Chapter 1: The Ghost Girl of Silver Moon

The basement always smells like mildew and sadness.
Alex didn’t remember ever having a real bed. Her nest of threadbare blankets was tucked between the boiler and the cracked cement wall, a space just big enough for her to curl up in at night—if she was lucky enough to sleep.
Sibyl had tried to make it warmer. The old omega had found scraps of fabric, bits of discarded foam, and even a broken space heater once. But it never lasted. Someone always took it away.
“You’ll freeze to death before you shift,” Rex had once laughed. “That’s if you even have a wolf.”
Alex blinked the memory away as she stumbled to her feet, pulling her thin sweater over her head. The bruise from yesterday’s shove down the stairs pulsed angrily on her hip. She limped a little but said nothing—she never did.
“You’re late, girl!” barked Helen Starling from the top of the basement stairs. “The Beta’s breakfast better be hot and perfect, or you’ll be licking the floor again.”
Alex mumbled a quick, “Yes, ma’am,” and hurried up the stairs, head down, hair falling like a curtain around her face. She’d learned to keep her gaze low—no eye contact, no attitude. Just invisibility.
The Pack House
The Silver Moon Pack House was grand—four towering floors of polished wood, gleaming tile, and open balconies wrapped in ivy. From the outside, it looked like paradise. Inside, it was a palace with strict rules and cruel kings.
The Alphas lived at the top, The oh so perfect Silver family. Our Alpha Cole and his mate our Luna Lila, really just a pain in the..you get the point. Then there is their son and daughter. Rex and Mila Silver, they are some sick freaks but given who their parents are…its fitting.
Next, The Betas ruled the second floor. While they aren’t as bad As the Alpha family they are stupid and blindly complacent. Bets Ashen and his mate Helen have never directly abused me in any way, ya know that blindly complacent thing again. They only had one kid, Jayson Starlight. Hes a okay guy but his best friend is Rex soooo.
The Gammas took the third floor, Gamma Luca and his mate Rachel Whitlock. They are kind to everyone but they are the lead warriors so no one sees them much. To see them you have to be the “elite families”, the Alpha, Beta and even at times the Omega family. They have two kids Dannie and his sister Mika, shes very smart and loves to help with the pups. Dannie..well…Hes best friends with Rex and Jayson So there’s that, he’s very serious like all the time, i guess you could say mature for his age in a way.
The Lead Omegas slept on the fourth. Sibyl was the lead omega until she took responsibility for me, then threw us to the basement and replaced sibyl with the dawn family. Brian and his mate Julie Dawn, just as bad as the Alpha family but they’re daughter Sage was the worst and my personal tormentor right alongside Rex. She is a drama queen wrapped in glitter and bright ass colors but most importantly she is a bitch. 
And lastly everyone else—the rest of the omegas, the unwanted, the broken in the rotting basement. It has a few windows but they don’t open and a terrible bathroom. Think of the school locker room but the one for the football players only. It is not sweat and feet in mold and death and I have to cook for them all. 
By the time she reached the kitchen, Sibyl had already started. The older omega’s silver-streaked hair was tied back, her wrinkled hands deftly flipping eggs and kneading dough. Her sharp eyes softened when she saw Alex.
“There you are, little shadow,” Sibyl said quietly, handing her a wooden spoon. “You’re late, but it’s not your fault. Helen sent me down too early again.”
Alex took the spoon and began stirring the pot of oatmeal without a word. This was their morning ritual—silent teamwork before the storms came.
“You need to eat something today,” Sibyl murmured, her back to the door. “I saved a crust in the drawer. Before the Gamma girl finds it.”
“I’m not hungry,” Alex lied, stomach snarling.
“You’re always hungry, child,” Sibyl said with a dry smile. “You’ve just forgotten what full feels like.”
Footsteps thundered on the stairs. Loud voices. Laughing boys. Rex. Jayson. Dannie. The golden trio of the pack’s future.
The kitchen door slammed open and in strolled Rex Silver—Alpha Cole’s only son, tall and broad-shouldered, with a wolfish grin and a scent like cedar and snow. He was beautiful. And cruel.
“Well, well,” he smirked. “Is the ghost girl still haunting the kitchen?”
Alex kept stirring, eyes on the oatmeal.
“Did you hear me, rat?” he added, stepping closer.
Before she could answer, Jayson snatched the wooden spoon from her hand and flicked boiling oatmeal toward her. She flinched but didn’t cry out.
“She’s too broken to feel pain,” Jayson laughed.
“Maybe she likes it,” added Dannie.
Rex leaned down, his lips near her ear. “You’ll never shift, you know. Omegas don’t deserve wolves.”
Alex stood frozen, heart thudding in her chest. Her wolf stirred—just slightly, like a breath against the inside of her mind. But it wasn’t time yet.
It never was.
When they finally left, Alex was covered in oatmeal and shame. Sibyl said nothing. She simply handed her a towel and helped her wipe her face.
“One more day, little one,” Sibyl whispered. “One more breath. That’s how we survive.”
Alex nodded. But something deep inside her was trembling.
Tomorrow was her sixteenth birthday.
And everything was about to change.
Interlude – The Night Before
The basement was quiet that night, save for the hum of the pipes and the occasional creak of footsteps above them. Everyone else had long gone to bed, tucked into thick mattresses and warm rooms, their dreams untouched by hunger or fear.
Alex lay curled on her side in her makeshift bed, staring at the cracked ceiling. Sixteen tomorrow. It was just a number. There would be no cake. No gifts. No shift. No change.
Or so she thought.
A soft knock on the doorframe broke her thoughts.
Sibyl stepped inside, carrying a chipped mug and a small bundle wrapped in worn cloth. Her face was shadowed, eyes rimmed with worry and something deeper—sadness, maybe.
“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked gently.
Alex shook her head. “My ribs hurt.”
Sibyl sat beside her, placing the mug—lukewarm broth—into her hands. “Drink. Slowly. It’ll help.”
Alex obeyed. It was salty, thin, but warm. Comforting. She blinked against the sting in her eyes.
Sibyl pulled the bundle into her lap. “I’ve been saving this. For you.”
She unwrapped the cloth to reveal a small leather necklace. Hanging from it was a single moonstone—cloudy white, but soft to the touch, polished smooth by years of care.
“This was given to me a long time ago,” Sibyl said. “Before you were even born. I never knew why I held onto it. But then you came to me, wrapped in dirt and quiet and sorrow… and I knew.”
Alex reached out, fingers brushing the stone. “It’s… warm.”
“It always is,” Sibyl said. “Some say moonstones are connected to fate. Others say they only glow for the chosen.”
Alex looked at her sharply. “I’m not chosen. I’m nothing.”
“Don’t say that.” Sibyl’s voice was steel. “You’ve survived things most wolves couldn’t. And tomorrow—”
She paused.
“Tomorrow, you may feel something inside you stir. Listen to it. Don’t run from it, even if it scares you.”
Alex frowned. “You’re talking like something’s going to happen.”
“I’m talking like I love you,” Sibyl said softly. “Like a daughter. And I’ve seen the signs. Your wolf is close. She’s been trying to protect you all this time, hiding herself. But she can’t stay hidden forever.”
Alex opened her mouth, but no words came.
 Instead, Sibyl leaned forward, pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and tucked the necklace into her palm.
“Sleep, little one,” she whispered. “The moon watches over you. And no matter what happens tomorrow—remember who you are.”