Page 24 of Omega Forged (Hartlock Omegas #2)

Tully

I should be panicking.

But my name didn’t feel so heavy on my tongue or choke my throat. It made me wonder if I could keep it? What would that future look like? My parents had no faith in my abilities to own who I was, but maybe I could try one last time.

Walden asked me to trust him, and I believed him.

I thought back to my parents’ funeral, when I’d been raw with grief.

His perfect jawline, softened by unwanted pity.

His eucalyptus scent cleared my blocked nostrils and stung my eyes.

I felt a bizarre desire to sink into his arms and beg him to look after me.

What would my life look like if I’d taken his offer?

Chase had swooped in after he left, and I’d trusted him instead.

Baylark Pack had nothing to gain from me. They had all the riches and reputation already. They were also the only ones who could really understand the position I was in. I sighed and turned my focus back on my mood tracker. There was a missing spot for yesterday and I colored it pink.

Happy. I hadn’t done that color in a long time.

The pens Walden gifted me glided across the paper in the most satisfying way.

Yesterday, after the tense breakfast, I’d stayed while Baylark Pack flitted around me.

Taking Walden’s lead, both Lloyd and Ajax took a day off.

Observing them left me with a restless prickle under my skin.

The way they bantered and laughed. There were cracks, but so much love was trying to glue them together.

Nobody pressed me, even Lloyd, who I knew itched to know more about why I turned to Only Omegas.

I dropped my head in my hands. The first sign of acceptance and family had my knees wobbling on my plan to leave for Astaly. When Walden and Pan went to therapy together, my stomach ached. Hot enough to make my toes curl. They fought for each other, and I… wanted that.

When would it be my turn for someone to wind their arm around my shoulders and lend me their strength?

The force of the Baylark scents shook my nerves. Like ocean waves coaxing at my heels. Begging me to sink deeper into their depths. For a moment, I’d felt like the bridge between them all, softening the harsh edges.

Longing sprang deep in my shadowy insides and wouldn’t stop spreading. Sitting at this desk reiterated how lost I was. The mood tracker gloated at me, and I slammed it shut with a sharp breath.

“What’s wrong, Tully?” The door snicked open, and Lloyd slipped in when he saw my wobbling lower lip.

I covered my face and shook my head. Lloyd’s fingers landed on my tight shoulders, massaging them. His touch made the base of my head tingle. Something primal reared its head internally.

Tell him to stop before it’s too late.

But Baylark Pack was all over me, sinking past the barrier of my skin. Where no scent wipe could remove their mark. I melted with a moan as Lloyd ground his thumbs into my shoulder. What would his hands feel like all over my body?

Oh no.

My bitch of a heat was inching closer, and I could barely resist Lloyd as it was. I darted out of the chair, dashing his touch from my shoulders. He held his hands up, wary and wounded all at once.

“Don’t,” I gasped, and my ribs pinched when his face crumpled.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you.” He trailed off when I waved my hands, grappling for control of my surging need.

“That’s not it.” I shook my head. “It’s my heat. It’s close and—” I bit off with a curse.

Lloyd’s nostrils flared as what I said sank in. There was a sharpness to the edge of his smile, and it pressed against me like a flame. Heated ruination in one flash of his white teeth.

“We could tend you through it. No bonding marks, no pressure. Let me take care of you, Tully.”

Oh, those magic words. My insides swelled to meet them, along with the whisper of my name. Like it was a rare jewel. His pupils dilated as my scent thickened.

Taking suppressants wasn’t an option. I’d already skipped my last two heats.

Skipping didn’t take away the buildup of hormones.

There were only two options for me now: prescription medication, which involved going to the Omega Center.

Not something I was willing to risk. Or a pack, with their delicious knots and cocks.

“You want to,” Lloyd whispered, a grin toyed with the corners of his mouth.

His joy was so palpable it glowed through me.

“I can’t.” I wrung my hands together. I shouldn’t.

