“Of course she does, sweetheart. But you know it’s not that simple.” I peeked through the door just in time to see mom pat Eva’s knee. “You got lucky. Not only did you click with them right away, but there weren’t any… problems to be avoided.”

Meaning the band my sister bonded with, Mindless Delirium, was famous too, and therefore had already been vetted for things which would make our family look bad. I didn’t give two shits about that kind of appearance, but when you came from my world, everyone else did.

“All I can say is if Esme ever wants to find a suitable pack, she needs to really think about what life will be like as an Omega alone instead of a pack who might not be perfect, but will treat her well.” I couldn’t stay longer to hear more of Katarina’s opinion of me.

I was sassy and prickly and definitely not my sunshine twin, who was the sweetheart of the world. Outside the gates to this estate there was no doubt a crowd of paparazzi trying to catch a glimpse of her through the walls and the security. They were far enough away they wouldn’t see me, and I was glad that pack left before the paps got here. Even if I didn’t care about appearance, the last thing I needed was another story about me and how I chased away another batch of eligible men.

Pushing off the stairs, I followed the brick path around the house which led to the main grounds. On the outskirts of the city, this estate was massive, and it was easy to get lost in the woods and fields when I needed to run away from… everything for a while.

When I was running, or painting, or mixing a new color, for a little while I could pretend I wasn’t me, and this wasn’t my life, and every fucking second wasn’t lonely.

Katarina was right. It wasn’t my choice to be Esme Williams, Eva Williams’s less shiny twin. But this is who I was, and it wasn’t going to change. I just needed to accept it and find a way to be okay being lonely, even if it felt like my heart was ripping to shreds.

Blinking the beginnings of tears out of my eyes, I turned my music on shuffle, and ran.

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

________

ESME

“Do you really need me to go to this thing with you?” I asked, flopping down on the ludicrously large beanbag in my sister’s living room. Having a rock band for a pack definitely had its benefits.

“Yes, I do. And you’re going to wear whatever I put you in.”

“Eva.”

“Esme.”

I groaned. “I think I would rather have bamboo shoved under my nails.”