The Hidden Luna

In the Silver Crest Pack, everyone knew their place.

At the top stood the Alpha - powerful, commanding, feared. Beneath him were the Betas, the second in command and Gammas, warriors whose strength protected the pack. And then there were the rest: the families, the young wolves still learning their shifts, the elders who carried the pack's history.

And finally...

The omegas.

The ones who existed mostly to serve.

Lira had grown up knowing exactly where she stood in that order.

At the very bottom.

The morning bell echoed through the packhouse just before sunrise. It was the signal that the day had begun, but Lira was awake long before it rang.

She always was.

Years of habit had trained her body to rise early, quietly, before anyone could accuse her of being lazy or flog her being slow.

The packhouse kitchen smelled faintly of smoke and warm bread as she moved across the stone floor, sweeping away the dust that had gathered overnight and took away the leftovers from the night before . Outside, the training field had already come alive with the sounds of warriors sparring.

The clash of fists.

The thud of bodies hitting the ground.

Occasionally, the sharp voice of Beta Rylan correcting someone.

Lira tried not to look through the open window while she worked.

Watching them sometimes made something in her chest ache - something she didn't fully understand.

She had never trained with the pack.

Never learned to fight.

In fact, she had never even shifted.

At nineteen years old, she was still completely human.

Which was another reason the others called her weak,stupid and useless.

"Lira!"

The voice cut through the kitchen.

She immediately straightened.

"Yes, Beta?" she answered quickly.

Beta Rylan stepped inside, tall and broad-shouldered, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud. His sharp eyes swept across the kitchen before settling on her.

"The Alpha has guests arriving tomorrow for the Full Moon Gathering," he said.

Lira nodded.

"Yes, Beta."

"You'll be helping prepare the hall."

"Yes, Beta."

"And try not to embarrass the pack."

His words were blunt, but they weren't unusual. I had heard this so many times.

Lira lowered her eyes.

"Yes Sir, I won't."

Rylan studied her for a moment longer before turning and leaving again.

The door shut behind him with a heavy thud.

Only then did Lira release the breath she had been holding.

She had long ago learned something important about surviving here.

Speak less.

Stay quiet.

Be useful.

It was easier that way.

Lira didn't remember much about her life before the pack found her.

Just fragments.

Cold air.

Trees.

Running.

A woman's voice whispering softly in the dark.

But those memories were hazy, like dreams fading after waking.

What she knew for certain was that the Silver Crest pack had found her near their territory border when she was barely five years old.

Alone.

Hungry.

Barefoot.

No one knew where she came from.

No one knew who her parents