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“Fine, be off with you.” Beatrice waved him away. “Take your pack and don’t even think about hovering around. The weekend markets are on until the afternoon, and we don’t want any interruptions to girl time while we shop.”

“Bye, Walden,” I added, and Walden’s scowl faded into a soft smile.

I may not have the effortless beauty of the Baylark triplets, but their brother melted for me and that felt like something only very few people had ever achieved. Walden’s feet dragged as he left.

“Oh, my gods, Walden lets you interrupt him at work? I mean, I knew he was besotted with you, but that isbeyond.” Lorna’s jaw dropped open as the door closed.

I was stuck on her easy declaration when Sybil yanked me into a tight embrace. “Tully, gods, it’s good to see you.” Her sweet scent wrapped around me.

The heady, bright, and bubbly mix of the sisters hummed against my skin as a Baylark omega hug enveloped me.

The earnest touch pricked tears in the corner of my eyes and I pulled back. If I let the warmth linger, I might get emotional. I hadn’t realized how starved I was until my heat. The way I ate up every touch with voracious hunger. There was a storm inside me, and I was a leaf being tossed on the tumultuous waves.

Could they tell how terrible I was at this? It lurked underneath my skin and threatened to unravel me.

Had Walden told them how nervous I was about coming today? How terrified I was about attending their small work function? It was to celebrate the larger donors to the Foundation. It was supposed to be a chance for me to practice owning my place in Starhaven again.

I looked around, my gaze bouncing like a moth on a window. There was no sale rack in this shop.

Lorna plucked a bright blue bag off the shelf without even asking. “Is this the newest La Lune?” The bag fit perfectly with her tailored outfit.

“It just came in.” The impressed saleswoman nodded. “There are only fifty of this color.”

“Do you have the pink one?” Beatrice gushed, “We could match it to your dress, Tully. Walden said pink is your favorite color.”

I picked at a nail, unsure how to respond. When I was younger, I wanted to find the source of their indefinable spark and make it my own. My parents called the Baylark triplets spoiled, but I’d been envious. I kept to myself how much I wanted the cute outfits and toys they’d bring to playdates. My parents thought material objects were the trappings of a weak mind. Pink was a color for the immature. Sequins were for children.

But longing bubbled inside me. They were so bright and fun. Why did everything have to be reduced to how complex it was? Maybe I just liked pink because it was pretty, and sequins because they hit the light and I enjoyed it. I caught my lower lip between my teeth.

Time to grow up, Tully. You could be so much more.That nasty voice echoed in the back of my mind.

“Let her breathe, or Walden won’t invite us to come back.” Lorna searched through the racks with a discerning eye.

Sybil pressed a tissue into my hand with a knowing look. “The three of us are horrifically ugly criers, if you’re concerned about tearing up in front of us.”

“Lifetime member of the Blubber Club, specializing in red splotches and swollen eyelids.” Beatrice shot her hand in the air.

I curled my shoulders and searched through the dresses.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

Silence drew out, except for the scrape of hangers. They exchanged looks like they were communicating telepathically. What would it feel like to have someone know me as well as they knew each other?

“It would be rude not to buy something expensive, especially when Walden’s paying. Why don’t you try this on?”

Beatrice pressed a glittery gold dress into my hands. The change room was a blessed reprieve. My life had been so damn empty, and I felt it in my bones as the years dragged on and I stayed frozen like an ice sculpture. I wanted so desperately to be someone other than Tully Hartlock. Especially in the face of these three omegas, who were the perfect example of how I should be.

This dress was something I might have picked up years ago. It caught the light, came alive. I wanted to do the same.

I poked my head out of the change room, coming out further when they encouraged me. I hadn’t shopped properly in years and gravitated to a pastel pink slip dress. Sybil insisted it would be perfect for the dinner. They kept picking out outfits, and I tried them on until I collapsed on the couch in the middle of the store.

“Your parents were heroes for Starhaven.” The saleswoman appeared beside me. “I have a cousin who was trapped in the HLA attacks. You must be so proud to be their daughter.”

The gush came as a surprise and hit me like a punch in my stomach.

“All my parents wanted was to be remembered for doing good.”

“Well, my cousin drops flowers at their memorial all the time. They’ll never be forgotten.”