Sebastian made his way back from the shoreline, the morning sun warm on his face thanks to Aida's potion. His mind was still half-lost in thoughts of Lucas, the way he'd looked at him, the way he'd said "stay" like it cost him everything. It gave him hope, fragile and tentative, but hope nonetheless.
He rounded the corner toward Mara's cottage, and that's when he saw Zachary.
The wolf was walking out of the cottage, his pace measured and unhurried, his expression carefully neutral. His shoulders were relaxed, his hands in his pockets, his face bearing a small, pleasant smile. He looked... fine. Completely, utterly fine.
But Sebastian had been alive long enough, dead long enough, to know when someone was pretending.
And something else caught his attention. Something that made him stop mid-stride.
Images flashed behind his eyes, sudden and brutal. Zachary was on the ground, blood pooling beneath him.
Zachary's face was pale, his eyes closed, his chest still. Zachary was bleeding from a wound Sebastian couldn't see, couldn't identify, couldn't explain.
Sebastian blinked, and the images were gone.
He stood frozen, his heart, dead and still, lurching in his chest. His hands had gone cold. His breath caught in his throat.
What the hell was that?
He stared at Zachary's retreating back, watching the wolf walk toward the shoreline with measured, deliberate steps. There was no blood. No wound. No sign of anything wrong.
But the images lingered, burned into his mind like a warning. It felt the same way when he saw Lucas on the Hollow Table.
Sebastian shook his head, forcing himself to move. He walked toward the cottage, his steps slower now, his mind churning.
But the images had felt so real. So vivid. Like a memory he hadn't lived yet.
He pushed open the door to the cottage and stepped inside.
The tension hit him like a wall. Shane was sitting at the table, his usual exuberance completely absent. His golden eyes were fixed on his hands, his shoulders hunched.
Timothy was nearby, his expression carefully neutral, but his jaw was tight. Elijah stood by the window, his back to the room, his shoulders rigid. His hands were clenched at his sides.
Aida was lounging in her usual spot, but her eyes were sharp, watchful, and missing nothing.
And Casper. Casper was at the far end of the table, his face a mask of cold indifference. His hands were resting on the wood, curled into fists, his knuckles white.
Sebastian's brow furrowed. "What happened?"
No one answered.
He looked at Shane, who wouldn't meet his eyes. He looked at Timothy, who gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. He looked at Elijah, who still hadn't turned around.
Finally, Aida spoke. "Oh, it's nothing for you to worry about, Sebastian. It's just a little teasing gone too far."
Sebastian's gaze snapped to Casper. "What did you do?"
Casper's expression didn't change. "The hell? Why me? It's not my fault he kinda got a crush on me."
Sebastian stared at him, confused, his mind already racing with any possible indication. "What? Who?"
Casper heaved a deep sigh as he slumped back to his chair. The question continued to hang in the air. "I was just being honest, you know. I don't want him to think that whatever he is feeling is valid."
Sebastian, still confused with whoever he tried to talk about, slowly connected the dots. "Is it Zachary?"
He looked at Elijah, at the rigid set of his shoulders, and understood. No answer came from anyone in the room.
The young vampire heaved a deep breath as he ran his hand through his hair. "Casper," he sighed as he spoke his elder brother's name.
Casper looked at him, expression unchanged. "Did you snap back at him, or did you calmly tell him no?"
Casper did not speak. He let the question hang in the air before harshly standing up and walking past Sebastian. He opened the door quietly and closed it quietly.
Sebastian shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping him. He looked at Elijah again, who still hadn't turned around. He looked at Shane, who looked like he wanted to disappear.
"I am so sorry about what has happened."
"It's okay," Elijah murmured. He looked back at Sebastian with a thin smile on his lips. "It's not your fault, child. The joke went too far, that's all."
Sebastian could only nod. He walked to the table and sat down heavily, his mind churning. And then he remembered the images. Zachary on the ground, bleeding.
He pushed the thought away, his stomach churning. But the images refused to leave.
He wanted to say something, to defend Zachary, to tell Casper he'd been too harsh, to somehow fix what had been broken. But he couldn't. Because he had seen the look on Zachary's face.
The careful, controlled smile. The casual shrug. The way he'd walked out like nothing had happened.
Sebastian sat at the table, the weight of the morning pressing down on him. The room was quiet. Too quiet.
Shane was fidgeting with his hands, Timothy was staring at the wall, and Elijah had finally turned from the window, his face carefully composed.
"I should go check on him," Elijah said, his voice tight. "He's probably at the shoreline. That's where he always goes when he needs to think."
Sebastian nodded. "I'm sorry, again, about Casper. He's not...He's not usually like that."
Elijah's expression softened. "It's okay, Sebastian."
Shane looked up, his golden eyes filled with guilt. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was just teasing. I thought…I don't know what I thought. I just wanted to make him smile."
Sebastian's chest ached. He thought of Zachary again. The way he'd walked out like nothing had happened. The way he'd hidden his pain behind a mask of indifference.
He's good at hiding. Too good.
Sebastian pushed himself to his feet. "I'll go find him. Make sure he's okay."
Elijah shook his head. "You don't have to…"
"Please," Sebastian's voice was firm. "It's the least I can do."
Elijah studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright. If you find him, just... don't push. He'll talk when he's ready. Or he won't. But he'll appreciate someone being there."
Sebastian nodded and walked toward the door. Before he left, he glanced back at the room, at Shane's guilty expression, at Timothy's stoic silence, at Elijah's tired eyes.
He stepped outside, closing the door softly behind him.