The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 53

Toren carried me down the hall, my body limp against his chest. Exhaustion from healing Talon still weighed on me, but the steady beat of his heart under my ear soothed me in ways I couldn’t explain. His warmth, his scent—smoke and pine—was enough to make the trembling in my body settle.

He didn’t set me down until we reached his room, and even then, he lowered me onto the bed as though I were made of glass.

The mattress dipped under his weight as he leaned over me. His lips brushed across my cheek, my forehead, then lingered on my mouth before trailing down to my neck. The kisses were soft, teasing, each one stealing a little of the heaviness clinging to me.

A giggle escaped me—unbidden, light, bubbling up from somewhere I hadn’t felt in years.

Toren froze. Then, slow and deliberate, he kissed me again, a smile tugging at his lips this time. My heart skipped so hard I had to clutch the sheet. I hadn’t smiled like this in… I couldn’t even remember.

He caught my hand, pressing his mouth against my knuckles. His eyes softened, though the fire beneath them never dimmed. “I’m sending someone into town,” he said quietly. “One of the she-wolves. They’ll get you what you need—clothes, shoes, whatever you want. You’ll tell her your sizes.”

I blinked at him, tilting my head like he’d just started speaking a foreign language. “My… sizes?”

“Yes,” he said carefully, brows drawing together. “Your shirt size, your pants, shoes—”

“Toren…” I whispered, biting my lip. “I don’t know.”

He stilled, confusion flickering before realization hit. His jaw clenched so tight I swore I could hear his teeth grind.

“I was never taken shopping,” I explained quickly, my cheeks heating. “I only ever got hand-me-downs. Whatever was thrown my way, I wore. Nothing ever fit right, so… I don’t know what I am.”

The silence that followed was thick, dangerous. His eyes burned—not at me, never at me—but at the ghosts of every person who had robbed me of something as simple as knowing my own size.

“I’ll kill them,” Toren swore, low and rough, his lips brushing the back of my hand like a vow. “Every single one who laid a hand on you. Including Lucas.”

The air in the room stilled. Even Jake, who had been lingering by the door, stiffened. His gaze flicked to Toren in disbelief, his lips parting as though he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

And me?

My heart tripped, and heat coiled low in my belly.

I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against his, letting my lips graze his as I whispered, “You threatening to kill them… is a turn-on. But I can’t let you. The Elders would lock you away, and I can’t—” My voice broke. “I can’t live without you.”

For a heartbeat, nothing existed but his eyes on mine.

And then I saw it.

Love. Pure, terrifying, breathtaking love, flashing in the depths of his dark gaze.

My chest tightened. My stomach flipped. For the first time, I believed it—believed that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t alone anymore.

His lips crushed mine, hungry and full of promise. My hands fisted in his shirt as I kissed him back, desperate to hold onto that feeling forever.

When he finally pulled away, his forehead rested against mine, his breath unsteady. He turned then, his voice snapping like a whip.

“Jake.”

Jake straightened immediately. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Bring them in.”

Within moments, the door opened, and two young women stepped into the room. They were striking—not identical, but close enough to make me blink twice. One had a streak of blonde through her dark hair; the other’s curls tumbled in loose spirals down her back. Both dipped their heads respectfully when they saw Toren.

“These are Shyanne and Marianne,” Toren said, his hand never leaving mine. “Twins. They’ll help you figure out your sizes. Then one of the warriors will drive them into town to pick out what you need.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Toren silenced me with another kiss—quick, firm, final. “Don’t argue,” he murmured against my lips. “You deserve this.”

Heat flushed my cheeks as he stood. He pressed one last kiss to my temple before striding toward the door. Jake followed, but not before casting me a look of something I couldn’t quite name—respect, maybe? Or sympathy.

As the door closed behind them, I caught the faint sound of Toren’s low growl in the hall, his voice dropping into that dangerous register I was beginning to recognize as mine to protect.

Silence fell. Then, suddenly, the bed dipped on either side of me.

I yelped softly as Shyanne flopped down on one side and Marianne on the other, both grinning at me with mischievous eyes.

“So…” Shyanne started, propping her chin in her hand.

“What’s it like,” Marianne finished, eyes sparkling, “being with an Alpha?”

I stared at them, my lips parting in shock. Then, despite everything—the exhaustion, the fear, the chaos—I laughed. A real laugh. Light, bright, the kind that made my chest ache in the best way.

And just like that, I knew.

I’d get along with them just fine.

I tugged at the edge of the blanket draped across my lap, fingers twisting in the fabric as I tried to find the words.

“I… I don’t really have anything to compare it to,” I admitted softly. Both of their brows shot up, curious. “I’ve never been with anyone else. So I can’t tell you what’s different or better.” My cheeks warmed as heat crept up my neck, but I forced myself to keep going. “But what I can tell you is that it was magical. Everything I ever expected for my first time—and more.”

Silence. For half a heartbeat, they just stared at me with wide eyes.

Then both twins erupted into giggles, collapsing sideways against the bed like I’d just told them the juiciest secret in the world.

“Oh my gods,” Shyanne gasped, clutching her stomach. “Your first time— with him? With Toren?”

Marianne squealed, grabbing my hand in hers. “No wonder you’re glowing! Look at you! You’re practically sparkling.”

“I am not!” I protested, though my face was on fire.

“You are,” Shyanne said between laughs, wiping at her eyes. “Starlight, you’re positively radiant.”

The nickname made my chest flutter—it was Toren’s word for me. Hearing it on someone else’s lips felt strange, but somehow… nice.

They finally calmed down enough to sit up again, though the mischievous smiles never left their faces.

“So,” Marianne said, wiggling her brows. “Clothes.”