Bite or Howl

Chapter 17

Phoebe

"Your majesty." My dream greets me in the same place I was before my wedding. Orange skies and shallow waters. Her majesty stands in front of me, looking down at my small shape. "Hello, my daughter." She tells me. I quickly flush at the thought of seeing her after having sex with her son. She bends down to my height as I'm laying in the pool of water beneath me.

"It's salty." She says. I look at her, confused by the words she shares with me. She brings her hand down and cups her hand, taking a bit of water in it. She brings it close to my lips and orders for me to sip. I don't know what she wants me to do with it, but I drink anyway.

When the water touches my lips, I feel like I'm swallowing pure salt. But it's refreshing. As if it's giving me new life as I go. It leaves this strange tingle on my tongue, craving for more. "It's tears." She explains to me. "Tears of the souls that sit here when they die. Their ancestors telling them that they've passed and that they're either going down the highway to hell or the stairs up to heaven." She
explains to me.

"Now I didn't want to keep you waiting for long. I just wanted to see the new official queen of my kingdom." She tells me, admiring me. "But I also want to tell you to keep your eye out, my child. Especially on the one you call ''husband''." She warns. "Chase?" I questioned her.

She smiles. "He knows more than you think he does."

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When I woke up the next morning, I rolled over in my bed, anxious to see Chase in his messy bed hair but when I did, the space beside me was empty. The bed sheets were all crumpled and messy and Chase was nowhere to be seen. Confused, I brought my elbows up, pulling myself into a sitting position. The mirror from across the room reflects on my state and gives me a perfect view of myself. My hair is a birds nest from where Chase ran his fingers through and my eyes are drowsy as if I'm hungover after a long night of drinking. Shifting sideways, I reach my arm out to the bedside table where a small piece of paper lays neatly underneath the lamp.

Phoebe,

Please stay in bed and rest. I'll be home as soon as possible. Catherine is in the castle somewhere, I'll get her to check up on you from time to time. Please be ready by 5 as we will be going someplace special.

Chase

I dropped the note back on the bedside table and stood up, gathering up all my clothes and walking over to the bathroom. My legs ached and my head blared out of my skull. I leaned against the sink and looked deeply into my reflection, watching as I slowly took a deep breath, huffing out all the air in my lungs. And then I finally realised, I am the Queen of Mount Verona.

I'm not a luna like I thought I'd be. I was a leader of a vampire coven. The same coven that killed my parents. And I was okay with that.

The door to the bedroom clicks open with a small giggle. "Phoebe? You're awake?" I hear Catherine's voice echo in my room. I quickly reach for the tissue on the bench and wipe it across my mouth. "I'm in here, Cath." I yell back, dropping the tissue into the trash can beside me.

The bathroom door opens slightly and Catherine peeps her head inside. "Hey, you okay?" She asks softly. I smile and walk over to the door she opens wider. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Catherine and I stay inside my room the entire day as the rain outside gets harder. My window is covered in small raindrops, blurring out the view outside. I'm sitting cross legged on my bed with a blanket wrapped around me that lays over my shoulders. Catherine sits opposite me, a mischievous expression lays over her face.

"Ace, I win!" She says, setting her cards down on the space between us. "Again. I can tell you don't want to play, don't you?" She says, reaching for my cards and packing them into one neat pile.

I look out the window, tracing the small raindrops with my finger. From here, I can see the entire village. The border is just at the very end after the forest where guards stand on each area with their tall staffs. "It's scary, isn't it?" Catherine shifts next to me and peeps through the window too. "Yeah, it is." I reply.

"It won't last long, I hope. I mean, once the black witches leave us alone, everything will be fine." She reassures me. She looks down at the watch on her wrist and her eyes light up. "It's almost 5. We should get you ready." She says, getting off the bed and dragging me out along with her.

"Why can't I just lay in bed for the entire day?" I whine. She snickers and shakes her head. "No because you must attend the royal dinner." She sings. "Well, it's more of a tradition. After your marriage, the male takes his wife to this special convention for dinner. Romantic, right?" She explains. "And it's going to be really beautiful. Nick helped design and decorate the place so you should expect a lot." She tells me while rummaging through my wardrobe. Her finger glides against the hangers as she scavenges for an appropriate dress. By the end, she finds a dark red dress that goes just above my knees. "This would look nice. Come, the king doesn't like waiting."