Bite or Howl

Chapter 35

Phoebe POV

Chase's face fell as soon as those words left my mouth. His hands balled into fists and his body tensed against mine. He shakes his head and draws a long sigh. My hand leaves his and trails up to his cheek. I'm sorry," I whisper. His eyes trail downwards and his head sinks. The highlight in his hair surprises me as it's eye level matches mine. It shines off of the moonlit sky and creates a shimmery shine along his roots.

I slightly chuckle, remembering he's the Prince of Midnight. Of course his best looks come out at this time. But then he looks up and meets my gaze again, seeing those blue eyes turning red with tears. "I need a moment." He murmurs and uncoils himself from me. I watch as he walks over to the other end of the mountain and sits on the ground, looking out into the horizon.

My gaze lingers around and lands on Nick who stands beside me, his weight pressed onto his right leg and his hands sprawled across his chest. His entire body, covered in cuts and bruises. His lip busted and his left eye socket completely black. My face falls down in realisation and I stand up to walk towards him. "I'm so sorry, Nick." I mumble. I stand just in front of him and examine his face. My hands find their way to his shoulders as I gape up at him. He slightly chuckles then thinks better to stop from the pain in his lip. "Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about it." He shrugs off. My lips press into a thin light and I shake my head furiously.

"No, No this is terrible." I comment, my eyes travelling along his figure and checking for more injuries. To my surprise, his figure is actually a lot similar to Chase's. Of course Chase may be a bit more muscular, but his frame is a lot smaller than Nick's. They're so different, yet so similar. Nick's index finger meets my chin and he tilts my head up, bringing my gaze back up to his face. Nick has this dirty, platinum blonde hair that looks rugged and gorgeous at the same time. It makes me puzzled by the fact he hasn't found his mate yet.

"It's fine, trust me. Guy can punch though." He remarks, his hand holding onto his jaw where I assume Chase had punched him. He opens his jaw and moves it around, his eyebrows furrowing together every time he moves. I chuckle at his comment and turn back to Chase. He looks heartbroken, confused and clouded. And I wish I could find a way to help him. His head swoops down, forehead resting against his knees that he'd pulled up to his chest. Nick pats my shoulder and I turn back to him.

"So umm.. what now?" He cackles, massaging his nape. My lip scrunches to the side and my brows furrow. "We didn't think this through, did we?" I mutter. He laughs deeply and nods. "Nope, no we didn't." Nick agrees. I pause for a moment, thinking my options out. "We just need to get Felix and Lupus. We can sort it out then." I chime, trying to piece a plan together. Nick turns to think for a moment then nods along. Chase then steps forward, breaking my contact with Nick. His emotion is mixed with confusion and disorder. Searching, there wasn't a single trace of sadness painted across his face.

"Phoebe, when Nick and I were fighting, I felt this hole burn in my chest. That pain indicated that one's mate had died. What happened, my love?" He asks, patiently. "I did die, Chase." I tell him and his face scrunches. "I was in the realm of the dead and my parents were there too. Your mother was telling me I had to go with them but I refused. I told them that I needed to help you." I explained but Chase still looks highly baffled. "Why did you die in the first place?" He asks, still keeping his temper controlled and patient. "Catherine killed me, Chase. I had a stake shot right inside in the centre of me in the royal gardens. Catherine was there too. She finished me off by slitting my throat open." I finish quietly.

His patience fades away and his temper starts to rise. His eyes grow red once again and his body tenses. "Chase, buddy are you alright?" Nick asks. Chase shudders at Nick's touch when Nick places his hand on his shoulder. He mutters words that can barely be heard as his eyes don't leave mine. He shakes his head furiously, his wild blue hair swishing side to side as he does. "I'm gonna kill her." He growls. He pounces forward and Nick holds him back. Both his hand sprawls across Chase's chest as he tries to push his backwards. "Okay buddy, back up." Nick grunts as he holds him close and tries to calm him down.

I watch as Nick carries Chase away and holds him close, trying to keep him under control. I walk over to the edge of the mountain, looking out into the distance. Lupus and Felix had disappeared, carrying the guards with them. When I'd woken up in the royal garden, Catherine had already vanished too. My eyes kept lingering along Mount Verona, watching as the empty, cold city had caused so much distress. But then my eyes linger onto something else.

A pool of black pigment was swirling around near the horizon. A hurricane of black dust? I called back, my eyes not leaving the dust that started to swarm near the end of the forests. "Hey Chase, Nick? Umm..I think you should come have a look at this." I yell behind me. I could hear muffled voices starting to near as Chase and Nick started to pace closer towards me. But then it stopped.

A loud, rumbling sound came from beneath me as the ground started to shake. The rocks beside my feet started to jump off of the ground, bouncing up and down around my shoe. "Phoebe!" I hear Chase yell from behind me. I turn around to see Chase and Nick a few metres away from where I stood with their hands out. "Phoebe, look out!" I hear Chase yell. Before I could ask what for, the mountain ground split between us, creating a huge hole in the floor. My eyes met Chase's once more, before the ground opened underneath my feet, and ate me whole.