Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince: Masquerading as a Man Chapter 148: Orientation

CLARK POV:

After breakfast, things moved fast. Before I could even blink, the group of new students—freshn like —were being ushered into this large theater-style room. It reminded of a mini cinema, except there were no movie posters, no popcorn slls. Just rows and rows of seats and that clean, sterile sll of freshly waxed floors and air-conditioned air.

Everyone was buzzing with excitent. A few students were already recording things on their phones, while others laughed and took selfies in the low, stage-lit ambiance. You could practically taste the nerves mixed with excitent. This was the first real official thing at moville, and everyone wanted to make a good first impression—even if it was just to blend in.

I took a seat sowhere near the middle and tried to appear calm. Normal. Unbothered. Which would’ve been easier if my mind wasn’t still replaying everything from last night. Lucas’s face. His fear. His shaking hands. The way he’d whispered monsters.

And then—bam—he shows up.

Right there, just a few rows in front of .

I nearly choked on my own spit. My eyes locked onto the back of his head, and then as if he felt my stare, he turned around—slow, deliberate—and looked straight at . Our eyes t. I must have looked like a kicked puppy because his face twitched into sothing unreadable. Not quite a smirk. Not an apology. Just a tired, guarded expression, like soone caught in a storm they couldn’t explain to anyone.

He didn’t leave.

All that panic, the packing at 5 a.m., the wild eyes, the trembling voice... and now here he was. Sitting like nothing happened. Like he hadn’t terrified into questioning my own sanity last night.

A fresh wave of anger bubbled in my chest. I clenched my fists in my lap and looked away.

I was such an idiot.

Of course, it had been a prank. That was what seniors and weird roommates did, right? Scare the newbie. See how long it would take to make them cry, pack, or wet the bed. Hazing, psychological edition. Maybe it was so long-running inside joke: "Whoever makes their freshman roommate break first wins a drink at the senior bar."

If I had actually packed up and left with him—God, the entire dorm would’ve laughed at . They’d probably record it and upload it to so secret moville page for a laugh.

"IT’S THE MONSTERS FOR 👻💀 #freshiefail"

Ugh. I slumped back in my seat.

The orientation itself started smoothly. A woman in her mid-forties, in a very sharp-looking navy suit with the moville crest embroidered on her blazer pocket, stepped on stage and welcod us with a confident smile.

"Welco to moville," she said, voice crisp and clear, echoing through the hall. "This school is not just an academic institution. It is a legacy."

Then ca the standard school stuff—history of the university, rules and regulations, how to reach out to campus security (which I made a ntal note of, despite my mood), counseling support, library hours, club sign-up events, and a ten-minute promotional video with slightly-too-dramatic background music. The crowd applauded after everything like we were in so award show, not a university orientation.

I tried to focus. I really did.

But every few minutes, I found myself glancing at Lucas.

Why would he go through all that—only to show up here?

Had I misread it? Was it not a prank? Was it a breakdown? Was he trying to leave and then changed his mind?

Or worse... was it real, and he was just pretending like it wasn’t?

No. No. I shook the thoughts away.

I’d spent half the night twisting every weird detail into so sinister theory, letting fear chew on my brain like it was a midnight snack. The seniors with intense eyes? Probably just tired and on energy drinks. The woman at the counter who slled my docunts and said "delicious"? Probably joking. Weird sense of humor. Everyone was a little weird the first week of college.

Besides, no one else seed scared. Nobody else was whispering about monsters or disappearing in the middle of the night.

It was just . And Lucas. And maybe too much anxiety and lack of sleep.

"You okay?" soone beside asked.

I turned, surprised to see a guy I hadn’t noticed before. He wore a plain black hoodie and glasses, looked just as awkward as I felt.

"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile. "Just tired."

He nodded. "Yeah. Long night."

I wanted to ask him—did anything weird happen to you? Did your roommate run around screaming about monsters at dawn?—but I didn’t. Because that would make sound crazy. And the last thing I needed right now was to be the subject of another prank or beco that guy who spiraled during orientation.

