Page 34 of Omega Forged (Hartlock Omegas #2)

Tully

It had been a week since my heat and I still harbored hesitancy.

I was trying to give the Baylark Pack the benefit of the doubt, but I couldn’t change a lifetime of belief overnight.

I brushed back my hair, frizzy on the ends, with a grimace as Walden’s sisters filled the upscale boutique with a chorus of delight.

They tossed their sleek, dark bobs in near unison.

While they weren’t identical, they moved in such a similar fashion it gave an uncanny feeling.

The saleswoman watched them with wide eyes.

“Oh, I’ve been dying to shop here.” Sybil slipped off her scarf and strode straight to the racks.

“What my sister meant to say is thank you for agreeing to spend time with us.” Lorna brushed her perfect manicure over my shoulder.

Their six-inch heels lent them enough height to make me shrink a little. The combination of their tropical scents, mango, pineapple, and watermelon, coaxed at my tight muscles, but nothing could soften my nerves.

Beatrice threw her arms out and squealed, pulling up short as Walden growled from beside me.

“Go easy, please.” His gaze roved over me as I stood and wiped my clammy hands down my thighs.

“Alright, bro, we’re not going to hurt her.” Beatrice rolled her eyes.

“My ears beg to differ.” Walden winced. He readjusted the pocket square in his elegant suit after his sisters smothered him in hugs. My chest twinged at their easy, familial affection.

Lorna let out a long-suffering sigh as she tucked a strand of her dark bob behind her ear, covered in multiple piercings.

“Is he always this bossy?” Lorna slid me a look.

“You should know, he was yours long before he was mine.” I volleyed, my lungs aching as Walden’s cheeks flushed bright red with pleasure.

Mine . He was, wasn’t he?

Walden fussed with his wallet, sliding a platinum card over to the salesperson, a bubbly omega who snatched the card with saucer.wide eyes.

“Oh,” Sybil clocked his heated cheeks and picked up a cracker from a platter on a side table. “That’s a cute color on you, Wally.”

“Don’t even think about giving me a nickname. Now, I’ll leave you to it. I’m available anytime, for anything, alright?” Walden pressed a lingering kiss to my forehead, and his sisters mock swooned into the plush couch until he scowled. “Don’t let them push you into buying anything you don’t want.”

“Can we call you if we need anything? Like to check my personal budget?” Beatrice teased.

“No, you can leave a message with my assistant.” Walden shook his head.

“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 is beyond .” 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.”

I swallowed hard, and my wobbly smile slipped. The city remembered them for their selfless sacrifice, but I couldn’t forget my parents for a different reason. Their disappointed tone was memorialized in my thoughts every day.

“I have an idea,” Lorna interrupted, her hand anchored my shoulder. “Why don’t we buy these and go get our nails done? Mine need a refresh.”

Her nails didn’t need anything, but I saw the offer for what it was. An escape from this conversation.

I nodded and the triplets had everything wrapped and ready in moments. They took me to a nail place, where Sybil asked. “You don’t like talking about your parents, do you?”

I shook my head. “They didn’t really approve of anything in excess. This would make them have a fit.”

“We wondered about you over the years. We just assumed you were of the same mind. Walden didn’t say much, but he said you have had a difficult few years since they passed.”

I picked out a peach color for my nails, with a soft sparkle and ignored the ache in my chest.

“Something like that.”

“We run PR for the Baylark Pack, and if you want, we’d be happy to talk more about our experiences and what it’s like to have a name like ours. It weighs heavily until you learn how to leverage and balance it,” Beatrice said.

“You’d do that for me?”

Beatrice pulled out her phone and offered it to me.

“Of course. Not because Walden asked me to, either, if that’s what you’re thinking.

We didn’t know how hard things had been for you after your parents died.

We want to support you. If you’ll let us.

You might have felt alone in the last few years, but not anymore, ok?

We should have reached out and we’re sorry for it. ”

A smile cracked open my face and trickled into my insides.

“Thank you, that means a lot. You have no idea. This dinner is really making me nervous, so anything I can do to prepare would be great,” I admitted.

“It’s kind of wild how you’ve come back into our lives right before the One-Hundred-Year-Gala. Did Walden tell you they’re showcasing some Hartlock antiques?”

Gala? My mouth went dry. “No, they didn’t say anything.”

“Walden also mentioned you spent your heat together. Does that mean you’re joining the pack?” Lorna whispered.

“He did?” I spluttered.