Page 41 of Omega Forged (Hartlock Omegas #2)

Her shoulder blades trembled under my flattened palm. How deeply our parents wounded us. I knew the pain she nursed, because I had my version. Not as traumatic, but just as thick with neglect.

“It’s not fair to judge your worth on a decision you made when you were barely even an adult.”

Color flushed Tully’s cheeks. The only sign my words cut through her determination to stay small.

I knew how much it hurt to shed the weight our parents put on us.

It took me years. But if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be as successful as I was now.

My weight was still a sore point, but Tully made that ache softer each day.

“Let me wash your hair?” I asked.

“What?” Tully fluttered her hands to her pink cheeks.

“Come on.” I motioned toward the door. “Let’s go to the nest.”

Tully made a noise of protest, but I took her hand. A comfortable silence settled over us, and her scent softened as we got closer to her nest. I turned the taps on and sprinkled in salt mix made especially for omegas, and a generous dollop of bubble bath mixture. Only then did I speak again.

“You don’t need to do this.” Tully plucked at her sleeves.

“Oh, Tully, I’ll tell you a secret. This is more for me than you.”

She whipped off the hoodie, and I swallowed a groan as her silky skin was revealed. She turned around and dragged her purple panties down her legs.

“Because you get to see me naked?” She stepped into the sunken bath with a coy smile.

“An undeniable treasure, but no. Caring for you is a privilege I will never take for granted.”

Tully’s gaze flickered with tentative warmth before she ducked underwater and soaked her hair. I lathered it with shampoo and massaged it into her skull. My clothes were getting soaked, but it was worth it.

All the tension rolled out of Tully and she melted into my careful hold. I put a hair mask in and remembered what Walden wanted me to do. Convince Tully to attend the gala.

“Is there something you want to do with your life, but you’ve not pursued it?”

The pale column of her neck bobbed.

She let out a soft sigh. “I used to make these documentaries. I’d follow my parents around and record, pretending I was some famous filmographer.”

“Really?” I almost salivated. That footage would be priceless now. “Let me guess, your parents didn’t approve.”

Her laugh echoed in the bathroom.

“I guess they weren’t wrong. The pipeline from documentarian to cam girl was surprisingly swift.”

“And I thank the gods every day for Tahlia and her ribbons.” I winked.

“Ajax.” Her cheeks heated, but the comment pleased her. Her scent turned thick and sweet.

I nudged her into the warm water and washed the mask off.

“Whatever you choose to do, be it filmmaker, sex worker, or omega of leisure, our pack will support you.”

I helped Tully out of the bath and wrapped her in an oversized, warm towel. I brushed my lips against the scent gland on her neck. My alpha instincts demanded I paint myself on her skin.

“You don’t mean that.” Tully let out a wary titter.

“I do. It’s just like this gala. You’re frightened to attend and be judged. But who are you trying to prove yourself to? Show up for you . Not out of honor or legacy, but because the Hartlock name is yours now.”

Tully shook her head. “But it’s a gala for Esta Hartlock. Celebrating her accomplishments, and then there’s me, just there by luck of being born.”

“The gods work in mysterious ways. Your place is valid, Tully, even if it looks different from what you expect.” I roved my gaze over her face, wanting my words to sink in.

Not because of the prince, or for the success of the gala. Purely because I wanted her free from her perception of herself. Tainted by so many other people’s opinions. There was a twinge in my stomach. Would I be pushing her so hard if I didn’t know a prince requested her presence?

“You always know the right things to say. I can see why you excelled in debate.”

I shot her a smile, and we wandered out into the nest.

“We could stay in here tonight, watch something easy and get take out?”

Tully hesitated before shaking her head. I followed her back to her room, where the champagne dress hung. This time, the sight didn’t make her tremble with fear.

“Don’t let your last name take away from how special you are. You would be a vision in this dress,” I murmured to the shell of her ear, and dropped a kiss to punctuate the statement.

A dull ache spread in my chest, but I shook it off. Tully chewed on her bottom lip and dipped her head in a tentative nod. So brave, my girl.

“Promise to look after me.”

I rested my hands on her shoulders. “Tully, you’ll have to pry me away from you, I mean it.”

Her eyes met mine, and she gifted me another of her brilliant smiles. Her courage was a physical thing, baring its regal head like a lion, readying itself to roar. I pitied anyone who thought Tully wasn’t worth the Hartlock name.

The day she realized it herself, she would be unstoppable.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll go.”

I smothered a soft spark of unease. Interlacing our fingers, I squeezed. One. Two. Three.

Convincing Tully to attend would be worth it. Especially when she saw how powerful she really was, and how much we adored her as a pack.