Still, my brain wouldn’t shut up.

Maybe it was because the night had felt so off. Maybe it was because of how real Lucas’s fear had looked. You don’t fake that kind of panic. His eyes, his trembling, the two dots of blood on his shirt—none of it scread prank.

But then again, what else could it be? There were no monsters. This wasn’t a horror movie. I was just overthinking. Classic Clark.

So I sat there, quietly seething and second-guessing everything—until Lucas stood up.

I stiffened.

He walked to the end of the row, bent down slightly, and whispered sothing to one of the orientation ushers. She nodded, then pointed toward the side exit.

Lucas left without a glance in my direction.

And just like that, he was gone again.

The rest of the session blurred by. Sothing about student leadership boards, clubs, and electives. A slideshow. So overly enthusiastic upperclassn trying to hype up campus events with a mic that squeaked too often. I barely took any of it in.

My thoughts were too busy spiraling again.

Maybe Lucas hadn’t ant to prank . Maybe sothing had scared him—but whatever it was, he was alone in it. Maybe he was going through sothing personal. Hallucinations? Trauma? PTSD?

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. It was hot all of a sudden, despite the AC.

Was this what college was? Constant second-guessing reality while trying to stay chill? Because if so, I was so underprepared.

By the ti the orientation ended, my back ached, and my brain was full of static. Students shuffled out in groups—laughing, chatting, making plans. I stayed in my seat for a mont, just letting the noise drift around like a current I wasn’t ready to join.

Lucas hadn’t co back. I hadn’t seen him after he left. No idea where he went. Or why.

And part of still wanted to find him. Ask him again, what the hell happened last night? Get a real answer. But another part of —the tired, cautious, slightly freaked-out part—told to stay away.

Keep your head down, Clark. You ca here to get a degree, not uncover creepy mysteries or make enemies with pale, glowing-eyed seniors.

I finally got up and shuffled out with the crowd.

Tonight was the fresher’s bash. Maybe things would start making more sense then.

Or maybe I’d just et more people with weird eyes and cryptic warnings.

Either way... I was already in too deep.

Sara had been pulled away from the mont we stepped into the orientation hall. One second we were walking side by side, the next, her overly enthusiastic roommate had latched onto her like a long-lost sister and dragged her away into the crowd. She gave an apologetic smile over her shoulder, mouthed sothing like "I’ll find you later!", and just like that—gone.

By the ti I made it in and scanned for a free spot next to her, her entire row was already filled. And I an filled—backpacks on seats, people squeezed together like they were in a photo booth. So yeah, we didn’t get to sit together during orientation. Just my luck.

But she did wait for after it ended, standing just outside the hall near the steps like soone waiting to reunite with a travel partner who missed the train. When she spotted , she grinned, waving like I wasn’t just swallowed up by paranoia and strange roommate theories twenty minutes ago.

"I lost my roommate," she said as I walked up, brushing her braids over her shoulder like it was no big deal. "She found a group of girls from her hotown and vanished like a ghost. But hey, that works out perfectly."

"Oh yeah?" I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets and trying to act normal, like I hadn’t been losing my mind over Lucas earlier.

"Yeah." She nodded, already grabbing my wrist like she had a mission in mind. "Figured we could tour the school grounds together. The campus is even more than I imagined—huge, fancy, mysterious. Better make the most of it before lectures start."

Before I could answer, she tugged at my arm and started walking.

I didn’t resist.

Honestly? After everything that had happened—from ghost roomies to creepy seniors to fake monsters—I was more than happy to just let Sara drag around and fill the silence with her observations. I needed sothing normal. And if there was anyone who could make things feel halfway sane, it was her.

Still, a small part of couldn’t help glancing over my shoulder... just once.

Lucas was gone again. And I had no idea when—or if—he’d show up next.

But for now, I let it go.

Let Sara pull toward whatever "unknown destination" she had in mind.