I sat on a bar stool along the huge hall that had been reserved for me. The entire convention was closed just for this and the other guests were booted outside to the common area so I could have an entire ballroom for one dinner. With my hand in my hair, I let out a long sigh that draws onto my drink, rippling the liquid along its cup. Phoebe should be here very soon, Lupus is bringing her here. After the suspicion that crossed my mind the other day, I'm not letting Nick out of my sight nor am I letting him take hold of Phoebe alone.

I know it's terrible of me to think that maybe Nick could be evil enough to come up with something like this. I mean, he is Nick. He's caring and immature. He doesn't know the difference between his right or left and is still being a teenager. And even if it is Nick, I don't think I'm ever going to accept the fact that it was.

The voices outside in the common area start to pick up with ruffled sounds and murmurs.

Phoebe must have arrived. I walk over to the door and lean my ear against it."Son, go talk to the queen!" "No. That's just embarrassing." "How do you think we'll get any higher? Talk to her so you can get married." Tssk. Everyone's so hungry for the throne. The power. The fact that they're actually trying to get with Phoebe surprises me. The woman just got married 3 days ago.

The door opposite me swings open. A few guards enter and align the area. Lupus then steps out from behind them with Phoebe beside him. "Your highness." Lupus bows. I laugh at him and ruffle his hair. "You're crazy. We don't do that bowing stuff here." I tell him as he stands up. He smiles and looks around, taking in the entire place. Phoebe looks dazzled too. Her eyes shimmer underneath the tall cycling chandeliers as she looks up at the ceiling paintings of angels dancing around in the sky. "It's pretty, isn't it?" I say, bringing her closer towards me. She keeps her gaze on the ceiling for a while then breaks it, turning it down to me. "It's beautiful." She mumbles. Lupus had disappeared along with the guards, only two stood by the glass windows to the balcony.

"It truly is. Nick actually got everything planned. Pretty cool, hey?" I tell her. She nods. "Nick does have some really nice taste."

"Where is Nick, though?" She asks me. "He's outside there in the common area. Mingling with the folks." I explain. I considered telling her my suspicions about Nick but that'll just put more pressure on her. Either way, it'll pass. But I know I'm definitely not telling her about the encounter Felix and I had. "This is too fancy for me." She tells me, looking around at all the different features engraved on the walls. "All of this for one night and one night only?" She asks me.I tighten my hands that circle around her and lay my head on her shoulder in a warm hug. Breathing in the scent of her neck, I snuggle deeper into its crook.I whisper, "Only for you."

"Oh you're so corny." She whines and wriggles herself out of my embrace but I only hold her closer. I pull back and lean forward, resting my lips over hers. "What are you thinking about?" She asks me. I look into her eyes before replying, "I'm picturing you as a wolf right now." She smiles. "I make a pretty hot werewolf if you ask me." She retorts. "I'll show you one day." I open my mouth to reply but instead, she snuggles her head into my neck. But then something feels wrong.

My body tenses as I feel a storm coming. But not the type that brings rain and hail.

This was different.

My arms tightened around Phoebe, crushing her against me. My muscles tensing underneath my clothes into a protective hold over her. I looked around and met eyes with the guards, signalling for them to get more people. Phoebe slightly winces in pain and shifts herself uncomfortably. I then realise I'm hurting her. "Chase?" She asks me, placing her hand on the side of my face and tilting it so I face her.

"Shh, my love." I whisper, placing a finger on her mouth and dragging her away from the centre of the room. "Chase what's wrong?" Phoebe's voice asks. Guards flood through the entire convention and I can hear the muffled voices and the sound of chairs scraping against the floor through the common area. Nick and Lupus come running in after.

I turn to Phoebe. "We have unwanted guests."

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I dragged Phoebe behind the bar counter and crouched down. Taking her shoulders and holding them in a tight grasp, I whisper to her, "Stay here and do not move."

"Why? What is happening?" She asks.

"I can feel a storm coming." I tell her. A loud bang comes from the side of the hall as if something had just been thrown against the wall. Nick comes running inside. "The bastard went outside." He yells, running towards the glass doors and pressing his hands against it.

