The Banished Shy Luna Chapter 60

The knock at the door was firm, commanding, the kind that made the entire room still. Even before the door opened, I knew—whoever was on the other side carried the same dominance that hummed in Toren and Talon.

Jake moved first, opening it wide.

And there he was.

Tyler.

Toren’s and Talon’s father.

He stepped inside, tall and broad-shouldered, the kind of presence that seemed to fill the entire space without a word. His hair was streaked with silver, but the same sharp jawline and deep-set eyes as his sons marked him instantly as their blood. His stance was powerful, but not hostile—measured, steady, as though years of leading had burned arrogance out of him and left only certainty.

The resemblance was undeniable. His build was nearly identical to Toren’s, solid muscle carried with ease, but his gaze had Talon’s calm steadiness. Seeing him was like looking at both brothers fused into one man—like the truth of their bond was written on his very face.

Elder Selene rose immediately, her silver robes shifting with the motion. “Alpha Tyler,” she greeted coolly. “We’ll dispense with pleasantries. I have one question, and I expect an honest answer.”

His brows lifted slightly, but his voice was even. “Ask.”

“Did you falsify the documents of your sons?” Selene’s tone was sharp, direct. “Did you record them as something other than what they are? Specifically… did you hide the truth of them being twins?”

For the first time, confusion cracked his controlled mask. His gaze snapped from Selene to Toren, then Talon, then back to the Elders. “What?” His voice was a low rumble, disbelief threaded through it. “No. Never. I would never tamper with records. I’ve worked with the Council for decades, and I know the weight of that kind of betrayal.”

The room was silent, waiting.

He took another step forward, eyes narrowing, hurt flashing beneath his composed exterior. “That you would even think I could do something like that… after everything I’ve given in service to the Elders… it cuts deeper than you know.”

Elder Thora lifted her hand slightly, voice softer than Selene’s but no less commanding. “No one is accusing, Tyler. But we have just uncovered a situation where so-called twins are not twins at all. Falsehoods were deliberately sown into their records, and it has raised questions. We must rule out every possibility.”

Tyler frowned, lines etching deeper across his brow. “What situation?”

It was Toren who answered. He stepped forward, his voice steady but taut. “Kira. Her mother admitted today that she and Lyra are not twins. They’ve been presented as such for years, but the truth is different. Half-siblings, not twins.”

Tyler’s sharp inhale was audible. His gaze shifted to me then, assessing, but not unkind. His eyes softened a fraction before sliding back to his son. “And this matters because…?”

Toren glanced at me again, then squared his shoulders. “Because Starlight is my mate.”

Tyler’s eyes flicked to Talon then, reading something unspoken in his second son’s stance. His brows drew together.

“And Talon feels it too,” Toren said roughly, before his brother could. “Not in the same way, not fully—but when she touched him, he felt a connection.”

Tyler’s lips pressed into a thin line. His gaze cut to Talon. “Is that true?”

Talon nodded once, his voice steady. “Yes. It’s not imagined. I felt her. Still do.”

Elder Selene’s eyes narrowed. “Which is why we must ask again, Alpha Tyler. Are Toren and Talon truly twins?”

The Alpha’s chest rose and fell, and then he shook his head firmly, his voice ringing with certainty. “No. That is impossible. They are not twins. For two reasons.”

Everyone leaned forward as he continued.

“First, their births were years apart. Toren is my eldest. Talon was born three years later. And second—” he paused, his jaw tightening, “—because one of your own was there for both births. Elder Malric. If anyone could vouch for the truth, it is him. He cut Toren’s cord himself.”

Elder Thora exchanged a sharp look with Selene, something silent but heavy passing between them. Then she turned back to Tyler, her expression grave. “And yet… something does not add up. The bond should not behave this way. Mates are clear, they are singular. But here… we have something tangled. Something unprecedented.”

Tyler’s gaze softened again as it rested on me, then hardened as it swung back to his sons. “Whatever this is, I did not cause it. I did not falsify anything. I will not stand accused of betraying my blood or the Council.”

His voice rumbled with the same dominance his sons carried, but deeper, heavier, and the room felt smaller beneath it.

But even as he spoke, I felt it again—that pull, that strange, tugging thread binding me not just to Toren, but to Talon as well.

And I knew.

This wasn’t over.

Elder Thora’s eyes swept the room before she spoke again, her voice low, deliberate, and carrying the weight of centuries.

“There is one more possibility. But if it is true… it means danger.”

Every gaze swung to her. Elder Selene frowned, confusion furrowing her brow. “Danger? Thora, speak plainly.”

Even Toren straightened beside me, tension rippling through him. Talon leaned forward, his eyes sharp, unreadable.

Elder Thora didn’t look at them. She looked at me.

“Kira,” she said softly, “your blood must be tested. It is the only way to know for certain. But… there is a chance you could be of Shadow blood.”

The words dropped into the room like stones shattering still water.

Selene staggered back, her hand flying to her chest, fear widening her eyes. Tyler, Toren and Talon’s father, took a step away too, pity flashing in his gaze as if he were already mourning me.

My stomach twisted. My throat dried. “Shadow blood?” The words scraped out of me, hoarse, confused. “What does that mean?”

Toren’s voice cut through the silence, deep and steady but edged with unease. “Shadow blood is… one of the purest lines. A bloodline from the first. Some say the very first of our kind.”

Talon added grimly, “And there’s speculation that it was the beginning bloodline—the root from which all others came. But no one knows for sure. It’s wrapped in myth and fear.”