Chapter 2 The Moonstone Alpha's Triplets
Serene
The palace loomed like a shadow with a crown, all gleaming stone and sharp edges. Its towers clawed at the sky like they were trying to tear the clouds apart.
I clutched my small suitcase tighter, my palms clammy.
A black car had driven us through towering iron gates, past statues of howling wolves frozen mid-snarl, and into the heart of Moonstone Pack territory.
Everything here smelled like power—and something colder. Something darker.
Vivian sat beside me, dabbing lipstick in a compact mirror like she wasn’t dragging her only daughter into a den of strangers. A new life, she’d said. A better one.
Better for her, maybe.
The car stopped at the grand entrance. Before I could even move, the door opened.
There he was—Alpha Marcus Silverstone.
Tall. Impeccably dressed in a black suit that hugged his broad shoulders like it was tailored by wolves. His smile was charming, calculated. His eyes? Cold and clever.
He looked at me the way a lion might look at a rabbit that wandered too close to the den.
“Welcome, Serena,” he said smoothly. “And Vivian—radiant, as always.”
Vivian giggled like a schoolgirl. I wanted to sink through the floor.
Inside, servants lined up in two silent rows, heads bowed. The air felt rehearsed, stifled.
“This is Serena,” Marcus said, one arm wrapped around Vivian like she belonged to him. His other hand gestured toward me like I was some rare trinket. “My future stepdaughter. Treat her with respect.”
His gaze swept across the staff like a silent threat.
A maid accidentally held eye contact with me too long. Marcus’s stare snapped to her. She flinched, dropped her head, and trembled.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Three of them.
Heavy. Slow. Perfectly in sync.
The triplets.
Rhys. Callum. Dominic.
They stopped just behind Marcus, their presence sharp and impossible to ignore.
Rhys wore all black, silver rings glinting on every finger. Callum had his shirt half-unbuttoned, oozing smugness. Dominic stood tall in a navy jacket, his arms crossed, gaze colder than stone.
“These are my sons,” Marcus said with pride. “The future of the Moonstone Pack.”
I’d heard of them.
Everyone had.
The Luna Shadows.
Untouchable. Unstoppable. Alphas in training who answered to no one but themselves.
Marcus turned to them with a proud, fatherly smile.
“Rhys, Callum, Dominic,” he said. “I’ll take care of Vivian. Why don’t you show Serena to her room? Make her feel welcome.”
They looked like perfect sons in that moment. Smiling. Polished. Golden.
Rhys stepped forward, all charm. “Of course, Father.”
Callum placed a hand on his heart. “We’ll treat her like royalty.”
Dominic grinned. “She’s family now, right?”
Marcus nodded, already turning away. “Thank you, boys. Serena—go with them. Vivian and I have important matters to discuss.”
I should’ve felt safe.
But the moment he and Vivian walked away, their backs turned, everything changed.
Their smiles twisted.
Their eyes sharpened.
The charm dropped.
And I was alone with them.
Rhys stepped closer, his smirk slow and mocking. “Pretty eyes,” he said, tilting his head. “Too bad they’re filled with fear.”
I clutched my suitcase tighter. My mouth was dry.
“Serene, was it?” Callum asked, voice thick with mockery. “Doesn’t fit you. ‘Serene’ sounds too elegant for a mess like this.”
“My name is Serena,” I said, barely above a whisper.
“Doesn’t matter,” Rhys replied, bored. “You’ll be forgotten soon enough.”
They laughed. Quiet. Cruel.
“You know,” Callum added, “our father’s always had strange taste. First your mom. Now you.”
Dominic scoffed. “Must be a spell. Your mom probably bewitched him. And now you’re here—what, to finish the job?”
My heart dropped. The way they spoke about their father, like he was a fool. The way they spoke about my mother…
“I didn’t ask to come here,” I said, trying to hold my ground.
“Oh, we know,” Dominic said, stepping closer until I could feel his breath. “And we didn’t ask to be your babysitters.”
“You won’t last here,” Rhys murmured. “This place eats girls like you alive.”
The words hit like a slap. Not enough to scar—but enough to sting.
I took a step back. Their grins only widened.
“Let’s get this over with,” Callum muttered.
“This way, Princess,” Rhys said with a mocking bow.
I followed, legs stiff, heart pounding. Each footstep echoed louder than the last.
---
The halls stretched endlessly, each one adorned with grim portraits, old weapons, and masks carved like snarling wolves.
“Try to keep up,” Rhys snapped.
I did.
“So,” Callum said casually, “your mom spread her legs, and now we’re stuck with you.”
I flinched.
Rhys snorted. “Maybe she cursed him. Wouldn’t be the first time a pretty witch ruined a pack.”
“I’m not a witch,” I muttered.
“No?” Dominic said, stopping mid-step. His eyes burned into mine. “Then what are you?”
I didn’t answer.
Silence followed.
They led me to a guest room—lavish but empty. It smelled like dust and old stories.
Just before I stepped inside, Rhys leaned in, his voice a breath against my ear.
“You’ll never survive here.”
Then he was gone.
The door clicked shut.
I stood still for a long moment, listening.
Silence.
Then I let out a shaky breath, my chest tight.
I moved to the bed and sat, hands trembling.
I was still here.
Still breathing.
Even if it didn’t feel like it.
---
That night, sleep didn’t come.
The bed was too soft. The silence too loud. Every creak and rustle sounded like danger.
Then I felt it.
A presence.
My skin prickled. I turned toward the window.
Three shadows.
They didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
I blinked—and they vanished.
My heart thundered.
Luna Shadows.
Is that why they called them that?
I stood, unsure if I’d imagined it—until a sudden bang slammed against the glass.
I jumped back with a gasp. The curtains swayed violently.
Then came the whisper.
Right beside my ear.
“We see you.”
I spun around.
No one.
Just the wind.
Just the dark.
Just me…
Trapped inside Moonstone Palace.
With monsters who wore the faces of men.
