"Ladies and gentlemen, Queen Phoebe Ashgray." Nick announces to the crowd. I pull back and take a step away from Phoebe, taking her hand in mine and turning to face the crowd. Catherine stands at the very front row, her smile gleaming with happiness and glee.

Lupus stands next to her, fixed posture and hands across his toro, clapping casually alongside Catherine who's bruising her palms. The bishop comes walking through the side with a large case in his hands. He hands it to Nick and takes off the top lid, exposing a tiara inside. It's silver and shiny with sapphires along the rim. Just like Phoebe's necklace. He takes it off the casing and turns to Phoebe, placing it on her head. She smiles and looks up at it, her eyes drawn upwards making her look adorable. Nick then turns to me.

"And now, our official king, Chase Ashgray. King and leader of the Mount Verona Vampire Coven." He announces, locking eyes with me at the very end. He gives me a small smile and turns around, picking up the second case given to him by the bishop. The bishop lifts the lid and Nick takes the crown underneath it. He admires it for a second and turns to me, placing it on top of my head and letting it rest on my hair. "People of Mount Verona, your royal leaders."

════ *.·:·. ☽ ✧ ✦ ✧ ☾ .·:·.* ════

I lay my head down on the pillow, staring up at my ceiling and reminiscing about last night's wedding. Phoebe in her beautiful dress and that tiara on her head, reflecting on her necklace. Her perfect smile that she wore the entire time. And now she was mine. That would be the best day of my life.

But then my mind lingers on the walk I had a few nights back and my encounter with Felix. I couldn't imagine someone so humble looking to have such a fierce persona, threatening to start a war. Why though? And why now?

That vision messed me up. I remember it clearly, a monster on all fours, crawling slowly towards Phoebe with saliva dripping off of his canines, ready to seep through her pale skin. I shudder at the thought. Because, it was only a thought? Right?

Phoebe lays beside me, staring up at the ceiling as well. Her mind is clogged and weary. I seep through and into them, wanting to know what goes on in that beautiful mind of hers. 'What is bothering you, my love?' I echo.

She shudders in shock then turns around in the sheets, a rustling sound returning from her actions. She twists around to face me, her right cheek flat down on her palm. "You are such an invasion of privacy." She states. I sit up and lay my elbow on the pillow, resting my temple on my palm while I look down at her. "You've said that before." I tell her. She sticks her tongue out at me in response. "Because it's facts!"

I laugh at her behaviour and pull her closer to me with my other hand. I draw out a long sigh that carries on through the air, rustling her loose locks and sending them flying. "Our minds are both clogged right now, eh?" I whisper into her forehead, slowly kissing it lightly. "Yeah, they are." She agrees. I pull back and give her some space as I admire her features under the dim light behind me. "What are you so concerned about, my love?" I ask her, patiently and eager. She thins her lips into a line and sighs. "It just doesn't add up."

"What doesn't?" I ask her. "Felix. I just don't get it." She replies. "He's so lovely and just, caring, you know?"She shifts beside me. "It was so odd how he spoke to me. Like it wasn't Felix at all." She whispers. Well whatever he must've told her sounds definitely like the Felix I encountered.

But I'm not going to tell her that.

"Don't worry about him, okay? Let's just move forward." I tell her, moving closer to her but she puts her hands between us, interrupting my embrace. "Your mother came to me before the wedding. She warned me about something." She tells me. I pull back, eager to know more of her meeting with my mother.

"There's some kind of darkness coming to Mount Verona. She told me that only we can stop it. I got so scared, Chase. I told her that I wouldn't leave the castle alone but then she said something so disturbing." She shakes her head in fear. "Chase, she questioned, who ever said the danger was outside the castle?" My body goes rigid as a shiver goes down my spine, alerting every sense in my body. "What?" I ask in disbelief. "I should've told you sooner but I completely forgot. It only occurred to me now that maybe she was hinting something." She tells me. And then a thought so disturbing comes ringing into my head. "That maybe the danger is already someone in the castle." I finish for her. She nods very slowly.

"That explains everything. My mother told me about an insight. Someone would have had to have exclusive knowledge to leak out to the black witches." I realise. "The black witches are coming for us and they have someone in the castle telling them everything." I add. "But who, Chase? Who would it be?" She asks me. I think over the past few weeks. The castle has a lot of people but the information only gets passed around to the royal court and even I didn't provide insight to them. I only ever did to one person. But no. It can't be. And it won't.

Phoebe looks at me, concerned. "Chase? Are you alright?" She asks. My head is spinning and I can't seem to grasp the thought that just flew through my mind. My hands start to shake and I can feel myself sweating. "No, Phoebe. I'm not." I manage to reply. She places her hand on my chest and the other on my arm, gliding it up and down as she tries to calm me. "It's okay. Just breath." Her voice says, reassuring. "I think I just need to get my mind off this." I whisper. She nods in agreement and looks out, thinking something to say. Or do.

Then her face lights up as her mouth tugs upwards into a smirk. "You know, we're married now." She tells me, playing with the hem of my shirt. "You know what that means?" She asks.

I look up at her, knowing where this is going. I grin up at her and roll around on the bed, pinning her beneath me as I lay on top of her. "This is a great distraction." I whisper into her ear before lunging forward and engulfing her into a deep kiss.

"This night is gonna be a lot better than I expected." She murmurs through kisses.

And my mind suddenly forgets about the dark thoughts that fled my mind a few minutes earlier.

How small pieces started to fit the puzzle.

The person who wanted to be king.

The person who admired the power of control.

The person with the most insight.

The person that had access to guards and the entire castle.

The person that I trusted.

The only person with a motive to watch this castle crumble into flames.

The person who'd want revenge.

And that person is Nick.

The darkness that is set on Mount Verona stood in the very room, watching everyone cheer for their new leaders. But just wait.

Because they have no idea what's coming for them. I watch as he dips down and kisses her nose as the crowd cheers more, clapping their hands together. Weak.

If only they knew how much power their king was capable of, how much destruction he could do with a single wave of his palm. Oh that power, I cherish it. That power, I need it.

It should have been me. I envy it.

I seep back into my thoughts and unlock a new passage inside it.

"Are you ready, my puppet?" I whisper. The stars in my head explode into supernovas as I new powering rage unleashes inside of me, granting me access to a new world.

I hear the grunts and struggle coming out of it, screaming in pain. Oh that delicious pain.

Its head rolls back and its eyes go red as I see through them, looking at a new perspective of the puppet I'd just earned myself. "Master" It's possessed voice echoes. I smile in amusement. My plan is finally starting to piece together.

"Hello my puppet." I whisper. "Let the games begin.