Resisting Fate

Chapter 4

Carmelo loved spending time with Carson and his family, but it was tiring. He was rather introverted, and his lack of sleep earlier was starting to catch up to him.

Unfortunately, Sebastian and Vincent insisted on walking him back to his room. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but he was too tired to speak with them. After Carson went to bed, it was like all the events from earlier and his exhaustion came out of nowhere and hit him like a semi.

"Are you okay?" Vincent asked. His brows furrowed and a frown appeared. Carmelo tried to remind the butterflies in his stomach that it was normal for pack mates to be worried about each other. It was easier when he noticed the way Sebastian held Vincent's hand.

"I'm fine, just tired," Carmelo answered. He made sure a smile stayed plastered onto his face.

Vincent nodded, but Sebastian seemed to examine him closely, as though knowing there was more than what he was telling them. Carmelo tried not to think too much about it. It's true that the events of earlier in the day wore him out, but he was never able to sleep great. Not for years, at least. But insomnia was pretty common, and nothing to worry about. That's what he would tell people if they asked.

They didn't often ask.

"Is your head okay?" Sebastian questioned, running a hand through his hair. He was often quieter than Vincent, but Carmelo had a feeling he could be loud when he was comfortable. Sebastian often trained with the pack, and while fighting amongst different packs isn't as common as it was hundreds of years ago, Carmelo believed that Sebastian was constantly on the lookout when he was in public areas.

"It's fine," Carmelo answered, absentmindedly rubbing the area. He tried to hide his wince. It was better than that morning, but it was still healing. "I should have known better anyway. I'm pretty clumsy."

While it was true, he was clumsy, it was something he hated. Wolves didn't often trip and fall. They didn't drop almost everything they hold. It was another thing to separate himself from everyone else in the pack. On some level, Carmelo thought that if he said it enough and owned his flaw, he'd stop caring.

That didn't happen.

"I heard it had something to do with bacon," Vincent said. He put his arm around Carmelo's shoulder as they walked, and Carmelo didn't have the energy to fight it. "Is that true? You like bacon that much?"

"Bacon's okay," Carmelo said. He tried to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. "I mostly did it to see Laura smile."

"That's nice of you," Sebastian said. Carmelo tried to hide his reddening face and began walking just a little bit faster.

The packhouse was large, and it could take a couple minutes to get from one floor to another, but right now, it felt like it was taking forever. Carmelo couldn't hide his sigh of relief when they finally reached his room.

"Goodnight," Vincent said. His hand gripped his shoulder tightly for a moment before loosening again, and Carmelo couldn't help but look back at him.

Vincent's eyes glowed, and a quick glance at Sebastian revealed that he was also feeling strong emotions. Carmelo had a feeling that if he had a wolf, his eyes would do the same thing. Vincent shifted slightly, drawing Carmelo's eyes back to him. He couldn't look away. His stomach churned, and his exhaustion seemed to slip away. A warmth came over him, the suddenness of it causing a shiver to run down his spine. Vincent began to lean in, and Carmelo couldn't help but glance at his lips. They were thin and seemed soft, inviting. Carmelo didn't move. For once, he couldn't remember why he didn't let this happen before. And then Sebastian shifted closer to them, and Carmelo remembered that he was nothing more than a third wheel. They were mates. There was no need for him.