The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 34

Toren’s voice was low, the weight of it settling in my chest like a stone. “I want to know everything.” His eyes burned into me, unflinching, demanding. “And when I say everything, I mean everything.”

My lips parted, but no words came. My heart thundered against my ribs, and I couldn’t tell if it was from fear… or the way he made every nerve in me hum.

Elder Thora’s silver gaze cut across the table like a blade. “Not here.” She gestured to the untouched coffee and plates that had just been set before us. “This isn’t the place, nor the time. You haven’t even eaten properly.”

Toren’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he raised his hand sharply, catching the waiter’s eye. “Send it all to my suite,” he ordered, his voice commanding but smooth. He pulled a bill from his pocket, crisp and folded, and set it on the tray. “Bring it up. Keep the change.”

The waiter’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded quickly and disappeared without a sound.

Toren turned back to me and he extended his hand.

He didn’t move it closer, didn’t force it on me. He simply held it out, steady, waiting.

My breath caught. My fingers trembled as I slipped my hand into his.

It was like fire. Like coming home. The warmth of his skin spread through me, curling around my spine, rushing down to the very tips of my toes. I wanted to kiss him again—desperately.

A soft, deliberate clearing of a throat broke the spell.

Elder Thora.

Her silver eyes flicked between our hands and then back to me, sharp and knowing. My cheeks flamed, and I dropped my gaze, clutching Toren’s hand tighter as if letting go would shatter something fragile.

He rose, pulling me gently with him.

Quickly, we crossed the restaurant and slipped into the waiting elevator. The doors slid shut, sealing us into a golden-lit box of silence.

I tried not to fidget, but I felt it—the heat of his stare, heavy, unwavering. My skin tingled beneath the weight of it. When I dared glance up, he wasn’t even pretending otherwise. His gaze devoured me, burning with an intensity that made my stomach twist into knots.

My thoughts betrayed me.

Last night. The buckle. His hand steadying my ankle. His lips pressing against the curve of my hip.

The memory hit me hard, and I swallowed, clenching my thighs together as if that could contain the aching heat building inside me. Moon above, if wolves could scent arousal, I was doomed. These panties were finished for sure.

The elevator dinged softly, rescuing me from my spiraling thoughts. The doors opened onto the seventh floor.

Toren’s hand settled against the small of my back, firm and guiding. The touch wasn’t rough—it was commanding. I shivered under it, but I didn’t resist. He steered me down the hallway, every step echoing like a countdown, until we stopped halfway down.

He opened the door and gestured me inside.

His suite was smaller than Elder Thora’s, but no less lavish. Heavy curtains framed tall windows spilling sunlight onto polished floors. The bed was massive, draped in crisp linens, and the sitting area mirrored the one in Thora’s suite—deep couches, marble-topped tables, golden lamps.

Toren guided me to the couch. I sank down, my hands clutched in my lap. He sat beside me, close enough that I could feel his warmth.

Thora chose the armchair across from us, her silver presence calm and grounding. She folded her hands, waiting.

Then Toren leaned forward, his voice softer this time but no less resolute.

“Tell me everything.”

The words sank into me, leaving no room for lies, no space for retreat. His tone wasn’t cruel. It was patient. Determined. He wasn’t demanding obedience—he was demanding truth.

I looked down at my hands, twisting them in my lap. My throat tightened, fear clawing at me. Everything? Could I really tell him everything? About Lucas. About my father. About Darin. About all the lies that had built my life?

My mouth went dry. My fingers twisted in my lap until my knuckles turned white. “I… I don’t even know where to start.”

Toren didn’t move, didn’t blink. His voice was low, measured, almost too calm. “Then start here—why aren’t you allowed to shift? Why was it taken from you?”

The words hit like a lash. I flinched, my chest tight as I forced myself to answer. “Because I have a twin sister. Lyra.” I swallowed hard, staring down at the pattern in the rug so I didn’t have to see his eyes. “Ever since we were born, I was blamed for her not having a wolf. They said I… stole it. That I was too strong, that she was too weak because of me. My parents—” My throat closed, the words splintering. “They treated me like I was a curse. And the pack followed. No one wanted to risk my father’s wrath. Beta Maverick made sure of that.”

The silence stretched, heavy.

Toren’s jaw flexed, the muscle ticking beneath his cheek. His voice, when it came, was rough. “And the other Beta. Darin.”

Shame crashed over me like a wave. I lowered my head, my hair falling like a curtain to hide my face. I couldn’t meet his eyes. The burn of tears prickled hot at the corners of my vision.

I opened my mouth—nothing came out.

Elder Thora’s voice filled the silence, cool and sharp as steel. “They starved her.”

Toren’s head snapped toward her, but she didn’t flinch.

“As punishment,” she continued, her silver gaze burning. “They withheld food. Days at a time. And Darin—” Her voice caught with disgust. “He used it to his advantage. Trading favors for scraps. Preying on a hungry girl.”

The room shifted. The air thickened until it was hard to breathe.

Toren went utterly still. His broad shoulders tensed, his chest rising once, twice, before the change rolled through him like a storm. His eyes darkened, wolf bleeding into man, and every line of his body vibrated with barely leashed violence.

“What kind of favors?” His voice was raw silk over iron, deadly quiet.

I wanted to disappear. I wanted to sink into the couch and never speak again. But his stare pinned me in place, unrelenting, demanding the truth.

I couldn’t hide. Not from him. Not anymore.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his. My voice shook, breaking with each word. “He wanted… a kiss. For half a sandwich.”

The words seemed to tear the air in half.

The room erupted—not with sound, but with heat. It was as if the walls themselves were shuddering beneath the force of Toren’s rage. His hands curled into fists so tight his knuckles went white. His breath came harsh, uneven, his chest heaving as if every inhale was a battle to keep control.

His wolf was right there, straining at the surface, dangerous and wild.

I shrank back instinctively, the weight of his fury pressing into me, around me, until it felt like a volcano had erupted in the room.

And still, beneath the fear, a shameful part of me thrilled at it. That he was furious for me. That someone cared enough to burn this hot, this violently, on my behalf.

Elder Thora’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and commanding. “Alpha Toren.”

His head snapped toward her, eyes glowing, lips curled back just enough to bare teeth.

“Control yourself,” she said firmly, though her voice was steady, not afraid. “Kira does not need your fury right now. She needs your strength.”

His gaze flicked back to me. For one heart-stopping moment, I thought he’d shatter. That he’d lose control right here, right now.

Instead, his fists slowly uncurled, though the tremor in them betrayed how close he was to unleashing hell.

When he spoke again, his voice was a growl, low and vibrating through every inch of me. “He touched what’s mine. For food.” His eyes blazed into mine. “I will kill him.”