The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 44

The world was sharper, clearer, brighter than I’d ever known it could be. Every sense screamed alive, and I could hardly keep up with all of it. The wind carried the songs of birds overhead, the musk of damp earth, the faint trace of deer far off in the trees. But over all of that—over everything—was him.

*Toren.*

His wolf stood before me, massive and beautiful, fur glinting in streaks of brindle as the fading light struck him. His eyes were the same as his human ones, deep brown and steady, locked on me like I was his entire world.

And then—

*Kira?*

I froze. My ears twitched. That voice hadn’t come from my ears. It was in my head, threading warm and firm through my thoughts.

*You… you can hear me?* My voice quivered, even inside my skull.

His wolf’s jaw slackened into something like a grin, tongue flashing as his tail swayed once. *Of course I can. Mindlink, Starlight.*

Shock rippled through me. *But—* My chest tightened. *It was always so hard with Lucas. It took days to even faintly hear him. He said my mind was too closed, too difficult to reach.*

Toren’s wolf stepped closer, the heat of him washing over me. *That was never you. You hadn’t shifted yet. The wolf wasn’t awake in you, not fully. Now she is. Now you’re mine.*

The last word echoed in my chest, fierce and claiming.

And then I smelled it.

Him.

The scent poured off his fur, musky and sharp, edged with pine and smoke and something rich I couldn’t name. It hit me like fire, like hunger. My body reacted before my mind did—I stepped forward, shoving my nose into his ruff, inhaling deep, desperate for more.

*Toren,* I whispered through the link, though it came out broken, a whine as my tongue slipped free. I licked along his muzzle, his cheek, tasting him. The flavor was warm, wild, intoxicating.

His wolf let out a low, surprised growl, not angry—pleasured.

I rubbed myself against him, pressing my side to his chest, dragging my scent across his fur, every nerve in my body screaming mine. The thought wasn’t careful, wasn’t shy. It was primal. A need so sharp it burned. If anyone else so much as glanced at him, I wanted them to know—he belonged to me.

I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to. I tackled him, pushing with my smaller wolf body, and he let me. He hit the moss with a thud, a rumble of laughter spilling from his chest. I sprawled across him, licking, nipping at his neck, dragging my fur over his in frantic strokes.

He nipped back at me, playful, sharp enough to sting but never wound. My wolf yipped, thrilled, rolling against him.

*Why?* I panted through the link, chest heaving. *Why is it like this? Why do I feel like if I don’t mark you with everything I have, I’ll lose my mind?*

Toren’s wolf growled deep, the sound vibrating through both of us. He bent and licked along my hind leg, a touch so intimate it sent a shiver down my spine. *Because now that you’ve accepted your wolf, you know. You know I’m your mate. This is primal, Starlight. Instinct. You need other she-wolves to smell you on me, just as I’ve wanted them to smell me on you since the second I caught your scent in that elevator.*

My body flared hot, my claws digging into the moss. *So how do I stop it? How do I control this?*

His response was immediate, low and fierce. *You don’t.*

He moved faster than thought, flipping me onto my back with one brutal twist of his body. His massive wolf loomed over mine, pinning me, his weight pressing me into the earth. I whined, not in fear but in something hotter, deeper.

He licked my face, long and slow, his scent coating me, seeping into me until I thought I’d drown in it. My body arched beneath him, trembling with need, with that burn for him and only him.

*We have to mate,* he said, his voice in my head rough silk and wildfire. *Only then will the frenzy calm. But the need to claim, to mark, to remind the world you are mine—that will never go away. Not for me. Not for you.*

I stared up at him, heart hammering, paws trembling. I wasn’t ashamed. Not anymore. *How?* My voice was small, but sure. *How do we mate? How do we… mark each other?*

His wolf froze. His weight shifted as he pulled back slightly, eyes narrowing with something that wasn’t rejection—confusion. Slowly, carefully, he got off me, padding a few steps back.

Panic ripped through me. I scrambled to my paws, ears flat. *Did I do something wrong?*

*No.* His voice was tight, strained. *Never. But…* He lowered his head, his eyes softer now. *I didn’t realize how badly they neglected you. They didn’t just starve you of food, Starlight. They starved you of knowledge. Of your birthright.*

The words cut deeper than any claw. My chest ached, a low whine trembling out of me before I could stop it. I lowered myself to the ground, my tail curling close, ashamed of everything I didn’t know.

*Don’t.* His growl was sharp but pained. He came closer, nudging my muzzle with his. *Don’t cry. Don’t be sad. This isn’t your fault. It only means I’ll go slower. Teach you myself.*

I swallowed back the ache, pressing my nose into his fur, clinging to his steadiness.

And then his voice came again, quieter this time. Rougher.

*Kira…*

*Yes?*

He hesitated. I felt it. The weight of it. The importance.

*Are you…* His eyes locked with mine, burning through me. *Are you a virgin?*

The word thundered between us, echoing in the silence of the clearing, and my whole body went still.

I could feel his wolf’s gaze on me, heavy and unrelenting, like the entire world hinged on my answer.