Bite or Howl

Chapter 15

Phoebe POV

"I never thought I'd get married to the Prince of Vampires." I tell Catherine who's beside me. She giggles and lays the bouquet in her hands down, then turns around to walk towards me. Her dress is beautiful. It's white and hugs her body then falls out at the very bottom near her knees. The sun has just set and the wedding is beginning to start. "I never thought my brother could score such a pretty girl like you." She confesses. I laugh at her remark then gasp, pitching for air as the women behind me tighten my dress. I'm standing in the middle of a small room, getting ready as the guests slowly flood inside. They're visible from where I stand. The windows give me a nice view.

Black cars identical to the one Nick drives come in through the gates of the castle and stop at the very front door. Guests step out and enter as the car drives off. Everyone looks stunning from here. All suited up and glammed with accessories, ready to score the first glimpse of the wedding. I can't wait to see what the groom looks like.

"Chase should be inside by now." Catherine tells me, looking up at the clock on the wall. "That's my queue. I'll see you there." She gives me a quick kiss on my cheek before walking out the doors and leaving me with the women around me. They do not speak to me, rather a quiet bunch they are. They continue spraying things into my hair and hovering over my dress, fixing small patches and tightening them, restricting the air that goes inside my lungs.

The door opens in front of me, attracting my attention. The women stay unbothered as their focus is fixated on me. I ignore them and look over to the door. Lupus stands there, peaking through the doorway. His suit is black and white with a tie that tucks right inside the middle. His face is all fixed up as if he weren't beaten up yesterday and he looks rather happy. "My princess, you look stunning." He laughs and steps inside.  "Thanks. I feel like it's a bit too much." I confess but he shakes his head. "No. This just made my day." He replies as I smile.

I don't deserve Lupus.

"And for someone that just got beaten up and ripped off from their job yesterday, I'm surprisingly fitting in quite well." He jokes. I pout. "Lupus, I'm so sorry." I whisper. He shakes his head and smiles. "I'm still with you and I'm alive. There's nothing you should be sorry about." He looks down and plays with my dress, fanning his fingers along the material. "And hey, I get to walk you down the aisle."

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"Hello, my darling." My mind is a haze when my eyes open. When they do, I first see an orange sky with no clouds. Just miles and miles of orange as if the sun had just set, leaving the sky tinted from its light. I'm laying down with my dress on, the floor is coated with water. Shallow water. It's clear yet misty and I can't seem to grasp it. But my dress doesn't get wet.

"Where am I?" I mutter. A woman in a long gown approaches me with a warm smile. "You're at the gates of the afterlife. This is where people who have died come to either way their way to hell," she points to the right side of me. "Or heaven." And the other side. But it's odd because all I see is miles more of water and sky.

"Am I dead?" I ask her. She chuckles and shakes her head. "No. You're quite the opposite, you see. You're standing outside the castle doors, waiting for them to open so you can marry my son." She explains. "We haven't officially met, darling." My mouth hangs open in confusion. I'm delusional. Or I'm dead.

"I hate to bring you up here on your wedding day. I wanted to meet you, say hi to the woman that will take my spot on the throne." She explains with a kind smile. But then her face goes rigid and serious, wiping off the smile in a click.

"You must not fear my child, but there is a darkness coming to dread over Mount Verona. Only you and Chase can stop it. And the worst part is, the darkness causing it, is right there. Within someone you trust. Within someone you call family. I cannot speak of the name so you must watch out." She warns.I nod my head in agreement. "I'll never leave the palace alone." I tell her.