But he was right. I wanted my fingers deep in Lloyd’s sun-licked hair. To sink into him like the ocean, let his salt and sunscreen wipe clean my horrible thoughts. His heat would warm me from the inside out.

Lloyd stepped closer, his gaze simmered.

“Knock, knock.” Ajax rapped on the door, poking his head around at the same time.

His nostrils flared and a whole-body flush washed over me. Ajax stumbled back but didn’t mention the thick tension or lingering arousal. I pressed my thighs together, slicker than moments before.

Would Ajax take care of me?

Like the film he’d handled so tenderly. His mouth and lips were generous, his hands could scoop me up. Would he pin me to the mattress with his bulk until I squirmed and begged?

“I thought you might like a proper tour of the place.”

“Alright.”

“Let’s start down the hall.” He exchanged a cryptic look with Lloyd.

I soon realized why when they tugged open a door that was half the size of a normal one. I squatted down, confused by an unlit tunnel. The small, dark space called to me.

“Is your nest in there?” I whispered as my lungs burned.

“Let us know what you think.” Ajax cleared his throat, again exchanging a quick look with Lloyd.

My stomach flipped. My skin was already taut and throbbing with heat, and if I crawled into the tunnel, I might not leave. What if there was a lingering scent of another omega? My eyes watered needlessly. I had no right to the possession that rose in me like a wave.

“I shouldn’t.” I denied myself.

It was madness to even consider it, but my lungs choked on the longing. The shadowy tunnel looked so inviting, so safe. Lloyd crouched down next to me, and his eyes searched mine.

“You’re not getting it, honey girl. While you’re in our care, you get what you want, always.

” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“There has never been another omega even close to this nest. I think we’ve been waiting for you and it’s here if you want it.

We all are. Maybe I should play it cool, but I’ve never been that kind of guy. ”

Lloyd’s sea-foam eyes were bright with need, and incredulous laughter bubbled in my chest. I flicked a look at Ajax. The tendon in his throat was tight. Would it taste like coffee if I ran my tongue the length of it?

They were all there for me? My insides were goo, my instincts sang.

“We’ve barely spoken to each other,” I protested as Ajax nodded.

“That’s a very human way of thinking about things.

I’m drawn to you, Tully. Since the first time I saw you stuffing that cupcake in your mouth.

I even overlooked how you scraped the icing off.

You’ve said more with your face and scent than words ever could.

You might regret asking me to talk, though.

I’m a chatterbox.” Ajax scrubbed a hand through his beard.

My cheeks heated. Was everything so stark on my face? Chase always berated my inability to mask my expression.

You need to work harder.

Nobody wants a thirsty omega.

Chase had said all the right things in the beginning.

Flattery tasted so addictive after a lifetime of meager supply.

I was falling in love while he systematically butchered parts of me to become more palatable.

I let him, because I was so desperate to belong.

He still discarded me and I learned a valuable lesson.

No more packaging myself for others.

“I’ll just have a peek,” I said.

The tunnel tapped into my instincts immediately, and it opened to a large room.

A sigh fell from my lips as soft light flickered on, tinged like the glow of dusk.

There was a sunken, padded circle lined with a cloud-like mattress and cushions that created a soft lip.

Carpet circled the nest, and there was a seating area with dark-colored plush chairs and a small side table.

I ran my hand along the blue velvet wall, and a secret panel clicked open to reveal shelves of soft pillows and lush blankets.

Below were storage boxes labeled with each member of Baylark Pack.

I found a hidden fridge and a well-stocked pantry.

There was even an adjoining room that led to a sunken spa bath and a double shower.

This nest had everything. Even the ceiling twinkled with tiny lights, like stars. The low lighting soothed the itch under my skin.

I fought the urge to crawl into the middle and sink into the soft mattress. The urge to pull the blankets from the shelves and nest rose. I couldn’t stop myself from shoving my cardigan between the cushions.

