Page 69 of Omega Forged (Hartlock Omegas #2)

Tully

Walden put out his hand to stop me before I exited the car. A gold chain dangled from his fingers. He clenched his jaw, and faint color dusted his cheeks.

“A gift for me?”

The sight of the gold distracted me from my knotted stomach. The minute we stepped out, I would pretend the pack in front of me was mine, but it didn’t feel fake any longer.

“If I call it that, will you refuse?” Walden’s eyebrows arched.

I held my wrist out, the one adorned with his other gift. WWED? She’d take a present without argument.

Walden undid it and added the new one, flipped it over and let his fingers linger on my wrist.

“I had this commissioned months ago. There wasn’t a good time to give it to you and…” His jaw clenched. “I want you to remember this today.”

I let out a soft puff of surprise. The inscription read WWTD.

What Would Tully Do.

“You don’t need anyone else’s voice but yours. And I know it’s overbearing and presumptuous and you don’t want—umphf.” Walden’s words tasted desperate when my lips pressed against his.

Eucalyptus burned my nostrils and cleared my nervous jitters. I sat back, smiling at Walden’s frozen face and the lipstick on his lips.

“Thank you, Walden. I love it.”

Pan used his thumb to clean his lover’s lips. “What games are you playing, angel?”

“Isn’t tonight a charade? We have to keep up appearances.”

I hopped out of the car, stifling a laugh as Walden asked for a moment. Was he hard from that brief kiss?

Photographers turned in readiness, but my smile faltered as Pan grabbed my wrist. Lloyd and Ajax looked on with smirks.

“Tell me if this doesn’t feel real.”

His lips slanted over mine in sinful possession. As he pulled away, Pan had red lipstick smeared over his lips, but unlike Walden, he made no move to remove it. Walden finally joined us and he dropped a kiss on Pan’s lips with a shake of his head.

Flashes rang out. There was no missing the affection and what it meant for our pack.

Our pack?

Lloyd and Ajax flanked us as Walden and Pan kissed again. Seeing Walden reveal his heart to the world made my knees buckle.

“Can I have a kiss?” Ajax murmured and his hand found mine. He squeezed it three times.

“What does this mean?” I squeezed him back and his hazel gaze plunged deep inside me.

“I.” Squeeze. “Love.” Squeeze. “You.” Squeeze.

Cameras flashed, and I straightened my smile for their benefit as I searched his expression.

“Ajax.” He’d been squeezing my hand like that since we met.

“What do you want me to say? It’s the truth.” He slid his arm around my shoulder.

Hazelnut and coffee rolled over me. Rich and beautiful. My heart bruised my ribs, and tears threatened the back of my eyes. Ajax pulled a tissue from his pocket with a flourish and Lloyd snatched it from him to dab at my eyes.

“You never said it.”

“You were pretty strict about words with Walden. Actions only. We all love you, Tully. I was too worried about being rejected. If my heart wasn’t so full of you, I’d be braver. Now, I’d say it a thousand times if you let me.”

It wasn’t the right time for the declaration, but I dragged my hand through his beard and let the world fall away. The camera flash brightened the shadows in his hazel eyes.

“I wouldn’t reject you. You could say it as much as you like.”

His breath hitched. “Really? Y-you?”

Ajax didn’t have time to finish his sentence as Pan whirled back, intent on me.

“But it’s my time to shine,” Pan interrupted breezily. He snatched my hand and herded me in front of the photographer. “Smile, my angel.”

He dragged down my collar to reveal my silvery bond mark, and it was as if someone put a wooden spoon in the crowd and stirred it. The photographer’s mouth dropped open.

“That’s right.” Pan kissed my shoulder, lingering. “My beautiful omega has a gorgeous new mark.”

Pan throbbed dark, wonderful, and wild inside me. A pulse between my legs. The rest of the pack pressed in around us and their combined scents made my mouth water.

“Tully, Tully, you’ve joined Baylark Pack?” A voice called out, and the focus of the conference shifted.

“Are you ready for this?” Ajax muttered in my ear.

Was I ready? It was too late now, I thought as I gave a small nod.

“Hartlock Pack. We’re taking our omega’s name,” Walden corrected.

The frenzy intensified, and we shuffled through the fray while answering a thousand questions. It was pandemonium. I spotted Seph ahead of us and a part of me twinged. I’d invited her, but I was still surprised she came.

“You’re discarding your name?” One question struck me like an arrow. “What about your ambitions as mayor?”

“I am beyond proud of my heritage and the Baylark name. I’m not giving up anything by choosing to become a Hartlock, rather, gaining the pack of my dreams.”

