Chapter 66 66. Orbit
Tabitha’s POV
Kaelara University is bigger than I expected. The campus is also littered with students who are probably enrolling for the upcoming semester just like me, or maybe some who are attending summer classes. Either way, I’m glad I won’t have to navigate a ghost town campus.
“Let’s see… mom says the president’s office is where I should start.” I mutter to myself and head toward the administrative building. Luckily it’s just right across the huge main entrance of the campus so it wasn’t that hard to spot it.
After weaving through a few corridors, I find myself standing in front of a door with a brass plaque that reads: Dr. Marcus Callahan, University President. I swallow, then knock twice before nudging the door open.
“Good morning, sir. I hope I’m not disturbing you,” I say sheepishly.
Behind the desk sits a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and squared glasses perched on his nose. He turns to me with a serious but approachable expression. The nameplate on his desk matches the one outside: Dr. Marcus Callahan.
He studies me for only a moment before recognition lights in his eyes. “Ah! You must be Tabitha Huxley. Captain Emery Aldair’s stepdaughter, correct?”
“Yes, sir.” I step forward and hand him the sealed envelope. “He told me to give you this.”
Dr. Callahan accepts it, skims through the contents, and offers me a polite smile. “A strong recommendation, indeed. We’ll be glad to have you here at Kaelara University, Miss Huxley.”
Relief rushes through me. “Thank you, sir.”
I’m really not sure what was inside the envelope, but I’m guessing it’s some sort of paper Alpha Emery used to grease the wheels. I’m not questioning it. Anything to keep this process simple and quick works for me.
He takes out a sheet of paper, scribbles something across it, then stamps it with a heavy seal before sliding it toward me.
“Here you go,” he says with a small smile. “Just take this over to the registrar. It’ll make things a lot easier for you.”
“Uhh…” I hesitate, glancing at the document. “Do I need to fill out anything else? More forms?”
Dr. Callahan chuckles, leaning back slightly. “If I’m being honest, Being Captain Aldair’s daughter already clears most of the hurdles. Of course, there are still procedures to follow, but this document will cut through the usual delays. Consider it a courtesy, not a shortcut.”
Before I can reply, the intercom on his desk crackles and a woman’s voice comes through. “Dr. Callahan, you have a meeting in five.”
He presses the button. “Thank you. I’ll be right there.” Then he turns back to me.
I tuck the stamped paper into my folder. “I won’t take any more of your time. Thank you again for your help.”
“Welcome to Kaelara University, Miss Huxley,” he says warmly.
I bow my head and excuse myself.
Once outside, I pause when I realize I have no idea what direction I should go next. Damn it! I should’ve asked where the registrar’s office actually is. Now I’m just standing here looking clueless.
I stretch my neck, scanning the nearby buildings. Is it just in the same building? Do I just check every floor of this place? I look around and mentally map every corridor that I pass by, trying to guess which one it might be when I suddenly bump into someone.
“Ah! Sorry!” I crouch quickly, helping scoop up the papers that went tumbling to the ground.
“Oh my gosh—no, no, that’s on me!” the girl blurts, dropping to her knees across from me. A pencil rolls away and she scrambles after it. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, I swear I was glued to my phone like an idiot.”
I hand over a couple of loose sheets that nearly blew away. “Happens to the best of us.”
“Seriously, thanks. Would’ve been a nightmare if I lost these.” She exhales, tucking the pencil behind her ear and hugging the papers to her chest.
I notice her name printed at the top of one of the forms: Evelyn Sharpe.
Hang on, that name…
Evelyn gathers the rest of the documents and looks up at me with a grateful smile. “Thanks for helping.”
She beams as she stands, balancing the stack of papers. “I’m Evelyn!”
“Yeah. Evelyn Sharpe.” I take her offered hand. “You’re, uh, Eliott Sharpe’s daughter.”
“I’m sorry, have we met before?” Her brows knit together as she studies me, and then recognition flares in her eyes. “Wait… Oh my god! You’re—you’re the stepdaughter of Emery Aldair. Tabitha, is it?”
“Yup.” I let out an awkward chuckle. “That’s me. Just call me Tabi.”
“Oh my god! Sorry I didn’t recognize you right away, I’m quite bad with faces. Anyway, you’re actually very pretty, and I usually don’t miss pretty girls,” she says, tilting her head like she’s trying to place me.
“Actually, we went to the same high school,” I say, shifting the papers in my hands. “Silver Hills High? Different year though.”
Her mouth falls open. “What? No way. Hold up.” She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re joking. I thought I knew everyone who went to that school!”
I shake my head. “Not joking. I looked a little… different back then, so it’s not surprising you don’t remember.”