The edges of my brain turned fuzzy, and heat throbbed between my lungs. Lloyd and Ajax hadn’t followed. They gave me this moment without influencing me with their scents. I forced myself through the narrow tunnel before I made the nest mine.

Lloyd and Ajax spoke in hushed voices as I exited. Tension hijacked their features.

“Did you like it?” Ajax leaned forward.

“It’s perfect,” I admitted. “Your future omega is lucky to have such a beautiful, thoughtful nest.”

There. I managed to be diplomatic and stuff down the sharp envy that needled my skin.

“Where is your cardigan?” Lloyd said.

“What?” I dodged the question, but my cheeks answered for me.

I was as good at playing cool as he was.

He let out a soft laugh. “Come on. This is Pan’s piano room. Have you heard of PAMA?”

Ajax showed me some frames in the piano room, and I avoided looking at the leather bench where Pan had sat me on his lap and made me melt with a few sentences. There was a young, lithe Pan accepting a certificate. His skin was bare of tattoos and his smile was wide but forced.

“I know it’s a musical school.”

My parents had no interest in sending me somewhere I would be spoiled because of my last name. Their words. My parents homeschooled me and taught me practical life skills.

“Perry Academy for Musical Artists. Pan is the youngest student in history. This was one of his performances early on.”

I hummed, looking at the next photo. A couple hemmed him in with stiff shoulders and pursed lips. Pan stared to the side, his hair cut short and neat. It didn’t look like the alpha who set my pulse leaping under my skin. What happened to him between then and now?

“Your parents?” I asked Ajax, and a shadow passed over his face as he nodded. “Do you play?”

“No, my parents had high hopes, but I’m afraid only Pan could meet them.” Ajax wandered further and opened a set of doors.

The room had a wall filled with weights, an empty mat covered area, and treadmills.

“This is the gym, not a place I spend a lot of time in, as you can tell,” Ajax guffawed, patting his round middle until it jiggled.

Lloyd blew out a sharp exhale and shook his head.

“Why would you say that?” My forehead creased.

Ajax slapped his stomach again, and his nose crinkled in disgust. “This is the reason we haven’t found an omega for our pack yet.”

My lungs froze. Ajax grinned at me, like he thought I would join in and laugh at his expense. Looking like what? His stomach was soft and round and his thighs were meaty and thick. His chest was a barrel and his cheeks round underneath his thick beard. He thought his weight made him unattractive?

“You’ve been talking to the wrong ones,” I said.

“Ajax, man…” Lloyd shook his head.

“What? It’s the truth.” Ajax’s laugh was strained this time.

Better to laugh at yourself before someone else did.

I used to do the same thing around Chase.

Make fun of my memory and intelligence before he could.

It hurts less if they laugh at a joke you made, like you wrenched control of the embarrassing, the mortifying, the shameful.

But it didn’t take away the emotions attached to those qualities.

Every time I had to do anything related to numbers, I would cringe inside, judging and despising myself for my slowness.

I knew how much it hurt.

Instinct moved me to throw my arms around his middle. I sank my fingers into his softness. Burned hazelnut and bitter coffee made my nose crinkle. I clung harder, determined to divest him of his incredibly wrong opinion of his body.

“I was just being stupid.” Ajax’s hands brushed my shoulders.

“Anyone would be lucky to have you as their alpha.” My nose nuzzled into him, and it elicited a surprised purr. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I saw you.”

His purr intensified, and it was just like his scent, sending a zing of energy down my spine.

Ajax’s heavy arms cradled around my shoulders and pressed me closer.

Ajax interlaced our fingers, and he squeezed our joined hands three times.

We stayed until my stomach growled. Ajax’s chest rumbled with a soft laugh.

“Why don’t you show Tully your favorite room, and we can order some food?” Lloyd voiced from behind us, and I unhooked my fingers with a sigh. Ajax’s gaze was bright, like my brief hug lit him up from the inside out.