Page 42 of Omega Forged (Hartlock Omegas #2)

Tully

Why had I stopped wearing sparkly things?

The plunging neckline of the champagne gown revealed a tantalizing swell of cleavage.

The soft material hiked high on the right side, allowing one bare leg to tease.

I had my spark back, on the outside at least. Inside was being challenged by nausea.

Tossing until my upper lip sprang with sweat.

Pan danced his fingers up the generous split. I smothered a surprised gasp. He’d been very affectionate since my heat.

“Perfect, beautiful, and so easy to access,” Pan hummed and my knees wobbled as he stroked along my dampening seam. “Careful, angel. You might ruin the hard work of the scent removers.”

His teeth scraped behind my ear, and his tongue flickered out to taste me.

“Maybe we could forget the gala and stay home?” I breathed.

Pan pulled away with a frustrated growl. “You have no idea how much I want to say yes.” He opened the door for me. “But my pretty omega deserves to be shown off. Let’s find our pack, shall we?”

Pretty omega.

The words pricked until the rest of his sentence sank in.

Our pack.

I felt like I was walking on clouds, not ideal in the tall heels I tottered on, but Pan was there to catch my arm and steady me.

His screaming red jacket was paired with a sheer black top embroidered with intricate roses.

Smokey, dark liner smeared his gaze and his fingers were crowded with chunky silver rings.

There was a wildness about him, like a bottled storm.

It made me shiver, the way he always did.

Ajax waited in the lounge for us, wringing his hands. The second he saw me, the worry disappeared, and a wide smile split his face, like sunshine through clouds. Dressed in a midnight blue tailored suit, his pants hugged his round ass like a dream.

“You look so beautiful,” he breathed and wrapped his arms around me.

He eyed my cheek, thinking better of planting his lips on it, though I would have welcomed the touch. Anything to stem the live wire of nerves underneath my skin. I latched our hands together, wanting to be close to my tender-hearted alpha. He squeezed three times.

Pan waved an impatient hand, smothering an impish smile.

“The sooner we go, the sooner we can leave. I want to be the one to unwrap our delectable omega, but you can mess up her make-up.”

My core clenched at the possibilities. Each day, Baylark Pack crammed enough depravity to make the most seasoned omega blush. We taught each other our bodies, and I was an eager student. The shell of the past was broken, and I was finally free, in a way I’d never known before.

Ajax nuzzled my neck with a soft, disappointed sigh. “I know removing scents is a requirement for tonight, but having you smell like nothing is driving me crazy.” He helped me into the car and slid in after.

Their scents had become mine, and I rubbed my wrist over Ajax’s, out of habit. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. Pan pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.

“Smile, Lloyd and Walden want to know how you’re doing. Shall I tell them we stayed home to fuck instead?” Pan winked.

His teasing unraveled the tension inside me, which was his goal. Warmth dripped through my body like honey. I was so grateful for this pack.

“Tell them I can’t wait to see them, and I hope I can make it without vomiting.” I pressed my hand to my stomach to stop the riot of nerves. I could do hard things, and I would.

“You’ve got this, angel.” Pan looped a finger around a dangling tendril of hair.

His eyes danced, wide and manic. He was doing a good job of hiding his own nerves, but I knew he harbored just as much reticence as I did about the gala. This was the first public event he’d been to since the dreaded incident no one would tell me about.

The reason he stopped taking SubduX.

“I know this is a big step for you, Tully, but we’ve got you. No matter what.”

I leaned against Ajax’s bulk, considering turning around. But I couldn’t wait to see Walden and Lloyd, who had been overseeing the set-up for hours. Normally they would all be there, but they’d drawn straws last night to see who would stay and escort me.

“What about you?” I asked Pan, and his lip curled.

He ran an elegant hand across his tight stomach. I had four men scrambling to be my support. I wanted to make sure he knew I was a pillar for him as well. Baylark Pack intimidated me at first, but they were just as flawed and fallible as I was.

“I’m sober. Not even drinking. Do I want to take that bottle on ice right there and drink the entire thing? You bet, but I have a secret weapon tonight. My sweet omega.”

Ajax made a noise and Pan rolled his eyes, waving his hands in a placating manner.

