The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 45

Before I could answer Toren’s question, agony ripped through me like fire in my veins. My body bowed forward, a cry breaking free as my bones snapped, my skin tore, and my fangs retracted. My wolf retreated, leaving me raw, trembling, and human again.

“Kira,” Toren’s voice thundered through the bond, steady but firm. Don’t fight it. Let it happen. I’ll be back—don’t move. I’m getting you clothes.

And then he was gone. I caught a blur of movement—him darting toward the resort, impossibly fast, his wolf speed carrying him away from me.

A sob clawed at my throat. He left me.

I curled in on myself, shuddering, clutching my arms around my chest. The pain was still there, dull and throbbing, though not as sharp as the first shift. My skin prickled with goosebumps, the cold air biting into me like knives. I stumbled toward the edge of the clearing, spotting a massive bush with thick, leafy branches, and crouched low behind it, praying it covered enough of me to hide my shame.

My thoughts whirled. Was I being selfish? Was I being too self-indulgent? He’d said he was going for clothes, and deep down I knew he was right—I wasn’t about to march into the resort naked. But still, the feeling of being abandoned in my weakest, most vulnerable moment cut like a blade.

Minutes stretched like hours until finally, I heard his voice again.

“Kira?” His tone was low, cautious, searching. “Starlight, where are you?”

Relief poured through me, mixed with the burn of humiliation. Slowly, I rose from the bush, my arms still wrapped across my chest, my body half-hidden in leaves.

“Here,” I whispered hoarsely, praying my voice reached him.

The trees shifted, and then he was there.

And Moon above…

He wore nothing but a pair of black sweats that hung low on his hips. His chest was bare, muscles carved from battles and time, tattoos spiraling across his skin, scars marking him in ways that only made him more devastatingly beautiful. His dark eyes locked on mine, and when he saw me peeking out from the bush, he smirked.

“Cute,” he murmured, holding up a shirt. “This’ll do for now.”

I reached for it, fumbling as I yanked it over my head. It swallowed me whole, draping past my knees like a dress. My hands tugged at the hem, but instead of laughing, Toren only watched me with something that looked dangerously close to reverence.

When I finally stepped free of the bush, his hands caught me instantly, pulling me flush against his chest. His warmth engulfed me, the steady drum of his heartbeat under my cheek grounding me.

Then his mouth found mine.

The kiss was everything. Fierce. Hungry. Unrelenting. His lips moved against mine with fire that burned straight through the lingering cold. My body answered before my mind could catch up—I pressed into him harder, clawing at his shoulders, my nails digging into the muscle at his neck. The taste of him—smoke, pine, something wild—flooded my senses, and I wanted more.

A growl rumbled from deep in his chest, vibrating against me. The sound only made me growl back, feral and unthinking, the wolf in me clawing for him.

His hands clamped around my hips, claws pricking my skin through the fabric as he held me in place. Our kiss broke with a gasp, both of us panting, our foreheads pressed together.

And then it hit me—the question. The one he had asked before my shift tore through me.

“I…” I swallowed, my voice shaking. “Yes.”

His brows furrowed. “Yes?”

“Yes,” I said again, braver this time. “I am.” My eyes searched his, hoping—begging—he would understand the weight of my confession.

For a moment, his face was unreadable. Then his eyes softened, warmth seeping through the fury that always burned there. He dipped his head, pressing the gentlest kiss to my forehead.

“I’ll go slow with you,” he whispered, voice like rough velvet. “But you need to understand, Starlight—waiting too long to mate can cause problems. You’re mine. My wolf will not tolerate distance forever.”

A shiver tore down my spine, not of fear, but of need. My fingers fisted in his skin as I clung to him.

He pulled back slightly, threading our fingers together as he began leading me toward the resort. The silence between us wasn’t heavy—it was charged, filled with things unsaid, with everything waiting to ignite.

Halfway there, his voice dipped lower, almost teasing. “When you see yourself in the mirror… don’t scream.”

My head whipped toward him, confused. “What does that mean?”

A chuckle rolled out of him, deep and amused. “Shifting changes you. Your body adapts to your wolf. It won’t be exactly as it was before. Everyone goes through it.”

My stomach tightened. “Changed how?”

“You’ll see.” He smirked, but there was nothing cruel in it—only promise.

I hesitated before blurting out, “What about Lyra? Will we still look alike once she’s shifted too?”

The moment her name left my mouth, his entire body changed. The warmth, the teasing—all of it snapped into something sharp, dangerous. His steps slowed, his jaw clenched, and a low growl rumbled deep in his chest.

I froze, staring at him, my pulse jumping. “Toren?”

His voice was low, lethal. “Your twin has already shifted.”

I stopped dead, the words slamming into me like a blow. My hand slipped from his, my breath catching in my throat.

“She… what?”

His dark eyes flicked to mine, simmering with anger that wasn’t aimed at me, but at the truth itself. His hand curled into a fist at his side. “She’s been shifting for years, Kira.”

The world tilted, my legs trembling beneath me. My heart hammered as the realization settled like ice in my veins.

Lyra had shifted. And they had lied.

My entire life, every punishment, every cruel word, every stolen choice—it all began to twist into something darker, sharper, until rage and heartbreak threatened to tear me apart from the inside out.