She throws her hands up dramatically. “Well, mystery solved, I guess. But seriously, how did I miss you? This is wild.”
I shrug, smiling. “It’s not a big deal, really. Silver Hills high isn’t exactly a small school.” Even for werewolves.“Anyway, are you heading somewhere now?”
“Oh yeah. I’m supposed to go to the registrar’s office, you know… enrollment.” Her expression turns sour at the last word as if it’s something bothersome.
“Same! I was just about to ask for directions, actually. I had no clue where to go.”
Her eyes light up like I just handed her a gift. “Perfect! Then let’s go together! I may be bad with faces, but I’m good at remembering places. I know this campus like the back of my hand.”
“Awesome. A tour guide is exactly what I need right now.”
Evelyn skips ahead, humming to herself as she leads the way to the registrar’s. It’s kind of funny how different she is from her brother, Rhett. He’s got the kind of frozen expression that could give Evren a run for his money, while Evelyn radiates sunshine and rainbows.
“So, what’s your major? Don’t tell me it’s finance or accounting, because numbers make my brain cry.”
I laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s actually Marketing.”
She stops mid-stride, eyes going wide. “Shut up. No way. I’m taking marketing too!” She claps her hands, nearly dropping her papers in the process, then quickly hugs them tighter to her chest. “Ugh, this is amazing. We might actually end up in some of the same classes. You’ll regret standing next to me when I start pestering you for notes.”
I can’t help grinning. “We’ll see.”
We find the registrar’s office in the building next to the administration. The process turns out smooth—too smooth, honestly. Forms stamped, signatures scribbled, everything approved faster than I expected. It’s hard not to notice that Evelyn breezes through just as easily. Maybe it’s not just me with an influential family name smoothing the way. Being Eliott Sharpe’s daughter clearly has its perks too.
Afterward, Evelyn loops back to me, practically hopping with glee. “Okay, tell me this isn’t fate. Look—our schedules are almost identical! I’m not kidding, I’m already planning study sessions.”
She looks like a jolly puppy, it’s actually adorable.
“Sounds fun to me.”
We chat as we make our way toward the parking lot. She’s still buzzing with excitement when she suddenly waves ahead. “Oh, my ride’s here!”
Leaning against a white Rolls Royce is a tall guy with sharp features. He straightens when he sees Evelyn, his gaze flicking briefly to me. His eyes look as unnerving as the last time I saw him.
Evelyn grins. “Tabi, this is my brother. Rhett.” She leans closer and stage-whispers to her brother, cupping her mouth like a kid spilling gossip. “She’s Alpha Emery’s stepdaughter. You remember, I think we met her at the wedding!”
Rhett’s eyes sharpen, but his face stays unreadable. He gives me a small nod. “Yeah, I remember. Hard not to, with the Aldair spawns hovering around her all the time.”
I nearly choke on my own saliva. “Excuse me?”
“Your stepbrothers. The way they circle you like overprotective bodyguards? It’s hard to miss. Not sure if that’s their new idea of fun.
Heat creeps up my neck and I fight the urge to squirm. At least to them, it only seems like the boys are being overly protective brothers. Nothing more… right?
“Really? I didn’t notice that.” Evelyn says.
“You don’t notice a lot of things,” Rhett says flatly. “Probably because you’re glued to your phone half the time.”
She rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out at him. “Sounds like they’re doing a better job at being brothers than you ever did.”
Rhett tilts his head, a slight frown on his forehead. “I don’t know about that.” His eyes flick to me and for a moment, something unreadable flashes there.
What’s with that look? Does he notice the way my stepbrothers hover too close, like they’re guarding me from the world? Or worse—the way I don’t exactly pull away? The way my eyes sometimes linger when they shouldn’t?
Before the thought can settle, the car window rolls down and a sharp voice cuts in. “Are we leaving yet?”
I look over and meet the eyes of the girl in the backseat. She stares at me for half a second before flicking her gaze away, like she didn’t mean to look.
Hang on. I know her. That’s Elsie Sharpe. Same year as me back at Silver Hills High, just a different class. Figures she’d show up here—of course she would, she’s their sister.
“Right, we’re leaving,” Rhett says, pushing off the car and sliding inside.
Evelyn swings her head back to me. “You wanna ride with us, Tabi?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got mine.” I nod toward the black Mercedes parked a few cars down, Gerald already waiting behind the wheel.
“Okay, then at least give me your number.” She’s already fishing her phone out.
We swap digits, quick and easy. Evelyn waves as she climbs in. “Bye, Tabi! Don’t disappear on me, okay?”
The Rolls Royce glides out of the lot, leaving me staring after it. Somehow, I’ve been pulled closer into the orbit of the island’s most powerful families, and I can’t decide if that’s a blessing or a trap.