that clung to my tongue and made my head spin.

I had never seen so many wolves gathered in one place.

Everywhere I looked, they moved with belonging, their shoulders brushing easily, their laughter rising in shared threads. The air vibrated with their camaraderie, their voices weaving into a tapestry of growls, chuckles, murmurs. For a moment, I stood rooted, wide-eyed and silent, a shadow dragged unwillingly into brilliance.

I didn’t belong here.

“Attention!” Alpha Lucas’s voice cracked across the crowd, sharp and commanding. Every murmur stilled, rippling outward until silence lay heavy as snow. “Elder Thora has requested a headcount. Attendance of all females will begin shortly. Make yourselves ready.”

My father’s hand clamped around my arm, his nails biting into my skin as he jerked me forward. “Keep up,” he hissed, his foul breath hot in my ear. “Incompetent girl. Do you want to shame me in front of everyone?”

Shame. Always shame.

I bit down hard enough to taste blood, swallowing the sting, and let him haul me like cargo. My feet stumbled over the steps, my tunic shabby against the flowing silks brushing past me. The grandeur only sharpened my disgrace.

We crossed the threshold, and the world shifted again.

Inside, the hotel gleamed like a dream too extravagant to be real. Crystal chandeliers spilled light from impossible heights, scattering brilliance across the marble floor veined in gold. A sweeping staircase curled upward, its silver-carved railing alive with wolves whose eyes glinted like molten coins. Paintings lined the walls—scenes of wolves clashing under blood moons, forests silvered with mist, Alphas immortalized in bold, unyielding strokes.

Plush crimson carpets muffled the steady movement of guests. Dark-uniformed staff bustled with rehearsed grace, voices hushed as luggage trimmed in brass rolled past. Lunas drifted like royalty, trailing the scent of jasmine and silk.

I couldn’t breathe. My jaw slackened as though the sight itself wounded me. Everything here screamed of wealth, of heritage, of belonging. And I—threadbare, patched, invisible—was nothing but dirt smeared across polished stone.

My father didn’t slow. His grip bit harder, his mutters venomous. “Useless girl. Don’t you dare fall behind.”

He shoved me through a set of double doors branching off the lobby.

The conference room glowed with softer light, filtered through towering windows. And there—standing like a vision at the center of it all—was Elder Thora.

Her name had been whispered with reverence, her power spoken of in stories, but reality dwarfed every rumor. Silver hair cascaded down her back like liquid moonlight, her gown a weave of white and shimmer, simple yet radiant. Her beauty was undeniable, but it wasn’t her face or her gown that stole the air from my lungs.

It was her presence.

Her aura rolled through the room in steady waves, heavy, ancient, alive. It pressed against my chest until my knees threatened to buckle. The walls seemed to hum with her, the very air thick with reverence. Even Alpha Lucas bowed his head low, his command muted, his shoulders drawn tight in deference.

The sight rattled me to my bones—an Alpha submitting so completely.

Elder Thora’s gaze swept the room, calm and deliberate, as though she saw everything and nothing at once. When she spoke, her voice was soft, but it carried effortlessly, wrapping around every ear and leaving no room for defiance.

“Males, you may take your leave. Attendance will begin shortly. Females are welcome to refreshments at the back. Line up in fifteen minutes.”

The command landed like stone. The room shifted instantly as men bowed and filed out, boots thudding against the thick carpet. Even my father obeyed, though not without leaning close first, his voice low and venomous. “Don’t embarrass me.”

Then he vanished with the rest.

The air lightened, if only a fraction. My chest loosened, though each breath still scraped sharp against my throat.

I stood frozen, unable to pull my gaze from Elder Thora. She hadn’t looked at me yet—not directly—but something about the tilt of her chin, the patience in her silence, made me wonder if she already knew me.

And then her eyes shifted.

Silver as moonlight, they swept the crowd once more—and landed on me.

The air punched from my lungs. Her gaze didn’t slide past as it had with the others. It lingered. Pierced. Saw.

Heat prickled across my skin, every secret I’d buried clawing to the surface as if she could rip them from me without a word. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t invisible.

Elder Thora’s lips curved, the faintest whisper of a smile—knowing, deliberate.

For the first time in my life, I wondered if there might be someone in this world who could see me.