The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 32

The softest knock stirred me awake, followed by the creak of the door. I blinked against the gray light of dawn that seeped past the curtains. My body still hummed from dreams I couldn’t name, my lips tingling faintly with remembered heat.

“Good morning, darling,” Elder Thora’s low, composed voice filled the room.

I pushed myself upright, the silk sheets pooling around me. The butler entered behind her, arms outstretched, two gowns draped neatly over them.

Even half-asleep, I sucked in a breath.

The first dress was a pale rose color, almost champagne, with a flowing skirt that shimmered faintly as he moved. Tiny beads stitched in swirling patterns glinted like morning dew, and the bodice dipped softly at the neckline, framed with lace so delicate it looked spun from frost.

The second was lavender. Not pale, but rich, a shade that hovered between dusk and bloom. The fabric caught the light and shifted like water, with silver embroidery curling up from the hem like vines reaching for the sun. The sleeves were sheer and soft, brushing down to the elbow, while the waist cinched gently before the skirt fell to just above the knees. It was understated compared to the champagne gown—but beautiful in a way that made my heart squeeze.

Elder Thora’s eyes swept over me, then the dresses. Without hesitation, she lifted one slender hand and pointed to the lavender. “That one. Lavender suits you best.”

The butler inclined his head, immediately moving to lay the chosen dress across the bed. Beside it, he placed a pair of glossy black heels with thin straps, folded white stockings that would sit just above my knees, a polished silver hairbrush, and a scattering of small necessities—powder, a tiny vial of perfume, a ribbon of pale silk.

He moved quickly, efficiently, even tugging the sheets into place as if I had never slept there. When he finished, he bowed lightly. “Everything is prepared. I’ll excuse myself so you may dress.” His tone softened as his eyes met mine. “If you need anything, Miss Kira, only call.”

I gave a small nod, gratitude burning at the back of my throat, and he slipped silently from the room.

Elder Thora, however, didn’t move. She remained where she stood, tall and serene, her silver eyes steady as they followed me from the bed.

The cool air brushed my skin, raising goosebumps, as I stepped forward.

“So,” she said, her tone warm but edged with intent, “how are you feeling about breakfast with Alpha Toren?”

The name alone made my stomach clench. I pulled in a breath. “Scared,” I admitted softly. “And nervous.” My fingers fumbled at the hem of my silk tank before I tugged it over my head, turning slightly so my back was to her. “But… excited, too.”

“Good,” she said, her voice unyielding. “Fear is natural. Excitement is honest. Both will keep you sharp.”

I slipped the lavender gown from the bed and stepped into it carefully, the fabric sliding up my legs like water. My throat tightened as I pulled the straps into place. It fit almost too well, hugging and draping as though it had been made for me.

The silence stretched. Finally, Thora broke it. “I wanted to speak with you about what the elders said last night.”

The air seemed to grow heavier. My hands shook slightly as I reached for the stockings, sitting on the edge of the bed to tug them up over my knees. The silence in me was louder than words.

She waited. Patient, but expectant.

“I thought about it,” I whispered at last, smoothing the fabric over my thighs. “About breaking the pack.”

Thora’s silver gaze sharpened, fixed wholly on me.

“I feel guilty,” I confessed, my voice trembling. “Like I’m betraying something I shouldn’t. But when I think about what a pack is supposed to be—what I’ve seen of others, even just here—it’s not… it’s not what Alpha Lucas does. It can’t be. I don’t know much about how a pack should really work, but I know this… isn’t it.”

When I looked up, Thora’s lips curved into the faintest smile. Pleased. Proud. “You are right, darling. Lucas runs a kingdom of fear, not a pack. Knowing that distinction already sets you apart.”

I turned back to the mirror, brushing my curls into place with shaking fingers. “It doesn’t make it easier. I still think of them—my mother, Lyra, even my father. What they’ll feel. What they’ll blame me for.”

“And you care,” Thora said simply, stepping closer. She reached for the brush and took it gently from my hands. “Even after everything they’ve done, you still care. That is what makes you powerful, Kira. Wolves who care for no one but themselves are brittle. But you…” She lifted a strand of my hair, brushing slowly through it, easing the tangles with patience. “You bend, and you bend, and you still rise again.”

Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back as the brush pulled smoothly through my hair, leaving it soft and shining.

Her voice gentled. “Now, enough of that for today. Let us speak of Alpha Toren.”

The name sent a rush of heat straight through my chest. I twisted slightly to look at her. “I don’t know what will happen,” I confessed. “I don’t know what he wants from me, or why I feel… like this when I look at him. But after breakfast—maybe I’ll understand more.”

Thora’s hand stilled for only a moment before she resumed brushing. “Good,” she said. “One step at a time. Do not let fear demand all the answers at once.”

When she finished, she set the brush aside and smoothed her palms gently over my shoulders, adjusting the fabric of the lavender dress. Her eyes caught mine in the mirror.

“You look radiant, darling,” she said softly. “Radiant, and ready.”

I drew in a deep, shaky breath, trying to believe her.

Because in only a short while, I would be sitting across from Alpha Toren—and nothing would ever be the same again.