Page 56 of Devastation
The broody alpha.
The smart one.
"What do you mean?" Leo asks, clearly wanting to play dumb instead of facing the truth of it. Can't say I blame him. Facing the truth means accepting unresolved issues.
Zedd puts his hands in his pants pockets as he scuffs the ground with one foot. "It's something I've struggled with, and I see it in you guys as well."
Neither of us respond, waiting for him to expand upon that vague comment.
"You know what I saw in the shifter realm?"
"All of your fantasies come to life?" Leo answers, still trying to keep the bravado going, but I silently continue to watch Zedd.
Zedd doesn't take the bait, keeping a serious tone as he continues on. "I felt like Lana truly got to see me for the first time, and it was so fucking freeing. I let go and let my utter joy and excitement shine through, and in turn, it fueled me to be less in my head about what to say or how to act."
"You lost me," I admit as my fatigue sets in further, and my brain struggles to make sense of Zedd's.
He looks exasperated as he responds, "I thought for the longest time that I couldn't joke around so openly or do silly things with Lana because that wasyourrelationship with her—and honestly with all of us. But recently, I realized all I was doing was trapping myself in a box of expectations that only I was placing on myself."
I swear the man doesn't take a breath between sentences as he pushes onward.
"That box was blown to shit when we were in the shifter realm and I just couldn't contain my happiness and true feelings. I'm never going back to that box. I've seen the inquisitive looks you've all given me in those moments I let my true self shine through. But I've also recognized the pride intermingled in those looks."
"That's true. You've seemed so much...lighter," I confess, my brows raising as I nod my head.
"It's freeing to stop feeling like you need to be anyone other than yourself. Truly yourself. We're all growing and changing with every passing day. Who we are isn't a set mold. It's an ever growing accumulation of moments that shape us—the good onesandthe bad ones."
Elizabeth, Hale, Ash, and Lana come into view beneath the canopy of a large oak tree, and my heart constricts at how beautiful our mate is. Her copper hair shines where the sun breaks through the tree's canopy, and it blows in the wind lightly, moving the teal flowers entwined with her strands in the process.
A genuine smile fills her face, reaching the depths of her eyes.
Zedd stops walking and faces us, halting us as well. "So, stop holding yourself to the mold you think you're stuck in and just be you. I promise you guys that the moment you let those self-imposed shackles fall away, you'll never look back."
With that, he walks away toward the rest of the group, leaving Leo and I staring after him in shock.
I swear I watch the mask slip off my twin's face before my very eyes. The forced smile falls from his face as he locks eyes with me. "He's right. We owe it to ourselves and our family to be our authentic selves."
It's like chains fall from my soul piece by piece as I accept the truth of Zedd and Leo's words.
It'll take time to adjust and rein in the forced habits, but I'm committed to being me now. If that happens to come with jokes and pranks, then it'll happen organically in the moment. It won't be forced for the sake of fulfilling an imagined expectation.
Clapping my twin on the shoulder, I take a breath and exhale. "Agreed, now let's go join our family."
He smiles genuinely at me, and in that moment, I know the shackles of expectations have fallen away from him as well.
We walk toward everyone and note that Ash looks like he's seen a ghost. He's in a daze as Elizabeth attempts to get his attention by waving a hand in front of his face, but his gaze is unfocused and he's clearly lost in his own thoughts.
As we approach, Lana hops over to us and gushes, "Elizabeth is his grandma! Can you believe it?"
Genuine warmth spreads through me at the thought of Ash gaining a true family member. We're all severely lacking those, and I couldn't be happier at seeing him get this opportunity to make this connection.
"Wait, does this mean he has the same magic as her?"
Leo's words shock me. I didn't even think to connect those two dots.Duh.
Lana nods vigorously at us and points at the ruby necklace on Elizabeth's chest. "She told us that that necklace is a family heirloom that will only respond to the presence of someone belonging to their family bloodline nearby. He has soul magic."
"Wow," Leo breathes out, and I can't help but echo his sentiments. "Wow."
