The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 176

The stolen SUV hummed beneath us as Tyson drove, knuckles tight on the wheel, headlights carving through the forest highway.

Toren lay stretched across the very back seats, pale but stable. The twins were on the floor in front of him like nervous attendants, whispering to him, brushing his hair back, squeezing his hand to keep him awake.

Talon was in the passenger seat, turned halfway around to watch me like he expected me to vanish.

And I was wedged in the middle row between Mason on my right and Douglas on my left — the two most intimidating brick walls imaginable.

Mason looked backwards over his shoulder. “We need a plan. A real one. Not the ‘wing it and hope’ kind you kids love to do.”

Talon hit the dome light. “Alright. Hit us. What’s the overview?”

Mason rubbed his jaw. “The Elders’ stronghold sits on the Old Grounds — ancient trial site. Half temple, half underground labyrinth. Their shield is tied into the stone. Makes it hard to enter.”

Douglas leaned forward. “Tunnels?”

“Yes,” Mason said. “But they use them for moving prisoners. They’ll be warded to hell.”

Tyson muttered, eyes still on the road, “Wards, traps, probably compulsion glyphs too.”

The word sent a shiver down my spine.

Talon’s fingers twitched. “We’re not letting Kira anywhere near compulsion sigils.”

“You won’t have a choice,” Douglas countered. “Only she can actually bypass them.”

I swallowed hard.

“But she’s pregnant,” Talon snapped.

The SUV went dead silent.

Toren lifted his arm from across the back seat. “Doesn’t change the fact she’s the only one who can break an Elder’s binding spells.”

“We can shield her,” Tyson said immediately.

“No,” Talon growled. “She shouldn’t be there at all.”

Douglas sighed. “She must. Or we lose.”

My breath caught.

Everyone slowly turned to look at me.

Talon whispered, voice cracking, “Firefly… please don’t say you’re considering this.”

“I have to,” I whispered back. “None of you can breach their defenses. I can.”

Tyson hit the wheel with his palm. “I don’t care. You shouldn’t have to.”

“It doesn’t matter what we want,” Toren said hoarsely from the back. “It matters what survives.”

Mason nodded. “The Ancient line wasn’t bred to hide. It was bred to end wars.”

My hand drifted to my belly.

Our baby — babies — were in there.

And the Elders would hunt them too.

I exhaled shakily.

Steady.

Focused.

“We attack the Elders,” I said. “And I’m going with you.”

Talon’s entire body tensed. “Firefly…”

“We protect our family,” I whispered. “All of us. Together.”

Nobody liked it.

But everyone knew:

It was the only way.

The closer we got to the Council grounds, the heavier the air felt—like the land itself knew something ancient and terrible lived beneath it.

Toren had recovered enough to walk, though Talon hovered beside him like a guard wolf waiting for someone to breathe wrong. Tyson parked the SUV along a tree line a mile out, cut the lights, and killed the engine.

Mason exhaled slowly. “Alright. They still expect me to show up and fix the damn Aura Seeker. They’ll be watching every corridor, every door, and every breath I take, but…” He glanced at me. “They won’t expect me to walk in with an army.”

Tyson grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Good. I like when they underestimate us. Makes the punching easier.”

Douglas rolled his eyes. “Try not to kill anyone we need later.”

We spread out as we approached the back ridge of the compound—dark stone embedded into the hillside, tall iron gates illuminated by cold silver lamps. A pair of enforcers stood guard, bored and grumbling, weapons strapped to their backs.

The minute we stepped into the guard’s spotlight, one of them straightened.

“Mason Sorin,” he barked. “Reporting late?”

Mason put on the perfect face—exhausted, irritated, Council-loyal father who did not have the patience for idiots.

“Yes, well,” Mason snapped, “I was halfway through dealing with one crisis when you summoned me for another. So unless you plan on calibrating the Aura Seeker yourself—?”

The guards instantly stiffened.

“No, sir. Of course not. Follow us.”

They reached for Mason to escort him down the entrance ramp.

And that’s when it began.

The first guard didn’t even have time to register Tyson’s movement—not a sound, not a warning, just a blur of muscle and shadow slamming him into the stone wall with a sickening thud.

The second spun toward Mason—

—but Douglas was already there, grabbing him by the throat, lifting him clean off the ground, and slamming him down in a chokehold.

Both guards dropped silently.

No alert. No gunfire. No alarm.

Talon let out a low whistle. “Damn, Douglas. Remind me not to piss you off.”

Douglas shrugged. “Then stop doing stupid things.”

Tyson stripped the unconscious guard, tugging on his cloak and helmet. Douglas did the same with the other, adjusting the height, posture, and stance until they blended in perfectly with the real enforcers.

“They’ll never notice,” Toren murmured.

The twins—Shyanne and Marianne—appeared beside us like two little shadows, hooded and armed with enchanted daggers Mason had insisted they carry.

“We’ll flank,” Shyanne whispered. “Nobody comes up behind you.”

Marianne smirked. “Anyone tries, we’ll gut them.”

Tyson, in full guard disguise now, turned to face Douglas—who looked terrifying in Council armor.

“You two get Mason to the inner gate,” I whispered. “Once he’s in… we follow.”

Douglas nodded sharply. “Keep Toren behind you at all times.”

Toren placed a warm hand on the small of my back. “And Kira? Stay close.”

My pulse kicked.

This was real.

This was happening.

Mason stepped into formation, the disguised guards flanking him like escorts. He gave me one look—half reassurance, half fatherly warning.

“I’ll lower the internal ward for twenty seconds,” Mason said quietly. “That’s your window.”

Then he turned and descended into the compound like he hadn’t just coordinated a massive act of treason.

The heavy doors swallowed them.

Silence fell.

Toren exhaled shakily beside me. “You okay, starlight?”

“No,” I whispered. “But I’m ready.”