Page 15 of Omega Forged (Hartlock Omegas #2)

Tully

Rain droplets covered the car window, their harried paths like my mind. Thoughts piled on top of each other. My exhaustion surprised and embarrassed me, so much that I retreated to the other side of the car when Walden and Ajax returned.

Baylark Pack. Walden.

It had been years since I’d seen him. He recognized me, but he said nothing.

His powerful body looked comical, folded into the driver’s seat.

I peeked at him, or more specifically, his giant hands.

He wrapped them around the steering wheel like he wanted to strangle the leather.

Knuckles white. Veins popped. The traffic light changed in front of us and Walden braked.

He was a methodical, slow driver, and I appreciated that he took corners at a considered pace.

Like the trunk of the car was filled with crystal, and he was desperate to keep the precious cargo intact.

The light turned red, and our gazes clashed.

My cheeks heated at being caught staring at him again.

Why didn’t he say anything?

The confrontation with the paparazzi, the chance meeting, all of it made my head spin, and I wanted to lie down. But I couldn’t let my guard down. It was just my luck that the first time I stepped outside in a long time I was photographed almost homeless.

I thought Walden would lecture me.

Our families had been closely connected for years. The two longest-lasting legacy packs of Starhaven used to do everything together. But my beta parents weren’t interested in prestige. They didn’t want to live in a mansion paid for by the wealth of the Hartlock name.

So, they raised me like any other family, separate from the galas, the glitz, and the glam of high society. They wanted to make a difference in the lives of all Designated, not just the ones dripping in diamonds.

They were idealistic and look where it got them.

My skin crawled at the thought of being exposed and shoved into a spotlight I had never acclimated to. I spun the bracelet on my hand, a gift that changed the trajectory of my life.

What would Esta do?

Not get in the car with two men who had seen far too much of her. She’d probably have a meltdown at seeing a car in the first place, but that was beside the point.

Still, what were my options? The second I stepped foot in the Omega Center, they would want my identification.

My anonymity would be destroyed. Hotels needed proof of identification before they would give me a room, and because of my unbound omega status, most wouldn’t be able to accept me, anyway. I was at risk wherever I went.

But it wasn’t just my name coming out that frightened me, it was the thought of Chase finding me like he promised.

My stomach swirled with sloshes of unease.

“Ajax, you mentioned Fenella. How did you know her?”

He was sitting in the seat in front of me. They’d cracked the windows an inch to help with the influx of agitated alpha scent. The cold was manageable now that I was covered in Walden and Lloyd’s clothes.

“I don’t know how to tell you this,” Ajax started slow. “But we recently went on a date with her, and she was wearing a jacket with your scent.”

He gave me confirmation of what I already knew and I reeled with questions, unlikely to get an answer. The viciousness with which Fenella threw me out still bounced around inside my skull. Was she punishing me for the failed attempt to win the Baylark Pack over?

“Scent stealing,” Walden growled. “I can facilitate pressing charges.”

“N-no, that’s unnecessary.” I stammered, nervous to talk to him directly.

I’d touched myself with the combination of Baylark Pack in my nostrils. Imagine if I told the perfect Walden Baylark that.

Lloyd curled against his door, giving me more space than I needed.

If I closed my eyes, I could imagine we were on the beach.

Sunscreen massaged into my shoulders and the waves crashing in the background.

I meant it when I said his scent was comforting.

It reminded me of my childhood. Of summer days spent slow and drenched in laughter.

Before everything changed. His lie rankled me, but I couldn’t hold it against him.

I was a liar as well.

I understood his predilection with status.

Being the only beta in the pack would have been jarring for anyone’s self-esteem.

There was a history carved into the powerful alpha who drove us, and it showed in his side profile.

Like he’d been born with innate elegance.

My bones felt brittle and ineffectual in response.

Ajax intimidated me in the same way. His bulky strength screamed power.

“We’re here,” Lloyd breathed.

Here being one of the most prestigious, gated communities in Starhaven, Saint Hill. Expensive wrought-iron gates swung open, and the security guard tipped his hat as Walden drove through. The streets were wide, lined with green-hued trees. The branches reached across the street.

