The walk to the shoreline was quiet. The village was peaceful, the morning sun warming the cobblestones, and children were playing in the distance.
But Sebastian barely noticed any of it. His mind was still churning with the images from his dream, the voice that had spoken to him, and the feeling of dread that had settled in his chest.
He pushed the thought away and focused on the path ahead.
When he reached the shore, he saw a figure standing at the water's edge, his back to the village. His posture was relaxed, his hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
He looked calm.
Peaceful, even.
But Sebastian knew better.
He approached slowly, his footsteps soft on the sand. "Zachary?"
Zachary turned, his expression carefully neutral. "Oh, Sebastian. What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to check on you." Sebastian stopped a few feet away, giving him space. "I heard what happened. I'm sorry."
Zachary gave him a small smile. Something he probably practiced. "It's fine. Nothing to be sorry about. Your brother was just being honest. I do appreciate honesty."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came to him to say it that way."
Zachary's voice was steady, controlled. "It's okay, dude. I'm glad he told me. It would have been worse if he'd led me on. This way, I know where I stand. No confusion. No false hope." He shrugged, a casual, careless gesture. "It's better this way."
Sebastian studied him, searching for the cracks in the mask. "You're not okay," Sebastian said quietly.
Zachary's smile flickered. "Who would? After that humiliation."
He scoffed, looking back at the sunset as his chest ached from the heartbreak he felt from earlier.
The golden light painted his features in warm hues, but there was nothing warm about the emptiness in his eyes.
"I mean, I knew it was a long shot," Zachary continued, his voice carrying a forced lightness that didn't reach his eyes. "He's a vampire. He's so enchanting. He's got that whole brooding, mysterious thing going on that I like so much. And I'm just... me. A nervous wolf from a small pack who can barely string two sentences together without tripping over his own tongue."
Sebastian shook his head. "That's not true."
"I know what I am." Zachary's voice was quiet, but there was no self-pity in it. Just a tired acceptance.
"I've always known. I'm not the kind of person people look at twice. I'm the one who blends into the background, the one who's there but not really seen."
He let out a humorless laugh. "I guess I just fooled myself into thinking maybe, just for once, I could be seen by someone like him."
Sebastian's chest tightened. "Zachary—"
"It's fine." Zachary held up a hand, cutting him off.
"I don't need you to tell me I'm wrong. I don't need you to make me feel better. I just need—"
He paused, his voice cracking. "I just need to sit with it for a while. To let it hurt. And then I'll move on. I always do."
Zachary let out a shaky breath. "He said he has someone. A partner. Alliah. Do you know her?"
Sebastian nodded slowly.
"She's our foster sister. She's been with our family for decades. She and Casper, they've always been close. I think they've been together for... a while now. I don't really ask. Casper doesn't talk about it."
"She must be amazing," Zachary said softly. "To have someone like him. To be the one he chooses."
Sebastian didn't know how to respond to that. Because he knew Casper. He knew his brother's walls, his fears, his inability to let people in. And yet, Alliah had managed to break through.
"She's kind," Sebastian finally said.
"Patient. She's the only one who can get him to open up. They're... they work together. In a way that makes sense."
Zachary nodded, his expression distant. "Good. I'm glad he has that." He paused, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. "I just wish…" He stopped, shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter what I wish."
Sebastian's hand found his shoulder, squeezing gently. "It matters. It matters that you feel things. It matters that you let yourself feel them. That's not weakness, Zachary. That's courage."
Zachary let out a wet laugh. "Courage. Is that what we're calling it?"
Sebastian was quiet for a moment. Then he stepped beside Zachary, facing the sea, his voice low and thoughtful.
"Do you know why I'm here? In Tanesab? Why I came all this way?"
Zachary glanced at him. "Because of Lucas."
Sebastian nodded. "I was engaged, you know. To someone else. Beatrice. We were supposed to get married. I had the ring, the venue, the whole perfect life laid out in front of me." He paused, his voice dropping.
"But I loved Lucas. I had always loved Lucas. And I was too much of a coward to admit it."
Zachary's brow furrowed. "Then why did you propose to her?"
Sebastian let out a slow breath.
"Because I thought I was doing the right thing. Because I was scared. Scared of what people would think. Scared of the bond. Scared of how much I felt for him. I used Beatrice as a shield to protect Lucas from the Accord, but in doing so, I hurt him. I hurt her. I basically hurt everyone."
He turned to look at Zachary, his eyes earnest. "I spent years hiding behind lies and excuses. I convinced myself I was doing the right thing. But I was just running away. From my feelings. From the truth. From him."
Zachary was silent, quietly listening. Yet, he felt every emotion from Sebastian.
"But when Lucas left," Sebastian continued, "I realized what I'd lost. And I knew I had to make a choice. A real choice. Not the safe choice. Not the easy choice."
He paused.
"I broke off the engagement. I told Beatrice the truth. I hurt her, and I'll carry that guilt for the rest of my existence. But I had to. Because staying with her would have been a lie. And I was done living a lie."
He turned to face Zachary fully.
"That's courage, old man. Not empty promises. It's when you let yourself feel something real, even if it hurts. Even if it's not reciprocated."
Zachary stared at him, his eyes glistening.
"Loving someone isn't weakness," Sebastian said softly. "It's the bravest thing you can do. Because it means opening yourself up to the possibility of being hurt. And you did that. You let yourself feel something for my brother, even though you barely knew him. That took guts."
Zachary let out a shaky breath. "When did you become so smart, Sebastian? It seems like it was not that long when you were this fragile thing, looking for any possible way out to get rid of the imprint."
Sebastian smiled, small and genuine. "Shut up."
Zachary was quiet for a long moment. Then he let out a slow breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
"You really gave up a whole engagement for Lucas?" he asked, a hint of wonder in his voice.
Sebastian nodded. "Yes, at this point, I will give up everything for Lucas."
Zachary nodded slowly. Then he smiled, a real smile, small but present.
"Thanks, Sebastian. For saying that."
"You know," Sebastian said. "You're one of the strongest people I've met. And you'll get through this. I know you will."
Zachary laughed, the sound lighter than before. "You barely know me."
Sebastian gave him a short chuckle. "Doesn't matter, I can tell."
Zachary shook his head, but he was smiling. "Whatever, kid. Shoo. Go find Lucas or something."
Sebastian nodded, stepping back. "If you need anything."
"Yeah. Yeah." Zachary nodded as he waved his hand away from Sebastian, shooing the tall vampire away from the shoreline.
Sebastian turned and walked back toward the village, his steps lighter than before. He had said what he needed to say. He had done what he could.
Now it was up to Zachary.
And up to Casper to figure out what he truly wanted.