Chapter 6 Orientation Whispers

Kathy's POV

Speaking of mornings, I woke up to Lina already buzzing around the room like she’d been awake for hours, humming some off-key tune while she tossed clothes onto her bed.

Sunlight snuck through the curtains in lazy stripes across the floor, and I just lay there for a minute, blinking slow, trying to shake off that heavy, restless feeling in my chest.

Orientation day. Great. The one thing I’d been quietly dreading without wanting to say it out loud.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Lina called, her short curls bouncing as she spun toward me.

Her bright eyes sparkled with that lively energy, and her outfit today was bold as ever, colors clashing in a way that only she could pull off. “I grabbed coffee from the common room machine. It’s kinda bitter but at least it’s hot. Hurry up, we don’t wanna show up late and look lost.”

I groaned but dragged myself out of bed anyway, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

—----

We got ready together, her chatting nonstop about hoping the food after would be decent and whether the tour would actually show the interesting parts or just drag us through dusty history rooms.

It felt surprisingly easy, having someone fill the quiet like that. By the time we stepped outside Ashveil Hall, the paths were already filling with other students heading the same way, voices mixing in the fresh morning air.

Lina spotted someone ahead and waved big. “Kai!”

A boy with light brown hair turned, quiet and observant, sharp eyes behind his glasses catching everything without making a fuss. He usually seemed to hang in the background, but when he pushed off the wall and joined us, there was this focused stillness to him.

“Hey,” he said softly, falling into step beside us.

Lina grinned and looped her arm through mine for a second. “Kai, this is my roommate Kathy. Kathy, Kai Dorian. He’s the one I told you about from that forum. Super smart, always digging into random facts.”

Kai gave a small nod, adjusting his glasses. “Nice to meet you, Kathy.”

Then his eyes narrowed just a fraction, surprise flickering across his face when Lina added, “Oh, and she’s Kathy Moonfall. You know, Lady Malia Mooncrest’s daughter.”

His eyebrows lifted. “Moonfall? For real?” He sounded genuinely caught off guard, voice low but interested. “Didn’t expect that. Welcome to Mooncrest then. Hope the legends don’t weigh too heavy.”

I managed a half-smile, shrugging it off. “Trying not to think about it too much.”

We kept walking, the three of us weaving through the growing crowd until we found spots somewhere in the middle of the open area. Students milled around, some chatting nervously, others looking bored already.

Soon the orientation mistress arrived, elegant with silver-streaked dark hair and those pale eyes that felt a little too calm, a little unsettling. Lady Elara Voss introduced herself smoothly, welcoming everyone to Mooncrest College, the place where legacies began and bonds got tested.

She started talking about rules, schedules, the balance between wolf and human sides. I tried listening at first, I really did.

But boredom crept in quick, my attention drifting while a few students scribbled notes like their futures depended on every word. I kept scanning the crowd instead, eyes searching for a familiar hoodie, those intense dark eyes.

Riven. He wasn’t anywhere in sight, and that tiny disappointment twisted in my gut for no good reason.

Then I caught Zayden on the far side. He noticed me too and gave a small wave, that steady, controlled presence of his cutting through the noise. I waved back quick, a little smile slipping out before I could stop it.

Lady Elara kept going, her voice carrying clear. After a bit she paused, scanning faces, and her gaze landed straight on me. She didn’t ask my name. Just said it like she already knew.

“Kathy Moonfall,” she called, calm and direct. “Are you following along?”

Heat rushed up my neck. I nodded fast. “Yes, ma’am.”

Whispers exploded around me. Heads turned, eyes widened, murmurs rippling through the group like a wave. Kathy Moonfall. Malia’s daughter. The weight of it pressed in all at once. I looked away, wishing I could shrink into the grass.

That’s when I felt it again, that strange little pull tugging at my skin. I glanced toward the edge of the crowd and there he was. Riven had slipped in somehow, hoodie up, hands tucked deep in his pockets, sharp features half-hidden.

He must have sensed me staring because his head turned just enough. Those dark eyes met mine for a beat, intense and unreadable. My breath hitched. Then he looked away quick, like the moment never happened, like he was already somewhere else.

Lady Elara continued without missing a beat, drawing everyone back in. “Since we have the daughter of one of the owner of this great school here today, let me share a little story many of you might know. I bet you must have stumbled across the book she wrote, one of the best books so far: Fated to the three Alphas Of MOONCREST College. You see, all her life, Malia Reed believed she was ordinary. Weak. Invisible…”

She paused, letting the words settle, then went on in that smooth voice. “Raised by a widow after her powerful parents died under mysterious circumstances, she learned to survive by staying small. Quiet. Unnoticed.”

A few students leaned forward. Lina was practically vibrating beside me, whispering, “This is the good part.”

“But fate has a cruel sense of humor,” Lady Elara continued, a faint smile touching her lips. “When Malia arrived at this very college, one simple test shattered every lie she’d told herself. She was fated to an alpha. No… not one. Not two. Three!”

Gasps and excited murmurs spread through the crowd. Kai adjusted his glasses again, looking deeply focused, like he was storing every detail.

“Three stunning, dangerous, dominant triplet alpha heirs,” she said, voice rising with the drama. “Their wolves went feral the moment they smelled her. Aiden Moonfall, the cutest kind of arrogant, every girl’s crush, and he knew it. Cian Moonfall, quiet and reserved, the one who barely talked but noticed everything. Rowan Moonfall, friendly and warm, instantly easy to love. He and Malia clicked from day one.”

Lina nudged me lightly. “Your dads sound intense.”

Lady Elara kept going, the whole group hanging on now. “And the worst part? They were all ridiculously cute, and all fated to her. Their wolves claimed her. The academy whispered about her. And Malia? She just wanted to survive long enough to understand why fate had tied her to the three most powerful males on campus...”

She leaned in a little, building it. “But destiny wasn’t done with her. As strange dreams stirred, as her strength awakened, and as enemies began to circle, Malia uncovered the truth her stepmother tried desperately to bury. Her parents were not just powerful. They were legendary.”

The crowd was dead quiet, listening hard. Some stealing a glance at me.

“Bound to three alpha brothers, hunted by hidden enemies, and standing on the edge of a destiny she never asked for… Malia had to make a choice that could save or ruin them all. But if only one mate bond can survive, which alpha will she choose when fate comes to collect? We are all aware, she chose Alpha Aiden, together they… ”

Everyone stayed locked in, some nodding, others whispering to friends. Lina looked thrilled, her curiosity practically glowing. Kai stayed silent but his sharp eyes behind the glasses said he was turning it all over, hungry for answers no matter what.

I felt uninterested though. I already knew how my parents met here, with my father and his brothers, the whole tangled mess.

The story dragged on and on, details piling up about the triplets, the bonds, the drama. My mind kept drifting somewhere else.

I kept staring across at Riven.

That pull tugged at me again, drawing me in even while I sat still. At the same time I felt drawn to Zayden standing on the other side, looking cute as he listened, calm and steady like always.

What was it about the two of them?

The question sat heavy in my chest, unanswered, as the orientation stretched on…