Idyllic.

I straightened as Walden pulled down another gated driveway, towards a large white house.

It might have taken its inspiration from a barn or a ranch, but there was nothing plain about the mansion.

Neat, trimmed hedges lined the stately driveway.

We drove through a pass way and into an opening that sloped down to a gigantic underground garage.

I spotted at least six cars as Walden maneuvered us into a spacious, empty spot.

The wheels squealed on the glossy gray floor.

“Tully?” Lloyd danced his fingers across the seat, perhaps recognizing my overwhelm.

Had I really expected anything less from Baylark Pack?

This was exactly the life my parents didn’t want me to have.

I felt even more out of place with my baggy clothes, damp at the knees.

Walden pressed his palm down on a data pad.

Two white panels slid to reveal an elevator, and he held the opening with a long arm.

Walden raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to follow.

His scent burned in my throat, another reminder of his power and my weakness.

“You’ll be safe here.” Walden’s eyebrows bunched together, misinterpreting my uncertainty.

The last time I’d seen Walden had been my parents' funeral, and I’d been too mired in grief to notice anything but the burning in my stomach. I’d lashed out and asked him to leave. Walden Baylark always drew an unreasonable reaction from me.

He made my mouth dry. Terror and attraction wove deep into my stomach and tossed the contents until I swayed with nausea. I was about to enter a rabbit hole. A sense of foreboding washed over me.

“My things?”

“I’ll get them,” Ajax offered.

Lloyd hovered next to me, his expression soft and patient.

“I’ll take care of you,” he promised, offering me his hand.

I slid my fingers between his, letting him draw me into the small space.

Anxiety pushed me closer, and I squeezed his hand in an iron grip.

The elevator opened with a soft ping and I shuffled after Walden’s broad back, trying and failing not to gawk.

Clean lines, white with wooden accents. The entryway led into an open plan lounge area and kitchen.

It wasn’t the house that made me swallow hard.

But the faint, mingled mix of scents, like the jacket I’d pressed to my mouth as I came.

Baylark Pack smelled too damn good.

We neared the source of an echo of raucous laughter. Walden’s shoulder blades jammed together. Lloyd’s hand tightened around mine and he nudged me behind him.

“Lloyd, I’m a mess,” I protested as a hot flush prickled over me.

Clothes were an underrated shield. Wasn’t that why I wore black instead of the pink I longed for? With my hair styled, make-up on, and a tailored outfit, I could pretend to be someone I wasn’t.

I hadn’t had a proper conversation with anyone but Fenella, Thorn, or Clay for months and the prospect made me want to shrink into my oversized outfit and disappear.

“Nobody cares,” he assured me with a comforting smile.

It didn’t stop me from using his body, especially when the laughing alpha came into view.

He didn’t notice us at first, chatting on the phone.

He lounged on top of the kitchen counter, his combat boots balanced on one of the rattan stools.

A dusky nipple peeked out from his tattered, stretched tank top.

Lean muscle carved his bare skin along with a smattering of tattoos that looked more like scribbles.

He turned and his brunette curls fell lazily over his forehead.

His mocking smile froze like a hovering blade as he took us in.

I could never forget the sight of those narrowed, black-lined eyes.

It was the alpha from The Barracks, the drunk one who called me angel.

“Daddy’s home,” he sneered, throwing his arms wide. The stool wobbled precariously.

Daddy?

Walden stiffened like a statue, growling under his breath.

“Pull yourself together, Pan,” he ordered, jerking his head towards Lloyd and me. “We have guests.”

Pan cut Lloyd a look, double taking when he spotted me huddling behind him. There was no recognition. I fisted Lloyd’s shirt like an anchor.

“This is my friend, Tully,” Lloyd introduced.

My body trembled at his back, and he remained still, allowing me to hide.

“Ajax will insist on whipping something up. He’s incredible in the kitchen. What foods do you like?” Walden asked, emptying his pockets on the bench.

A warm plane melded against my back and I squeaked, halted from moving as two hands wrapped around my shoulders.

“Now, don’t you smell yummy?” rasped Pan.

How had he moved so quickly and quietly from his perch on the kitchen bench?