The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 36

The door burst inward with a deafening crash. Splinters flew across the suite, the frame shuddering from the impact.

Beta Maverick stormed in like a tempest, his chest heaving, his eyes wild with fury. His voice exploded through the room, shaking the air.

“GET OFF OF HIM!” he bellowed, spittle flying as his gaze locked on me in Toren’s lap. “Do you hear me, girl? Off his lap this instant! You filthy little disgrace!”

I froze, heart hammering, but Toren’s arms only tightened around me.

“And you—” Maverick swung his fury toward Elder Thora, his face twisted with rage. “You dare let my daughter sit on an Alpha like some… some whore on display? Do you take pleasure in parading her like a prostitute?”

His words struck like knives. My stomach clenched, shame clawing at my throat.

“Father—” I tried, but his roar drowned me out.

“You shut your mouth!” His hand shot out, clamping around my arm like an iron shackle. With one vicious jerk, he yanked me from Toren’s hold.

“Pathetic girl,” he snarled, his face inches from mine, his breath hot and foul. “All you’ve ever been is dead weight. A leech. You shame this family, and now you shame me before Elders and Alphas alike.”

The blow came fast, sharp, splitting the air with a sick crack. Pain exploded across my cheek, my head snapping to the side as I stumbled to the floor.

The world spun. My ears rang. The taste of blood coated my tongue.

But before I could even register it—

A sound ripped through the room.

A snarl. Low, guttural, lethal.

And then my father was airborne.

Toren had him by the throat, one massive hand crushing down as he slammed him against the nearest wall. The plaster cracked under the impact. My father choked, clawing at Toren’s grip, his feet dangling off the ground.

The heat pouring off Toren was unbearable—rage, bloodlust, pure wolf fury vibrating in every muscle of his body. His claws lengthened, pressing dangerously into Maverick’s skin, drawing tiny rivulets of blood.

Elder Thora was suddenly at my side, her hands gentle but firm as she lifted me up from the floor. “Easy, darling,” she whispered, her silver eyes scanning my cheek, her voice trembling with restrained fury.

But my gaze was locked on Toren.

He was seconds from killing my father.

And I couldn’t let him.

“Toren!” My voice cracked as I pushed forward, shoving myself between them, my palms pressing desperately against his chest. “Stop! Please!”

He didn’t look at me. His eyes were wild, feral, locked on the man who had struck me.

I rose on shaking legs, forcing myself closer, until I could reach his face. My hands cradled his jaw, forcing his eyes to mine. “He’s not worth it.”

For a heartbeat, his grip didn’t loosen. His claws trembled at Maverick’s throat, blood sliding down his hand.

I whispered again, softer, trembling but certain. “He’s not worth the retaliation. Not worth what will come if you kill him. Please… look at me.”

Finally, finally, Toren’s gaze shifted down to me. Brown eyes blazing, gold bleeding at the edges, his breath harsh against my skin. His chest heaved, and I felt the war raging inside him.

And then—he let go.

Maverick crumpled to the floor, coughing and clutching his throat.

Toren roared, the sound shaking the very air. “If you EVER touch her again, I will rip your throat out! Do you understand me, Beta?” His voice dropped to a growl, each word like iron. “And when I’m done with you, Darin will be next.”

Maverick’s eyes bulged with fury and fear. He staggered, pointing a trembling finger at Thora. “You’re insane! Allowing this… this lawlessness! Allowing my daughter to disgrace me and spit on our pack! You’re no Elder—you’re a fool!”

The temperature of the room shifted.

Elder Thora rose slowly from her chair, the air crackling with her presence. She seemed taller somehow, her silver hair gleaming like molten moonlight, her eyes blazing like fire trapped in crystal.

“You dare lecture me on behavior?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it rolled through the suite like thunder. “You, who starved your own blood to feed your pride? You, who raised a hand against your child while shielding another in false weakness?”

Maverick staggered back a step, sweat beading his forehead.

“You call her a leech,” Thora continued, her words a blade of ice, “but you are the parasite. Sucking power, trading cruelty for loyalty, twisting a pack into your own reflection of rot.”

Her voice sharpened, fierce as a howl. “Do you want to speak of shame? Look in the mirror, Beta. For it is not Kira who has shamed your line—it is you. You and your cowardice. You and your lies.”

The weight of her fury pressed into the room like a storm. Even Toren stilled, watching her with something close to reverence.

“You will not strike her again,” Thora declared, her voice ringing with finality. “Not in this lifetime. Not in any. Because she is no longer yours to command.”

Maverick’s face twisted with rage. “You cannot take her from me! She is mine!”

“No,” Thora said coldly, stepping closer, her aura slamming into him like a tidal wave. “She belongs only to herself. And you—” her lips curled, disdain etched into every word “—you will answer to the Council for what you’ve done. Your days of hiding behind Lucas are finished.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. My father stood trembling, pale beneath his fury, his eyes darting between Toren’s blazing stare and Thora’s searing wrath.

For the first time in my life, I saw him falter.

Maverick’s face purpled, rage and humiliation twisting his features. He pointed a shaking finger at Toren, his voice cracking with venom. “You’ll regret this,” he spat. “Both of you will. You think you can humiliate me, strip me of my power? You’ve just started a war you can’t finish.” His eyes flared with a madness I’d seen too many times, then he spun on his heel and stormed out.