Page 87

Pan whipped his head toward me, shaking it vigorously. I waved all of them off. It was only a question, not a promise. There was a lot at stake. I knew Tully was frightened about the weight of her name, and didn’t think she was worthy of it. But I would be right by her side, supporting her every step of the way.

Lloyd shot me a furious glare as Roger hummed with pleasure.

“Walden,” Ajax interrupted, but Roger spoke over his thready voice.

“If that ever happened, I’d drive straight to the casino and bet my life savings, because clearly the gods favored me,” Roger chortled.

I didn’t believe in gods. My parents made a show of placing offerings for the Warrior, the Sage, and the Oracle. But I onlyrelied on my own two hands and a name that stretched through time.

With a Hartlock, the optics would be phenomenal.

Lloyd held up his phone to the speaker and pressed play on a video. White noise filtered out.

“R-roger—Losing—C-can’t,” Lloyd spat out a few garbled words before ending the conference call.

“What are you doing?” I frowned as Lloyd turned off the noise.

“Faking a poor line? He’ll probably fall for it.” Pan interlaced his fingers behind his head.

Lloyd stood up, and his scent filtered over, chemical-laden bitterness.

“Did you listen to a word I said about Tully before?”

I didn’t like the tone he used. It pressed against my Adam’s apple and forced me to swallow. He was protective of Tully, and I commended him for it. She deserved to have people in her corner after feeling alone for so long. But I was not a threat.

“Do you know how much courage it took for her to come here yesterday and give us a show we’ll never forget?”

My chest stung. “Of course I do.”

“The ribbons.” Pan leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

“She is so terrified of being herself, she locked herself inside for months. You really think she’ll want to be a part of this gala?” Ajax said.

“Why not?” My nostrils flared.

Tully didn’t have anyone to help guide or shield her from the intensity of attention that came with her name. She had Baylark Pack and an entire PR company at her disposal now. It wasn’t fair to compare the two, especially not over a conversation.

“Tully isn’t like you, Walden. She’s never felt comfortable in the spotlight, and I don’t want to do anything to put her relationship with us in jeopardy.” Lloyd wrung his hands.

“Her past doesn’t have to be her future. You got used to it, didn’t you?”

Lloyd flattened his lips. He’d stuttered in front of the cameras when we first became a pack, and now he was charismatic and charming. Tully would be the same. She just needed time and encouragement.

“There is still that alpha she’s terrified of,” Lloyd tried again.

“There is no one in this city who is more powerful than this pack. I hope he does come for her, because I’d relish the opportunity to ruin him.”

Ajax agreed with me. Finally, some support.

“What happens when she melts down in public because of the pressure? How will you treat her when she can’t be the perfect campaign partner?” Pan said.

My neck flushed with heat. He was referencing our last time in public. The way he said it made me think he blamed me for what happened.

“Maybe if you told us what set you off, we could make sure nothing like that happens to Tully.”

Pan’s shoulders hunched over his ears, and he curled his hands into fists.

“I’m just saying it’s a lot and we can’t all be perfect like you, Walden.”