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What could I bring to this pack except my name and a pretty face?

I didn’t want to hear Walden agree with me, though. His thumbs brushed my cheeks, the smile still in place.

“And?” His response made me pause.

My ribs choked tight, and my throat narrowed. What did he meanand? I’d just spilled my fears, and he dismissed it like lint on a sleeve.

“I told you…” I pulled out of Walden’s tender hold.

His comfort made me bristle. Was he being condescending? Walden’s fingers dragged down to my shoulders, and he held me tight. His scent was thick, and it cleared the confusion despite my resistance.

He dropped his voice to a low rumble. “Let me tell you the secret of having a name that precedes you. You’re the one who holds the power, not them. If they don’t see something in you, it’s not on you to fix it.” He touched my bracelet.

WWED.What Would Esta Do?

His gaze was a laser on mine. “Do you think she gave a damn what people thought about her when she flaunted the old Hierarchy Laws? How do you think our lives would be if she’d let opinions stop her from venturing into the wildlands?”

“But I’m not Esta, I’m not strong.” My protest was more like a whimper.

“Your parents sheltered you, and because of it, someone took advantage of you.” His face darkened. “More than one person, if you count Fenella. You survived by yourself, but you don’t have to do that anymore.”

My chin fell. There was a tightness in my chest I couldn’t shift. I shook my head in automatic dismissal of his words. I wasn’t a survivor by strength but cowardice. The only reason I survived while my parents died was because I didn’t live up to their expectations.

The memory of the last time I saw them came back, tasting like ash.

“This is your chance, Tully.” My mom slid her backpack on, exhaling to shift the strands of hair that fell over her eyes. I tried to find myself in their features, their habits and thestark differences left me feeling more alien than ever. My dad clamped his hand on my shoulder, waiting with his eyebrows raised. I knew what they wanted.

For me to go with them. I hugged my camera to my chest.

“Do I have to?” It sounded like petulant teenage whining, even to me, and my parents’ faces shuttered with barely concealed disappointment. Dad’s hand slid off and the tingle of his touch lingered like a brand.

“Of course not, but this is our community and they need us? I know you’re scared, but put that aside.”

“Why do you have to be the one to save this city from the HLA? Isn’t that a job for the people who run it, the police?” I followed them to the door, hoping I could convince them to stay.

But they walked to the car without pausing.

“That’s what it means to be a Hartlock, daughter. We are pioneers, trendsetters, and we don’t cower in the face of adversity.”

It was a carefully packaged rebuke, one that stung for hours until I heard a knock on the door. And my world changed in an instant.

I blinked, the memory hot behind my eyes.

“I see the disappointment on my parents’ faces so clearly, like it was yesterday. It’s not just strangers who see through me.” My voice cracked and the three heads on the couch turned toward us, all pretenses abandoned. Well, they should know who they are dealing with.

But I didn’t want to see the change roll over their faces, too.

I was the first Hartlock omega since Esta and there was nothing special about me to warrant it.

Walden chucked his fingers under my chin. “Can I tell you a secret?” Walden whispered. “Every day I feel like I don’t deserve the opportunities I have. I think they will notice and kick me out.” He waved behind him, ‘they,’ meaning the outside world.“I’ve had to work hard for many years to feel like I earned my place. You’re at the beginning, so hold my hand tonight. Let me guide you. If it all becomes too much, we can leave. What do you say?”

His words didn’t ease the terror gripping my lungs. I’d put too much power in my thoughts for one comment to make a difference. But Walden was patient, letting me gather the scraps of courage I owned.

I wasn’t brave, but I wanted to be.

Could that be enough?

I hid and ran from nearly everything that frightened me in life, and I was tired of running.