The raucous noise of surprised Designated rose around us and my ears rang.

“Nice touch. They’re eating that up.” I patted Walden’s chest absentmindedly.

He snatched my wrist and brought it to his mouth. His tongue pressed against my scent gland.

“It’s not a ploy, Tully. This is real.” Walden’s gaze flashed.

Walden would never give up his name. Ever. It meant everything to him.

“B-but your campaign? You want to be mayor, don’t you?”

Walden stroked my wrist, ignoring the persistent photographers. A year ago, I would have wilted under the attention, but I’d grown so much and even after everything we’d gone through, it was because of these men and Walden.

“I’ve been following a checklist, Tully. Ticking things off and thinking that was all there was to life. But none of it is worth anything if I don’t have you and Pan. This pack needs you more than any legacy or achievement.”

There was a real possibility that my chest was going to burst.

Walden laced our fingers together and dragged us away from the press. He leaned in close enough to brush his nose against mine.

“I want our family to be our legacy, and whatever good we do in our lifetime will be enough. But can you see yourself wanting to be a part of that future?” Walden asked.

I balanced the truth on the tip of my tongue. I wanted those things too, a family and a career. Chase built on the weaknesses my parents helped create in me. I’d made myself smaller to suit him. But it was up to me to take the courage hiding in my veins and do something with it.

“Tully?” Walden prodded. He chewed on his bottom lip.

The rest of the pack crowded my back, with their lungs full, while they waited for my answer.

“Seph sent me the video of you all confronting Chase.”

Walden’s shoulders slumped. “Are you angry?”

I shook my head and his expression turned wary.

“We will always be the monsters in the dark for you, treasure,” Ajax said, and I reached out to grab his hand. I squeezed it three times while I stared into his wide eyes.

“Or just your walking, talking credit card. Would you like that, angel?” Pan said.

A laugh burst out of me. Perhaps the first real one in months. It came with trust, a revelation. Their scents wove around me and to anyone else, it would have been too much, a mess. But to me, it was home. Our jagged edges were only smooth when we pressed against each other.

“I’m going to get a drink,” I said.

“Allow me,” Walden said, and the rest of the pack went with him.

I slipped through the crowd, making conversation with the attendees.

It was surreal to see my face blown up, and clips of the episodes playing in the background.

To think I’d been scared to leave my bedroom. Now look at what I’d achieved.

“Miss Hartlock, can I call you Tully?” Toni Syme, the human delegate, interrupted me.

“Toni, are you enjoying yourself?” The last time I’d seen the woman in front of me, I’d been a different omega. A weaker one, threatened by her confidence.

“It’s pretty fascinating.” Toni swallowed her wine dregs and discarded the glass.

“What do you mean?” I frowned.

“It’s interesting how differently the HLA is thought of in Starhaven, compared to human settlements.” Toni picked up one of the custom napkins, pink with a glittery heart and lock. She shredded it into four pieces.

“The HLA stands for nothing but violence.”

Toni shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot more of the world than you have, sweetheart, and they’re just saying what the government is thinking.”

“Including you?”

Toni let out a tinkling laugh. “Of course not. They aren’t my opinions. I’m just being a realist. Do you think your little documentaries make a difference?”

Little documentaries ? Like I was a child, playing at being an adult. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the insults brewing on my tongue.

“Those are bold words from someone with fake tan on their hands,” Pan snarked. “And dubious connections to the HLA.”

“What?” Toni turned red as my pack formed a shield behind me. “I was just chatting with your omega.”

“I heard. She has a name, Tully Hartlock, and before I have you arrested for colluding with extremists, I want you to know her series has made an impact already. We’ve raised nearly forty thousand for a music program for children in low-income areas.”

“Don’t forget she raised over one hundred thousand dollars for women in at-risk situations in a recent fundraiser,” Lloyd added.

Walden massaged my shoulders and stared down at me with a look of pride. My eyebrows knitted together. Arrested?

Toni spluttered as Walden motioned the security guards forward. “I thought alphas ruled the hierarchy, but they don’t, do they?”

“Not in this pack.” Lloyd frowned at the human until she held her bag in front of her.

“Good luck explaining how you forged paperwork to get into Starhaven,” Ajax said.

Toni blanched and slipped past my pastel pink flower wall, the guards in pursuit.

“What was that about?” I frowned.

“Don’t worry about a thing, I’ve got everything handled. You’ll never have to see her condescending face again,” Walden whispered in my ear.

Warmth blossomed in my chest. Toni wasn’t the first person to judge me and she wouldn’t be the last, but I didn’t have to deal with it on my own again.