I turn back to Phoebe. "Stay here. I'll have guards stay here with yo-"

"You're leaving me alone?" She asks, cutting me off. A sudden pang of guilt fills me as I realised I'm leaving her so she can be babysitted by guards. Her eyes are soft and innocent, I get lost in my thoughts. I bring our entwined hands to my mouth and slowly press my lips against it.

"Phoebe. I had an enchantment placed around this convention so no one could attack. But something powerful had broken it. It is dangerous but I can't let you leave this convention. Stay here and I'll keep you safe." I explain to her before standing up onto my feet and leaving her there.

"Nick!" I yell out for him, assigning him to care for Phoebe but his gaze is fixated outside the window, his feet not moving as if he were rooted to the ground. I then take my second option. "I want guards circled around that bar counter immediately!" I yell, my voice bellowing throughout the entire hall. Just as I say it, the lights and chandeliers shut off, leaving us in complete darkness. It flickers on and off, my head going dizzy. I spin around, watching as my vision goes completely black, then back to normal. I see guards slowly making their way towards the bar counter and standing just in front of it.

Lupus then comes running in, the lights continuously flickering. One second he's at the door, then closer when the lights turn back on. He reaches forward and shouts at the top of his voice, "Step back!" He lunges forward and jumps on top of me, sending me to the ground. I'm face flat on the ground, my stomach pressed down and my head tilted up, facing Nick's silhouette against the moonlit sky.

But then that glass door shatters into billions of pieces. The sound of the glass breaking against each other feels as if it were breaking my ear drums, stabbing the sharp edge of the glass right to the back of my ear. Lupus's hands cover his head in protection while Nick falls backwards, the glass piling on the floor around him.

A silhouette is behind him, crouching down on the floor and gasping for air. Lupus stands up, breaking off me and I stand up. We slowly approach the creature in a steady motion but I lay my hand in front of him, signalling for him to stop. The creature coughs down on the ground, spitting blood from his mouth. It's a man. The moonlight is bright and it shines over him, giving us a clear view but not clear enough for us to make out his face.

His fingers dig into the tiled floor and break it effortlessly, alarming the guards around him. The bones in his body start to crack, sending a horrifying sound through the atmosphere. Nick scrambles back on the floor, too frightened to stand up. "Phoebe!" The creature yells. He groans in pain and tilts his head back, illuminating its face. It's Felix.

I look over my shoulder to see Phoebe peeking from behind the bar counter. She must have recognised his voice. She stays back though and follows my instructions. The guards step forward as Felix starts to shout more and more. His eyes turn red and angry as his back bends in a painful position. He yells in pain and shuts his eyes in agony. "Phoebe, something went wrong." He chokes out. Another painful grunt comes out from his mouth before he yells, "There's something wrong with me!" And then silence.

It was all in slow motion. Felix's arms grew thicker, long white curls growing faster than the speed of light. His fingers curl upwards and his claws grow, digging deeper into the tile floor. His shirt rips in half, exposing his white chest. He's converting.

His wolf is snow white but it's not like the werewolves I've seen in the past. He is so much more.

His spine pokes out from behind him, showing his ribs from the front. His legs are thick and muscly, daring to be ripped apart. And then I realise, he's a lycan. The guards step back in fear and I can't seem to move from my position.

When Felix lets one last scream, he bends his head back before the darkness growing from his fingers reaches up to his neck and devours his face, turning him into a terrifying werewolf. Wicked canines stick out from his mouth, saliva dripping down beneath it. It's terrifying. I hear Phoebe let out a strangled scream before Felix's senses kick in, suddenly crouching down and getting ready to pounce.

The guards take another step forward, aiming their swords towards the werewolf. It only flashes a grin before twirling around, a dark aura spins with it. It keeps spinning around before using its tail to shoot a dark streak towards the bar counter. I look back to where the streak lands as it sets the bar counter on fire, flames bursting from behind it. The wolf backs down before leaping out of the glass doors and disappearing into the night sky.