The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 22

Warm light spilled across rows of polished tables, glinting off crystal glasses and polished silver. Wolves filled the space—Alphas in tailored suits, Lunas glittering with jewels, warriors lounging like predators at rest. Dominance and desire tangled together, a current so thick it felt like a second skin.

But none of it mattered.

Because I could feel him.

Even without looking, I knew. The air shifted the moment he stepped inside. Wolves paused mid-sentence, eyes flicking toward him before bowing their heads in respect—or fear. His presence sucked the oxygen from the room, focus snapping to him without a single word spoken.

And me?

I walked forward, chin high, pretending I didn’t feel the weight of his gaze. Pretending I wasn’t burning under it.

Inside, I was unraveling. Every step, every breath—my wolf prowled under my skin, restless and aware, a cord pulling tighter with each passing second. I told myself to follow the butler’s instructions. Find Elder Thora. Do not look back.

Through the crowd my eyes swept, searching desperately for her. His presence clung to me like smoke, making my lungs ache. And then—I found her.

Beyond the glass doors leading to the terrace, Elder Thora sat waiting beneath strings of golden lights. Night air tugged at her silver hair as she lifted her chin. Two glasses of red wine glimmered on the table before her. She wasn’t impatient. She wasn’t distracted. She was simply… waiting.

For me.

Relief surged sharp and sweet. I hurried across the floor, ignoring the heat between my shoulder blades. Cold air swept over me as I stepped outside, washing away his scent, his dominance. My lungs drank it greedily.

Thora’s eyes widened as she looked up. Slowly, deliberately, she rose. “Oh my,” she whispered, astonishment warming her voice. “You look absolutely breathtaking, darling.”

Heat flooded my cheeks, a foreign blend of embarrassment, pride, and hope. My throat tightened as I bent and wrapped my arms around her. She smelled faintly of roses and cedar—steadying, grounding. Her embrace lingered a heartbeat longer than I expected.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Sit,” she urged, guiding me to the chair opposite. “I ordered us a bottle of red. Rich, sweet—perfect for tonight. The kitchen is preparing steak and potatoes. Nothing too fussy, but hearty enough to fill you after the day you’ve had.”

Her kindness was too much, too gentle. For a moment I could only nod, blinking hard as I reached for the glass.

But her gaze sharpened. “Something’s wrong.”

The rim of the wineglass hovered at my lips. “What?”

“Your eyes,” she said softly. “They’re unsettled. Tell me—what happened?”

My fingers tightened around the stem. “In the elevator… something… strange happened.”

Her silver brows arched. Interest flickered. She leaned forward, hands folding elegantly. “Strange? Tell me everything, Kira. Leave nothing out.”

So I did.

Words spilled from me like water. How he had stepped inside. How the air had shifted. How my wolf had stirred with a hunger I didn’t understand. How he had crouched to fix the buckle on my heel, how his lips had grazed the skin above my hip, how the look in his eyes had nearly stolen my breath. Shame burned my cheeks as I whispered it, but I couldn’t stop.

Thora listened without interrupting, her expression unreadable but her eyes alive with thought. When I finished, she turned her head slightly, glancing back through the glass toward the crowded bar. “Point him out.”

My stomach knotted. Still, I forced my eyes back inside. There he was—sitting at the bar, posture relaxed but gaze anything but subtle. He wasn’t hiding it. He stared openly, as though no one else existed.

“Him,” I whispered hoarsely. “The man at the bar.”

Thora followed my gaze. When her eyes landed on him, her composure cracked. Her fingers tightened around her glass. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I said quickly, nodding. “He’s the one. And…” The confession clawed its way out. “And I feel drawn to him. Compelled. Even now, sitting here, I want to go to him.”

Shock flickered across her face—then something like awe. She leaned back slowly, her wine untouched. “That man,” she said at last, voice low, “is Alpha Toren.”

The name struck like a bell, making my pulse stumble. “Alpha Toren?”

“Yes.” Her gaze remained fixed through the glass, her tone grim. “He is notorious—more so than any Alpha alive. Wolves bow not only to his power but to their fear of him. He has rejected every offer of alliance. Every female who has tried to claim him. He is untouchable.”

I gripped my wine tighter. “But I know it’s him,” I whispered. “I can feel it. Like a cord pulling at me. Like my wolf already knows him.”

Thora’s eyes softened with something I couldn’t name. She reached across the table, her hand covering mine. “Perhaps you and Alpha Toren share a connection, child. Something rare. Something worth exploring—for the sake of your future.”

My heart raced. “Why… why did you want to talk to me about my future?”

She finally took a sip of wine, silver eyes steady on mine. “Because I feel attached to you already. There is something in you that calls to me. I can feel your strength, your dominance, though you try to smother it. Your soul is reaching out, begging to be seen. And yet, you hold yourself back.”

Her words slid into the cracks of me, fitting like they’d been waiting there.

She tilted her head slightly. “Tell me more about your life. When did this nonsense begin—this story about Lyra having no wolf?”

The wine turned bitter on my tongue. I set the glass down, nails biting into my palms. “It started when we were little,” I said quietly. “When our wolves should have come to us. Mine was strong—too strong. And Lyra…” My chest ached. “She always had hers. She’s been hiding it. But our parents told everyone that I stole it. That I took hers in the womb. And I’ve paid for that lie every day since.”

Thora’s grip tightened over mine, fierce now. “Oh, darling,” she breathed, voice trembling with anger. “No child should ever be shackled with such cruelty. They twisted the truth to make you their scapegoat, to protect Lyra’s illusion. But I see you, Kira. I see who you are. And I will not allow them to bury you anymore.”

Tears burned hot down my cheeks. For once, I didn’t try to hide them. Because for the first time, someone believed me.

Thora’s gaze held mine, a new resolve glinting in her silver eyes. “Tonight,” she said quietly, her voice like a vow, “we begin to change that.”