The forest gave way to salt and sand long before they reached the shore. Sebastian could taste it on his tongue, the familiar bite of the sea, mixed with the distant scent of wolves.
La Ber was close now. He could feel it in the way the trees thinned, in the way the ground beneath his feet grew softer, more forgiving.
Casper kept pace beside him, silent and watchful. He had always been the quieter of the two, the one who observed before acting.
It was why Damian had sent him. Sebastian knew that now. Casper would see things Sebastian refused to see. He would notice the cracks in Sebastian's carefully constructed walls.
They broke through the treeline and onto the beach, the grey light of dawn painting the sky in muted shades of lavender and gold.
The waves crashed against the shore in a steady rhythm, hypnotic and eternal. And there, standing at the water's edge with his hands in his jacket's pockets and his dark hair whipping in the wind, was Shane.
Sebastian slowed to a walk, his boots sinking into the wet sand.
Casper followed, his eyes already scanning the beach, cataloging exits, threats, and potential hiding places. Some old habits he got from being born in the midst of the civil war, neck dripping blood from a bite mark.
Shane turned at their approach, a grin spreading across his sharp features.
He was young, barely a century old by wolf standards, with a playful energy that made him seem even younger. His eyes, golden and bright, flicked between Sebastian and Casper with undisguised amusement.
"Sebastian!" Shane jogged over, his movements loose and easy.
"You're back! And you brought a friend!"
He circled Casper like a curious puppy, sniffing the air theatrically.
"Hmm. Vampire. Definitely vampire. Smells like old books and expensive cologne. And..." He paused, tilting his head. "Annoyance. You smell annoyed. Why are you annoyed?"
Casper blinked, clearly thrown off by the wolf's casual assessment. "I'm not—"
"You are," Shane insisted, grinning.
"It's a good look on you. Very brooding. Very mysterious."
He turned to Sebastian. "I like him. Is he single?"
Sebastian sighed, already tired before the travel even began. "Shane, this is my brother. Casper."
Shane's eyebrows shot up. "Brother? Since when do you have a brother? You've never mentioned a brother."
He looked between them, his grin widening. "Is he like a brother, brother? Or just someone your foster father bitten kind of brother?"
Sebastian did not answer. Shane took it as a yes for whichever choice he could think of.
He clapped Casper on the shoulder, his grip warm and enthusiastic. "Nevermind. This is going to be fun. You're way more interesting than Sebastian made you sound."
Casper stared at him, clearly unsure how to process the whirlwind of energy standing before him. "You're... very friendly."
"I'm a wolf," Shane said, as if that explained everything. "We're pack animals. We like people. Well, some people. Not all people. Vampires, for example, my mother told me not to go near you guys. But you and your family? You guys are cool." He nodded firmly. "You can stay."
Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shane, is Timothy not looking for you? I don't think he would be happy to know we are late because you can't stop yapping."
"I know, I know." Shane waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, don't worry about him. Zachary was keeping him company. And Lyla's around here somewhere." He glanced over his shoulder and raised his voice. "LYLA! GET YOUR FURRY ASS OVER HERE!"
A moment later, a figure emerged from behind a nearby dune, dusting sand off her clothes with an exasperated expression. She was taller than Shane, with the same golden eyes and sharp features, but her energy was more contained, the calm before the storm.
"Shane, I was literally just—" Lyla stopped when she saw Sebastian; her expression softened, yet the scowl from earlier masked it well. "Sebastian. Finally, you're here."
"Lyla." Sebastian nodded at her. "Thank you for keeping the car ready."
"Of course." She nodded back, her tone neutral, keeping whatever annoyance she might've had since earlier. "You look like you haven't slept in years."
"Vampires don't sleep," Casper said dryly.
Lyla turned to him, her eyebrows rising. "And this is?"
"Casper. Sebastian's brother."
Lyla's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. She glanced at Shane, who was practically vibrating with excitement beside her. "You have a brother?" she asked Sebastian.
"Yes. I do have a brother," Sebastian confirmed, his voice tired. "Two brothers now," Shane said cheerfully. "I'm adopting Casper. He's mine."
Lyla rolled her eyes. "You can't adopt a vampire, dumbass."
"Watch me."
Ignoring their bickering, Casper stepped forward and extended his hand to Lyla. "It's nice to meet you. Sebastian's told me about your pack and your family. He says you're the most sensible wolf in La Ber."
Lyla took his hand, a small smile playing at her lips. "Sensible? That's a first." She glanced at Shane, who was now trying to peek inside Sebastian's bag. "My brother, on the other hand, is a disaster."
"I am not a disaster," Shane protested, still tugging at the strap. "I'm eccentric. Also, Sebastian, what is in here? It feels like you're carrying bricks. Are you carrying bricks? Who carries bricks on a rescue mission?"
Sebastian snatched his bag back. "My mother was the one who packed it for us. It's—"
"Supplies," Shane finished, nodding sagely. "Of course. Vampire supplies. But like, do you actually need supplies? Aren't you all super and powerful already?" Shane's voice was laced with both confusion and curiosity, making Casper laugh inaudibly at Sebastian's side.
Casper's lips twitched. "He's like this all the time, isn't he?"
"Worse," Lyla said. "You should see him during a full moon."
"Hey!" Shane pointed at her. "I am a delight during full moons. I'm the life of the party."
"You howl at the moon and chase your own tail."
"That's called having fun, Lyla. You should try it sometime."
Casper watched the exchange with an expression that Sebastian couldn't quite read. It wasn't annoyance exactly—more like fascination. Like he was encountering a species he'd never seen before.
"Your brother is very..." Casper paused, searching for the right word.
"Chaotic?" Lyla offered.
"Enthusiastic?" Sebastian suggested.
"Different," Casper finished. "Different is good."
Shane's head snapped around, his grin widening.
"Did you just call me different? Because I'm taking that as a compliment."
He bounded over to Casper, slinging an arm around his shoulders.
"We're going to be best friends. I've decided. You don't get a say in this."
Casper stiffened, clearly unused to such casual physical contact.
"I—"
"Too late," Shane said.
"Friendship decided. Now come on, Timothy's been waiting forever. He's probably already complaining to Zachy about us being late."
Lyla watched her brother drag Casper toward the settlement, then turned to Sebastian with a knowing look. "Your brother's already regretting this, isn't he?"
Sebastian smiled. "Probably."
"He'll get used to it. Shane's like that. He'll eventually grow on you." She paused, her voice softening.
Lyla had always been the steady one, the anchor to Shane's chaos. She had been one of the first wolves to accept Sebastian when Lucas first introduced him to the pack.
She had never judged their bond, never questioned why a wolf would imprint on a vampire. "Come on, we don't want to further annoy Timothy."
She turned and started walking, and Sebastian followed, the bond in his chest pulsing with every step.
Ahead, Shane was still chattering at Casper, his voice carrying over the sound of the waves.
"—and then Timothy fell into the river, and I swear, his howl was so high-pitched I thought he was a banshee—"
Sebastian smiled despite himself.
Whatever waited for him in Tanesab, at least he had this, a family that welcomed him, a pack that accepted him, and a brother who would stand by his side.