“I used to get obliterated at these things. Having the eyes of the city on you, following your every move and critiquing you is hard enough. Last time it was…”

“Pan, everybody makes mistakes, but you know I always have your back.” Ajax leaned over and squeezed Pan’s knee.

The car filled with heavy energy as we lingered in thick traffic.

“You had to drop that on me when I’m wearing eyeliner?” Pan dabbed his fingers in the corner of his eyes.

But the look they’d shared had weight and texture. A bridge unfurled between them.

I fidgeted with my bracelet. I could handle the pressure of tonight. Esta had been a young, naive omega when she journeyed to the wildlands. And while I wasn’t discovering a new world, I was navigating one I had no experience with.

My gaze drifted to the traffic shifting around us.

Being out in public made my skin crawl, and I wondered if that would ever fade.

At least I didn’t have to worry about Chase being there tonight.

I’m not ashamed to say I stalked his social media.

His pack were on a trip to Astaly. My relief was dizzying, even days after finding out.

I didn’t think I could face the public as Tully Hartlock and see him on the same night.

Ajax leaned down and nuzzled my neck. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

I accepted the velvet press of his lips, swiping my tongue to collect more of his taste.

Coffee and hazelnut curled around my taste buds.

This was a new beginning. Whatever happened, we were together.

Ajax rested his forehead against mine, curling his hand around the base of my neck.

He was a mountain, blocking out the scorch of the sun.

“Breathe, treasure.” His soft command, delivered in a tone threaded with a light bark, emptied my lungs. “I can feel your heart pounding like a drum. Nothing matters except us, and we adore you. The rest is noise. Yes?”

Pan groped my thigh. “If you need another distraction, I’m happy to assist.” He waggled his eyebrows, but there was something sharp in his expression, an edge, there and gone in a flash.

I opened my mouth, intent on rooting out the source of his tension, but the limousine crawled to a stop.

A red carpet rolled toward the entrance and the crowd of people waiting.

Photographers crowded the sides and their cameras flashed.

Urgent shouts clamored in the air and made me shrink in my seat.

“There’s a red carpet?” I sucked in a nervous gasp.

Anxiety swallowed me whole. Pan shot me a look, softer than before, and both he and Ajax reached for my hands. They tangled their fingers through mine, and I took a deep breath. It was habit to fill my lungs with their comforting scent.

But there was none.

“There are a few special guests here tonight.” Ajax grimaced and as I stiffened, thinking he meant me, he added, “Toni, the human delegate, convinced one of her governors to attend and then there’s…”

“Who? Look at the security guards.” I choked on an inhale as I noticed the swarming muscle-bound shadows.

“The High Prince of Astaly is here. But that’s a good thing. It means no attention will be on you, or us. Everyone will want a glimpse of him.”

The pressure in my chest squeezed so tight a tiny wheeze escaped me. The High Prince ? Of Astaly ? I didn’t think this gala was important enough for royalty to visit. I closed my eyes as a wave of nausea rolled through my stomach.

“You’re safe with us, Tully.” Ajax squeezed gently.

There was a flicker of something in his expression, anxiety. It wasn’t like him to be nervous.

“ Promise .”

Pan’s hand tightened enough to make me wince. My gaze flew to him. He was nervous too, but better at pretending.

“Promise. Now, no more stalling. The paparazzi will get rabid if they don’t get their Pan fix soon. I’m the people’s prince.” The arrogant tilt of his lips made me laugh, and he folded out of the car with a bright smile I knew was fake.

His eyes were dull stones, but nobody seemed to notice. We posed for pictures, and Pan let Ajax take the lead, something I hadn’t expected from him. Pan seemed the kind to shine in the light of others’ admiration, but he folded in on himself.

“It’s all a show,” he said through a gritted smile as the paparazzi called for us to look in their direction. “I would prefer to be high as fuck right now, but that’s another promise I’m sticking to.” There was a wistful twinge to his low voice. Hunger whittled to a sharp point.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and Pan’s face transformed when he pulled it out. A true, blinding smile cut across his face, and he showed it to Ajax as we walked up the steps to the entrance. Ajax’s nose scrunched as he helped me walk. Imagine tripping in front of all of Starhaven.

Pan nudged me with his elbow. “My friend CJ texted that he’s inside. He’s one of my oldest buddies. You’ll love him.”